Random News: September 1, 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 September 1, 2025, and it’s a Monday. It's also a federal holiday in the USA. Labor Day is one of the work holidays — along with Christmas, New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Thanksgiving — that I always observe. We’ll talk about that and other things, but first…

• Rabbit rabbit rabbit.
• Many of you think about September as the start of fall, and you’re talking about flannels and hoodies and pumpkin spice this and that.
• But where I live, September is often the month from hell, with our highest average temperatures and an inevitable heat wave that has my non-air conditioned ass sweltering in triple-digital temps even here at the beach.
• So I’ll still be wearing shorts for a good long while. Side note: fall doesn’t scientifically begin until the autumnal equinox, in exactly three weeks on September 22.
• Anyway… yes, it’s Labor Day. What is Labor Day? Is it “the end of summer?” No, per above.
• Is it national “barbecue and beers” day? No, though that’s fine if you want to spend your day off relaxing and having fun.
• Labor Day is a federal holiday in the United States celebrated on the first Monday in September to honor and recognize the American labor movement, and the works and contributions of laborers to the development and achievements of the United States.
• If you work, this day is for you. But what if you work in an office? Still for you. What if you work at a “menial” job, or work part time, or work from home, or your work doesn’t involve physical effort?
• Still for you. If you do literally anything that allows you to make income, Labor Day is your holiday.
• Oregon was the first state of the United States to make it an official public holiday in 1887. It became an official federal holiday in 1894 and has remained so ever since.
• Labor Day is probably the most widely observed non-religious work holiday in the US, second only to Independence Day. Damn near everyone is a worker. More people are workers than those who celebrate Christmas. More people are workers in the civilian world than those who have done military service.
• If you like Labor Day weekend — or literally any weekend, or not being forced to work 16 hours per day without any days off until you die, or not having your young children not being forced to work in brutal conditions — the labor movement is who you should thank.
• It’s one of the most liberal, progressive concepts that exists in our country… that as a worker, you have rights and you have the power to exercise those rights.
• From weekends to safe working conditions to retirement benefits to vacations to work breaks to sick leave to paid holidays… none of those things you take for granted now would have ever existed without the labor movement.
• Of note: plenty of labor leaders died, got the shit kicked out of them, or got arrested while fighting for the rights of working people. If it was up to the corporations who generally control things, you’d never have any rights at all as an employee.
• So really, thank the labor movement, and thank the political leaders who support them via laws that help preserve and further worker’s rights.
• Silly side note: there’s also some fashionista law that proclaims you “don’t wear white after Labor Day,” but I live in California where we wear anything we want year-round and no one really gives a shit.
• Let’s do some news.
• Yesterday, U.S. District Court Judge Sparkle Sooknanan blocked the Dump administration from sending any unaccompanied migrant child to Guatemala unless they have a deportation order, just hours after lawyers alerted her of what they described as a hurried government effort to deport hundreds of children.
• Fucking fascist pieces of shit.
• Sooknanan issued her order as the deportation effort was fully underway, with planes with migrant children on board ready to take off from Texas. In the overnight hours, she’d already issued a temporary restraining order barring officials from sending away a group of 10 migrant children between the ages of 10 and 17.
• But then she got alerted that some migrant children were already in the process of being deported, and issued a broader temporary restraining order blocking any deportations of unaccompanied children from Guatemala and in U.S. custody who did not have a deportation order.
• Sooknanan also instructed Drew Ensign, the Justice Department representing the Dump administration, to quickly inform officials they had to halt their deportation plans. He confirmed that the children on the planes would be deplaned and returned to the custody of the Department of Health and Human Services, which is responsible for caring for migrant minors.
• The judge also recognized the sleaziness of the government trying  to execute a plan to remove these children in the wee hours of a holiday weekend.
• What a bunch of disgusting assholes these Dump people are.
• Moving on.
• Rudy Giuliani — once a respected man, mayor if New York during 9/11, who became a conspiracy theory-spreading national joke thanks to Donnie Dump — was hospitalized with multiple broken bones after he got into a car accident Saturday night in New Hampshire.
• It seems pretty serious, especially considering that Giuliani is 81. He has fractured thoracic vertebrae, multiple lacerations and contusions, and injuries to his left arm and lower leg, per his spokesman.
• Normally I’d just let this go — car accidents happen to all manner of people — but then the spokesman continued his story.
• He said that before the crash, Giuliani was flagged down by a woman who was a victim of domestic violence. He "rendered assistance," contacted 911, and "remained on scene with her until responding officers arrived to ensure her safety."
• Um. What the fuck does any of that have to do with the car accident? The spokesman didn’t offer any connection. So now I think there’s more to that story.
• Anyway, as you know: Giuliani was disbarred in New York and Washington, D.C. and he declared bankruptcy after being found liable for $146 million for spreading falsehoods about Georgia election workers. 
• I’m not feeling much sympathy for him regardless.
• Moving on.
• Some news from the International Desk…
• Yesterday, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi went to China to meet with President Xi Jinping, and then today Modi met with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
• What are they talking about? Strengthening their economic ties to go up against Dumpy. They discussed border issues, resuming direct flights, and increasing trade.
• Last week, Dump imposed 50% tariffs on Indian goods bound for the US, the highest in Asia, to penalize it for energy purchases from Russia.
• So now, India can’t depend on its relations with the US, and will be furthering their alliance with Russia and China. If Dumpy had a capable state department led by someone other than a kiss-ass like Marco Rubio, this would have been completely avoidable.
• A quick reminder: India and China are the most populous countries on the planet. Between the two of them, they represent 2.86 billion people. That’s over a third of the entire population of the planet.
• Maybe we want to continue doing business with them, ya know?
• Let’s move on.
• Back in the USA, there are two states that have gubernatorial elections this fall — Virginia and New Jersey.
• Both are viewed as biggest tests for both parties since the 2024 presidential contest.
• In Virginia, Democrat Abigail Spanberger has seen success in polls by blasting Republican Winsome Earle-Sears over Dump’s massive tax and spend law, and putting economic issues at the forefront of her message.
• In New Jersey, Democrat Mikie Sherrill and Republican Jack Ciattarelli are locked in a competitive race that has been defined by affordability issues and the popularity (or lack thereof) of Dumpy.
• All of this is being carefully watched to examine what messages might work or fail ahead of next year’s midterm elections — and whether Democrats can bank on enthusiasm centered on opposition to Dump.
• I can tell you, being very familiar with both Sherrill and Spanberger — these are excellent candidates for governor of their respective states. And early voting starts in just a few weeks.
• We’ll be watching.
• Moving on.
• I hope the members of Congress had a nice long vacation. I’m sure you recall that it was back in July when Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) abruptly adjourned the House of Representatives for summer recess.
• That quick exit gave Republicans an escape from headlines about Dump’s refusal to release files on Jeffrey Epstein, the deceased sex offender. They were doing anything to get Epstein’s name out of the news cycle, and it kinda worked for a bit.
• But vacations don’t last forever, and now all the shit that they shoved under the rug while scurrying out of town is waiting for them upon their return this week.
• It’s more than just Epstein that’s waiting for them to deal with. There’s the threat of an October 1 government shutdown, unless they somehow make a budget deal.
• Even with Republican majorities in both houses, the GOP has failed to pass next year’s appropriations, despite allowing government debt to reach record highs.
• To get a deal done, Republicans will likely need some Democratic votes. And in exchange for those votes, the Democrats have demands in hand.
• Such as?
• First, they want Republicans to restore cuts to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act. Both health care plans were decimated by Dump’s Big Bullshit Bill. 20 million Americans are about to be hit with higher health insurance premiums due to the Dump cuts, and all polls say that voters across party lines agree with Democrats on this.
• But the big thing that’s on those Republican lawmakers’ minds: the 2026 midterm elections. See, when Dump’s name isn’t on the ballot, a huge portion of his base doesn’t bother voting.
• Even in a situation with a popular president, the party in control often gets pounded in the Midterms. And Dump is not at all popular; his numbers keep sinking into negative territory.
• Republicans lost 40 seats in the midterms during Trump’s first term. And the situation is far worse today than it was in 2018.
• Meanwhile, Dump keeps making unforced errors, like the deployment of troops to occupy Washington D.C. (and other cities coming soon). Those actions are alienating independent swing voters the Republican Party needs for the midterms.
• And yes… the Epstein saga is going to be flaring up again in a big way. People like me and millions of other Democrats will keep that on the front burner.
• We’ll be waiting and watching.
• Let’s move on and talk a little about what might happen if Dumpy dies.
• The man is 79 and obviously in very poor health. You don’t need a medical degree to see that. You have eyes and ears. He’s old and won’t be around much longer.
• I’ve seen a bunch of chatter from defeatist-type people who say things like, “It won’t matter if he dies, because Vance is just as bad if not worse.”
• I certainly won’t make any arguments for the merits of JD Vance. He’s a giant gaping asshole. But if you think that people will be mesmerized by Vance in the same way they have been by Dump, you’re crazy.
• JD Vance has all the charisma of a wet rag that’s been collecting mildew in a corner of your garage. No matter what he does policy-wise or how much of it is simply continuing the path that Dump set forth, he is not capable of the type of cult leadership that Dump has enjoyed.
• Saying that it won’t matter if Dump dies is the same as opining that it didn’t matter when Hitler died. Of course it will fucking matter. Pull your head out of your ass.
• I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I don’t know who the 79th president will be come 2028, but I’m 98% positive the 48th will be JD Vance. So get used to that idea.
• Moving on.
• For decades, I’ve had friends who not only go to Burning Man, but consider themselves part of the Burner community year-round.
• But — not trying to offend them or anyone else — I think that it jumped the shark long ago, and continues to get worse each passing year.
• For those of you unaware: Burning Man is an annual event in which an estimated 70,000 people build an entire city from scratch over the course of the week, culminating on Labor Day.
• But the event has been plagued by climate change in recent years, turning the entire Black Rock Desert from a dry playa into a seven mile wide pit of mud, and creating tons of issues getting to (and getting around) the event.
• And this year, more than a few weird things transpired. I know, weird things are supposed to happen at Burning Man.
• But last week, a woman “spontaneously” gave birth to her and her husband’s first child. Mother Kayla Thompson said she was asleep in the RV when she started experiencing a lot of pain, and minutes later gave birth to a 3-pound, 9-ounce baby girl.
• Thompson didn’t know she was pregnant, said she didn’t appear pregnant, and “didn’t have any symptoms” of pregnancy.
• That’s fucking weird.
• And then yesterday, some poor guy was found dead in a suspected homicide. He was found lying in a pool of blood. Jesus.
• It’s hardly the good vibe and creative wonderland that had always been the hallmark of the event.
• Let’s move on with another note from the Immigration Desk.
• Here on Labor Day, one of the most notable aspects of Dump’s cruel policies targeting people born outside the USA (and others who simply aren’t white) is that as of now, more than 1.2 million immigrants have disappeared from the labor force from January through the end of July.
• That’s certainly not just people who are in the country illegally. It includes legal residents who feel they might be persecuted regardless of their status.
• Immigrants make up almost 20% of the U.S. workforce. 45% of workers in farming, fishing, and forestry are immigrants. About 30% of all construction workers are immigrants, and 24% of service workers are immigrants.
• As we’re all too aware, Dump campaigned on a promise to deport millions of immigrants working in the U.S. illegally, saying that he’d focus deportation efforts on “dangerous criminals.”
• But the huge percentage of people detained by ICE have no criminal convictions. Many of them have been those in the process of following the country’s rules of immigration, and have been arrested at hearings they were legally required to attend.
• And now as a result, the country’s labor force is decimated. We’re seeing it in real time: everything from crops going to waste to millions of Americans no longer being able find home care providers.
• That’s the USA under Dump. And it will keep getting worse before it gets better.
• And now, The Weather: “Wind Chime” by The Berries
• From the Sports Desk… with the NFL starting it’s 2025-26 season on Thursday, I thought we could take another look at a final preseason power ranking, this one via USA Today.
• I like documenting these things to see how right — or wildly wrong — they end up being, and how quickly they change  as the real games get underway.
• 1. Philadelphia Eagles. 2. Baltimore Ravens. 3. Kansas City Chiefs. 4. Green Bay Packers. 5. Buffalo Bills. 6. Los Angeles Rams. 7. Washington Commanders. 8. Denver Broncos. 9. Detroit Lions. 10. Pittsburgh Steelers. 11. Arizona Cardinals. 12. Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 13. San Francisco 49ers. 14. Seattle Seahawks. 15. Minnesota Vikings. 16. Houston Texans. 17. Cincinnati Bengals. 18. Los Angeles Chargers. 19. New England Patriots. 20. Jacksonville Jaguars. 21. Chicago Bears. 22. Atlanta Falcons. 23. New York Jets. 24. Carolina Panthers. 25. Dallas Cowboys. 26. New York Giants. 27. Las Vegas Raiders. 28. Miami Dolphins.  29. Tennessee Titans. 30. Cleveland Browns. 31. Indianapolis Colts. 32. New Orleans Saints.
• Today in history… A 9.4 earthquake nails Chile's Atacama Region causing tsunamis in Chile as well as Hawaii and Japan (1420). Lady Anne Boleyn is made Marquess of Pembroke by her fiancé, King Henry VIII of England (1532). Louis XV becomes king of France at age 5 (1715). The Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa is founded in San Luis Obispo, California (1772). The Tremont Street Subway in Boston opens, becoming the first underground rapid transit system in North America (1897). The Great Kantō earthquake devastates Tokyo and Yokohama, killing about 105,000 people (1923). Nazi Germany and Slovakia invade Poland, beginning the European phase of World War II (1939). Adolf Hitler signs an order to begin the systematic murder of mentally ill and disabled people (1939). A coup in Libya brings Muammar Gaddafi to power (1969). The SR-71 Blackbird sets the still-current record for flying from New York to London in the time of one hour, 54 minutes and 56.4 seconds at a speed of 1,435.587 mph (1974). The United States Air Force Space Command is founded (1982). The wreck of the Titanic is discovered by an American-French expedition (1985).
• September 1 is the birthday of Liao Dynasty emperor Jing Zong (948), organist/composer Johann Pachelbel (1653), MLB player Jim O’Rourke (1850), author Edgar Rice Burroughs (1875), labor union leader Walter Reuther (1907), writer/activist Liz Carpenter (1920), boxer Rocky Marciano (1923), saxophonist/clarinetist/composer Art Pepper (1925), politician Ann Richards (1933), singer-songwriter Conway Twitter (1933), lawyer Alan Dershowitz (1938), actress Lily Tomlin (1939), singer-songwriter Archie Bell (1944), singer-songwriter Barry Gibb (1946), politician Al Green (1947), drummer Russ Kunkel (1948), singer-songwriter Gloria Estefan (1957), NBA player Tim Hardaway (1966), NFL player Zach Thomas (1973), NFL player Clinton Portis (1981), NBA player Miles Plumlee (1988), and actress Zendaya (1996).

Good enough. I’ve got some things to do today — and none of them are work. It’s different when you make an effort that you choose to make to improve your own life and those around you. You can do that kind of thing 365 days per year if you want. Enjoy your day.