Random News: August 18, 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.

---

Good morning. It’s August 18, 2025, and it’s a Monday. I’m up and about as usual, sipping my coffee and trying to make some sense of the world. Since that’s not possible, at least we can talk about some things that are happening and try and draw some conclusions.

• A little breaking news via the world’s biggest asshole (I don’t need to say his name).
• This morning, Dumpy said he would sign an executive order ahead of next year's midterm elections, saying he would lead "a movement" targeting mail-in balloting and voting machines across the country.
• ”I am going to lead a movement to get rid of MAIL-IN BALLOTS, and also, while we’re at it, Highly “Inaccurate,” Very Expensive, and Seriously Controversial VOTING MACHINES," he wrote in a social media post without providing any evidence.
• If you’re a reasonably smart person, you see this for what it is: another step toward canceling elections in the USA altogether.
• And you can also tell: this is a panic maneuver. He’s scared to death.
• Fat Orange Scared Boy added, "WE WILL BEGIN THIS EFFORT, WHICH WILL BE STRONGLY OPPOSED BY THE DEMOCRATS BECAUSE THEY CHEAT AT LEVELS NEVER SEEN BEFORE, by signing an EXECUTIVE ORDER to help bring HONESTY to the 2026 Midterm Elections.”
• Dumpy also noted that Vladimir Putin agreed with him on ending mail-in balloting. I’ll bet he did!
• Look: it’s nearly inevitable that in some fashion, a civil war is coming. I’m not saying you’ll be shooting at each other in the street (though I’m also not NOT saying that). But in some way, shape, or form, there’s no way the USA can stay aligned as one country as long as Dump is around.
• And soon enough, some people will find some things out.
• Look: even if we have the elections, Dump will claim they were unfair and refuse to leave office (assuming he’s still alive in January 2029, which isn’t a great bet). We all see the writing on the wall.
• The only question is what we’re going to do about it. As I’ve said from time to time, sometimes the best defense is a good offense. Don’t be surprised if we start throwing the first punch now and then.
• But note that we already having red states sending their military to Democratic cities. We’re about a hair’s width from civil war right now, and it’s only going to get more intense moving forward.
• Let’s move on.
• Texas House Democrats who successfully stalled a Republican redistricting effort are returning to the state today, ending their 15-day holdout.
• “We killed the corrupt special session, withstood unprecedented surveillance and intimidation, and rallied Democrats nationwide to join this existential fight for fair representation — reshaping the entire 2026 landscape,” said state Rep. Gene Wu, who leads Democrats in the Texas House.
• Once the Democrats return to the Texas Capitol in Austin, the GOP-dominated legislature will have the two-thirds quorum necessary to advance new congressional maps aimed at creating five more Republican-leaning seats ahead of next year’s midterm elections.
• Why come back now? Because they know that Texas’s ridiculous gerrymandering effort is going to be offset by California’s equally ridiculous — and even more effective — drive to do the same thing, only for Democratic congressional districts.
• Gavin Newsom is the man to credit for this. No other politician seemed to have the balls to step up and fight fire with fire.
• Moving on.
• As we spoke about over the weekend, today is a big day for the future of world peace as a meeting at the White House will include Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy with an extraordinary team of European leaders backing him up.
• Those countries — our allies — will be there to show Dumpy a united front against Russia. This may be the most sweeping show of diplomatic force in one place at one time since World War II.
• On the table for discussion are possible NATO-like security guarantees that Ukraine would need for any peace with Russia to be durable. Putin obviously opposes Ukraine joining NATO outright; however, our allies will hopefully be able to defend Ukraine against Russia if it comes under attack.
• Hours before the talks in Washington are set to begin, Russia attacked Ukraine again. Seven people, including a one-and-a-half-year-old girl, were killed in the Russian drone strike in Kharkiv, the second-largest city in Ukraine. Dozens of other people were injured.
• And disturbingly, there’s video footage from today’s attack of Russian tanks flying both Russia and USA flags. Thanks Dump, you fucking traitorous prick.
• Anyway, we’ll keep a close eye on today’s proceedings. The whole world is watching.
• Today’s AOTDOTD (Asshole of the Day Other Than Dump) is insane racist/conservative activist Laura Loomer.
• A day after Loomer posted videos on social media of children from Gaza arriving in the U.S. for medical treatment and questioning how they got visas, the State Department said it was halting all visitor visas for people from Gaza pending a review.
• Yup. They’re no longer going to allow injured and sick Palestinian kids to get medical treatment in the USA.
• Loomer called those children a “national security threat” and asked who signed off on the visas, calling for the person to be fired. She tagged Marco Rubio, Dump, Vice President JD Vance, GOP Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, and California Gov. Gavin Newsom.
• To be 100% clear, the nonprofit organization HEAL Palestine brings severely injured children to the U.S. on temporary visas for treatment they can’t get at home. It’s a medical treatment program, not a refugee resettlement program.
• Loomer, Dump, and the rest of them are actively campaigning to have these children die. There’s no other possible explanation. And if you’re a MAGA voters that’s what you want too.
• We will not forget, nor forgive.
• Let’s move on.
• A little reminder to folks on the East Coast: you have a hurricane in the area.
• Hurricane Erin has regained power, strengthening to a Category 4 hurricane as it threatens to bring life-threatening surf and rip currents. It will not likely make direct landfall on the eastern U.S. per current trajectory projections.
• Whether it’s Erin or a subsequent storm, I wold not count on FEMA or any other federal government help if it impacts you.
• Why do you even pay taxes when the federal government spends your money on bullshit and never lifts a finger to help you?
• And now, The Weather: “Lace Up” by Wax Jaw
• Let’s do a chart.
• We’re going back 30 years ago to mid-August 1995, and we’re taking a look at the top of the Modern Rock singles chart. This was among the music I’d have likely been listening to at that time.
• Me? I’m 26 and have just moved into what seemed like a palatial estate: a three-bedroom apartment in Redondo Beach, CA. We’d previously been living in a shithole one-bedroom place on Artesia  in Torrance.
• At the time, my then-wife and I don’t even have enough furniture to make it look like we actually lived in the place. At least one bedroom remains completely empty for awhile. That changes pretty quickly, of course.
• Fun Fact: 30 years later, I’m still here in the same neighborhood.
• 1. J.A.R. (Green Day). 2. Tomorrow (Silverchair). 3. And Fools Shine On (Brother Cane). 4. You Oughta Know (Alanis Morissette). 5. Comedown (Bush). 6. This Is A Call (Foo Fighters). 7. In The Blood (Better Than Ezra). 8. Ants Marching (Dave Matthews Band). 9. Til I Hear It From You (Gin Blossoms). 10. White, Discussion (Live). 11. Stutter (Elastica). 12. Immortality (Pearl Jam). 13. Say It Ain't So (Weezer). 14. Galaxie (Blind Melon). 15. Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me (U2). 16. Lump (The Presidents Of The United States Of America). 17. Possum Kingdom (Toadies). 18. Name (Goo Goo Dolls). 19. I Got A Girl (Tripping Daisy). 20. Crush With Eyeliner (R.E.M.).
• From the Sports Desk… what NFL teams might improve this season compared to last?
• ESPN put together a list of five teams who are bound to get better. Here they are, with their abysmal records from 2024…
• New York Giants (4-13), San Francisco 49ers (6-11), Las Vegas Raiders (4-13), Jacksonville Jaguars (4-13), and Chicago Bears (5-12).
• What’s the reason these teams might improve? Some are obvious: big roster and coaching changes. But others are more subtle, like these teams having lost a number of close games last year that were winnable.
• Today in history… Castillian and Aragonese forces take Málaga (1487). John White returns from England to find the Roanoke Colony deserted (1590). A huge fireball meteor is seen across Great Britain (1783). Pierre Janssen discovers helium (1868). A great fire destroys almost half of Thessaloniki, Greece (1917). The 19th Amendment is ratified, giving voting rights to women (1920). Nabokov’s controversial novel ‘Lolita’ is published in the US (1958). James Meredith becomes the first Black person to graduate from the University of Mississippi (1963). Australia and New Zealand withdraw their troops from Vietnam (1971). Anti-apartheid activist Steve Biko is arrested and beaten and later dies from his injuries (1977). A power blackout in Java affects nearly 100 million people, one of the largest outage events in history (2005). One hundred activists, officials, and other concerned citizens in Iceland hold a funeral for Okjökull glacier (2019).
• August 18 is the birthday of first English-descent child born in the USA Virginia Dare (1587), composer Antonio Salieri (1750), UK prime minister John Russell (1792), businessman Marshall Field (1834), businessman Max Factor (1904), activist Amelia Boynton Robinson (1911), politician Caspar Weinberger (1917), actress Shelley Winters (1920), US first lady Rosalynn Carter (1927), businesswoman/racist Marge Schott (1928), director/rapist Roman Polanski (1933), MLB player Roberto Clemente (1934), actor Robert Redford (1936), actor Martin Mull (1943), singer-songwriter Sarah Dash (1945), comedian Elayne Boosler (1952), actor Patrick Swayze (1952), comedian Denis Leary (1957), actor Edward Norton (1969), actor Christian Slater (1969), actor Malcolm-Jamal Warner (1970), actor Andy Samberg (1978), NFL player Jeremey Shockey (1980), artist/model Frances Bean Cobain (1992), and singer-songwriter Clairo (1998).

That’s plenty to think about for a Monday morning. My advice: keep your head up and be aware of what’s going on. That is always true but perhaps now more than at any previous time in your life, it’s important for you to have situational awareness and the ability to predict what’s coming next. Don’t be asleep. Wake the fuck up. Enjoy your day.