Random News: August 15, 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 August 15, 2025, and if you can believe it, it’s a Friday once again! My back is still out, as one would expect. Typically, when I have a lower back episode of some kind, it can last anywhere from a few days to — in the case of what happened to me in fall 2020 — several months. But I believe it’s ever so slightly better today than yesterday, or perhaps that’s the optimist in me wanting to believe that.

• As opposed to dwelling on that, let’s look at the news.
• This morning, Washington, D.C. sued to block Dump’s takeover of its police department, hours after his administration escalated its intervention into the city’s law enforcement by naming a federal official as the new emergency head of the department.
• District of Columbia Attorney General Brian Schwalb sought an emergency restraining order in the federal court lawsuit, which argues the Dump administration is going far beyond the president’s legal powers.
• Of course he is. That’s because he’s a fascist asshole.
• Schwalb said, “The administration’s unlawful actions are an affront to the dignity and autonomy of the 700,000 Americans who call D.C. home. This is the gravest threat to Home Rule that the District has ever faced, and we are fighting to stop it.”
• Good.
• The lawsuit comes after Attorney General Pam Bondi said last night that DEA boss Terry Cole will assume “powers and duties vested in the District of Columbia Chief of Police.” The Metropolitan Police Department “must receive approval from Commissioner Cole” before issuing any orders.
• What a bunch of fucking bullshit. And all this just because Dump raped 13-year-old kids with his pal, Jeffrey Epstein.
• Moving on.
• Where is Dumpy the Pedo Clown right now? He’s on his way to Alaska, possibly to hand it back to Russia for all we know.
• He’s meeting face-to-face with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Anchorage today for a high-stakes summit that could determine not only the trajectory of the war in Ukraine but also the fate of European security.
• Dumpy, who portrays himself as a master dealmaker and a heavyweight negotiator, has boasted many times that he could bring the slaughter in Ukraine to a close.
• But before this little chat even occurs, Dumpy has taken significant risks. By bringing Putin onto U.S. soil, the president is giving Russia’s leader the validation he desires after his ostracization following his invasion of Ukraine 3-1/2 years ago.
• And the fact that he excluded Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy goes against all of the USA’s and other Western countries policies. Would you like it if Canada and China had a meeting about things that affected Florida? No? Hmm.
• There’s very little chance of anything successful coming out of this meeting, which is set to start in about three hours.
• Guess we’ll see. Let’s move on.
• In the midst of the darkness of America’s descent into fascism, one shining light in recent times has been that of my state’s governor, Gavin Newsom.
• As you likely saw over the past week, Newsom has been perfectly mimicking Dump’s ridiculous communications style in a series of social posts.
• Yesterday, Newsom stood with other prominent Democratic leaders to announce that the state will move forward with a partisan plan to redraw congressional maps in an effort to help his party win five more U.S. House seats in 2026.
• As we’ve discussed many times in recent weeks, the move is a direct response to a Republican-led effort in Texas, pushed by Dumpy as his party seeks to maintain its slim House majority after the midterm elections.
• That plan may end up backfiring spectacularly. And what it doesn’t take into account are the millions of Americans in both blue and red states impacted by Dump’s terrible economic and budgeting plans that reward a tiny expense of very wealthy people at the rest of our expense.
• As you know, Republicans currently control both chambers of Congress and hold the White House. At the moment, if Democrats were to win back as few as three seats in next year's midterms, they could flip control of the House.
• That’s why Texas lawmakers — directed by Dumpy — are considering a new map that would help them send five more Republicans to Washington, but Democrats there have so far halted a vote by leaving the state to prevent their GOP colleagues from meeting Dumpy’s demands.
• Newsom has now called for a November 4 special election to put the new maps before voters. State lawmakers must officially declare the special election, which they plan to do next week when they return on August 18.
• At his press conference, Newsom said, “We can’t stand back and watch this democracy disappear district by district all across the country.”
• Correct.
• While Newsom and other Democratic leaders were hosting this event yesterday, dozens of Dump’s federal gestapo agents massed outside the venue.
• Border Patrol Sector Chief Gregory Bovino arrived there flanked by agents in helmets, camouflage, masks, and holding guns.
• If Dump thought their presence would be intimidating, he was sadly wrong. Dump is just a sad man, you know? Actually… he’s not much of a man at all.
• And I’ll tell you something right now: I don’t give a shit whether or not you like Gavin Newsom, or if he is or isn’t your perfect candidate in every conceivable way.
• He’s the only one putting on the gloves and getting into the ring with Dump, and beating him at his own game. If some other Democrats want to step up and join him, the more, the merrier.
• But in any case, it’s time for all liberals — progressive, centrists, traditional liberals — to put away the fear and whining and complaining, and start fucking fighting back.
• Right now, Gavin is the guy who best represents an existential threat to Dump and the insane gang. Voice your support and back him up.
• Let’s move on.
• Some good news…
• Yesterday, U.S. District Judge Stephanie Gallagher struck down two Dump administration actions aimed at eliminating diversity, equity, and inclusion programs at the nation's schools and universities.
• In her ruling, Gallagher found that the Education Department violated the law when it threatened to cut federal funding from educational institutions that continued with DEI initiatives.
• The guidance has been on hold since April when three federal judges blocked various portions of the Education Department's anti-DEI measures.
• And yesterday’s ruling followed a motion for summary judgment from the American Federation of Teachers and the American Sociological Association, which challenged the government's actions in a February lawsuit.
• Good. Fuck him and his evil shit. I’m done with him.
• Moving on.
• Here’s a weird one.
• Yesterday afternoon, the building at 26 Federal Plaza in Lower Manhattan was evacuated following reports of an unknown white powder.
• Unknown white powder? Did Donald Jr. drop by?
• The FDNY said a call came in just before 4pm saying the powder was reported found on the ninth floor of the building, which is home to the Department of Homeland Security and the New York City field office of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, among other agencies. A hazmat unit was dispatched to the scene to investigate.
• Officials said they are awaiting test results on the powder, which was in four separate envelopes, adding those envelopes would also be sent to FBI headquarters in Quantico, VA. Two people were exposed to the powder.
• A pertinent side note: the building at 26 Federal Plaza has been the scene of numerous detainments by ICE agents following routine immigration hearings. It has also been the site of several protests, alleging immigrants are being held in deplorable conditions.
• As we reported this week, a federal judge on Tuesday said he would block Dump from using the building to hold immigrants facing deportation unless it reduces the number of detainees and improves conditions at the site, including by providing sleeping mats and hygiene products.
• Let’s keep moving on.
• A quick follow-up on our story from yesterday about the D.C. sandwich throwing hero, Sean Dunn.
• Turns out that he was an employee (drum roll….) of the U.S. Department of Justice.
• I saw “was” because Attorney General Pam Bondi fired him after the incident and called him a member of the “deep state.”
• And yes, judge Wine Box — aka Jeanine Pirro — is still charging Dunn with a felony.
• Imagine if our government charged the felons who beat and killed cops on January 6, 2021 with the same gusto as they’re using against Dunn. Or if they went after people who did things like shooting up schools in the same way.
• Anyway, Dunn’s comments to the federal agents, which included the phrases, “Fuck you! You fucking fascists! Why are you here? I don't want you in my city,” should be inscribed on a gold plaque for future reference that the USA did, in fact, fight back against the fascist assholes.
• In court, the defense revealed Dunn served in the U.S. Air Force and confirmed that he’d worked for the DOJ before being fired after the incident. His attorney argued no one was injured, calling the felony charge excessive.
• And it is. I expect the charges to be dropped to a misdemeanor if there’s any justice in the world. The judge agreed to release Dunn while he awaits trial. His next court date is September 4.
• A quick follow-up on a story we reported about Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's reposting of a video of a pastor saying that women should not have the right to vote. One of the pastors on the video Hegseth shared with his many followers said he would support repealing the 19th Amendment.
• Hegseth has made a number of moves toward women amid his effort to purge the military of "wokeness."
• Hegseth has already removed the first woman to lead the U.S. Naval Academy, Vice Adm. Yvette Davids. He also removed Adm. Linda Fagan, the first woman to lead the U.S. Coast Guard, and U.S. Navy Vice Adm. Shoshana Chatfield, who served as the U.S. military representative to the NATO Military Committee.
• That’s in addition to firing Adm. Lisa Franchetti, the first woman to serve as the highest-ranking officer of the U.S. Navy.
• If you’re a woman who supports Dump and his team, you are begging to have your rights removed and your life decisions made by men. Maybe you’re okay with that. I don’t know.
• And now, The Weather: “Take These Hands, Show Me How To Feel” by SLEEP CLUB
• A slightly belated RIP (since I just found out about it) goes out to my fellow Second Life music performer George Buetow, who did shows under the ChicagoSax moniker. He died last week at 80.
• George was a really interesting guy and experienced musician. Many folks don’t know that he was a founding member of a well-known ‘60s cover band called The Missing Links.
• The Missing Links not only opened for the Stones on their first tour of the USA, but the band also included members Walt Parazaider, Danny Seraphine, and Terry Kath, who went on to found the band Chicago.
• From the Sports Desk… we’re still two weeks out from the start of the 2025 NFL season, but the season schedules have been out for months, giving Vegas and other sports books plenty of time to calculate the strength of schedule for the season.
• What determines how easy or difficult a season is? It’s the win percentage of your opponent from the previous season.
• Who has the most difficult schedules? In order of toughness, it’s the Giants, Bears, Lions, Eagles, and Cowboys.
• And who has the easiest? Starting from the most easy schedule: 49ers, Saints, Patriots, Titans, and Panthers.
• That being said, teams change quite a bit from year to year — with trades and draft picks and coaching/front office moves — and what may seem like an easy schedule now might not necessarily translate to a bunch of wins.
• Today in history… Starting date of the First Crusade (1096). The Mongolian fleet of Kublai Khan is destroyed by a divine wind (1281). Panama City, Panama is founded (1519). The Panama Canal opens to traffic (1914). Will Rogers dies in a plane crash in Barrow, Alaska (1935). ‘The Wizard of Oz’ premieres at Grauman’s Chinese Theater in Hollywood (1939). Hirohito broadcasts Japan’s surrender in WWII (1945). India gains independence from British rule (1947). South Korea is established (1948). The Woodstock Music & Art Fair opens in Bethel, NY (1969). Bangladeshi leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman is killed with his family during a military coup (1975). The SETI project hears the “Wow! signal” (1977). Apple introduces the iMac (1998). Kabul falls into the hands of the Taliban as Ashraf Ghani flees Afghanistan along with local residents and foreign nationals, effectively reestablishing the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (2021).
• August 15 is the birthday of general and emperor Napoleon Bonaparte (1769), MLB player/manager Charles Comiskey (1859), actress Ethel Barrymore (1879), chef Julia Child (1912), graphic designer Paul Rand (1914), pianist/composer Oscar Peterson (1925), businessman Malcolm Glazer (1928), politician Maxine Waters (1938), SCOTUS justice Stephen Breyer (1938), songwriter Jimmy Webb (1946), singer-songwriter/guitarist Tom Johnston (1948), Princess Anne of the UK (1950), drummer Tommy Aldridge (1950), author Stieg Larsson (1954), philanthropist Melinda Gates (1964), actress Debra Messing (1968), actor Ben Affleck (1970), rapper Nipsey Hussle (1985), actress Jennifer Lawrence (1990), and rapper Chief Keef (1995).

My plan today involves not getting bummed out by this back pain, getting work done as needed, having my weekly Friday sushi lunch, and… I guess that’s about it. That’s plenty. Enjoy your day.