FLATMATES DAY UPDATES
Pass the Cheerios, Mate!
-As of this hour, Ex-President Trump has made over three dozen posts on his failing Truth Social site railing against and threatening NY Attorney General Alvin Bragg. As Bragg postponed a grand jury's vote on indicting Trump in connection with the payoff to Stormy Daniels for a second time this week, Trump has spent the last 36 hours - including early in the morning - making wild rants directed at Bragg. One post compared the entire case to the "GESTAPO," a second warned of "DEATH AND DESTRUCTION" if Trump were to be arrested (this despite reports Trump is looking forward to getting perp walked for arraignment for fund raising purposes), and worst of all, a third featured a photo of Bragg next to a photo of Trump appearing to be looking over Bragg's shoulder while holding a baseball bat.
-To that end, Bragg sent a pointed letter to members of the House Oversight Committee, where UltraMAGA Trump supporters had issued a "subpoena" to Bragg demanding he present all the information about the Trump/Daniels case to them to "prove" that the case was not politically motivated. Bragg's letter, in no uncertain terms, blew off their request, noting that the House has no jurisdiction whatsoever in anything that happens in the Manhattan District Attorney's office (fact check: TRUE) and leaving the House committee with egg on their faces as they contemplate another for-show-only counter.
-While the NYC hearing is not happening, a second, faster-moving, and potentially far worse for Trump (according to legal experts) hearing is scheduled to occur today. Evan Corcoran, a former Trump attorney who signed off on legal documents claiming Trump had turned over all classified documents in Trump's possession (Trump had not and to date likely still has not), will be in a DC court after being ordered to testify about the attorney/client relationship between Corcoran and Trump in the classified documents matter - and reports are Corcoran is ready to do so without invoking his 5th Amendment rights. Now, there is still an appeal that Trump could make to the Supreme Court on 'piercing' the attorney/client relationship, and if past is precedent Trump is likely to do so to try to further delay the testimony, but given how aggressively Special Counsel Jack Smith has been in this case (the appeal to the initial decision was done literally within 24 hours), it is not likely that appeal would ultimately be successful, even with this SCOTUS.
-Amid all of this, Trump is scheduled to hold his first campaign rally tomorrow - in Waco, TX. The fact that Trump has chosen the site of the Branch Davidian cult standoff with the FBI on the 30-year anniversary of the standoff that killed 84 cult members is not being lost on anyone, although oddly ticketing for the event was made open to anyone who wished to appear. That tactic led to one of the most embarrassing Trump rallies in Oklahoma City, OK in 2020 (and sadly resulted in the last public appearance of Herman Cain, a former GOP candidate who shortly after attending that event contracted COVID and passed away), so if anyone wanted to hold tickets but maybe not make it may or may not want to reserve tickets on this link.
-(Ain't I a stinker?!)
-Not that it matters if Trump is happy, but one thing Trump may be happy about is the slide that his 2024 Presidential rival, FL Gov. Ron DeSantis, continues to take. In addition to lamely attempting to criticize Trump for the Daniels case, DeSantis has also been heavily criticized for first appearing to blow off, then flip-flopping to say he wholly supports, Ukraine in their war against Russia (Slava Ukraini!). And finally and most grossly, DeSantis was asked in a Fox interview whether it was true that DeSantis was once seen in public eating pudding out of a cup by using three of his fingers instead of a spoon or other implement (unsure if DeSantis denied it). DeSantis is still "touring" states with early primaries, though he has not yet declared his candidacy, as FL state law currently would require him to resign his Governorship and the FL legislature has not yet passed a law to reverse that law.
-To close, music nerds rejoice! The last 36 hours have seen announcements of biographies and documentaries of five - FIVE! - cool and iconic musicians. There is the upcoming HBO documentary of Americana artist Jason Isbell, premiering in April ... a documentary being helped by TIGER KING director Chris Smith about new wave/video pioneers and Northern Ohio heroes DEVO ... a project being co-produced by rock and rock-adjacent stoner comedy heroes Cheech and Chong (co-written by two writers of the REN & STIMPY reboot) ... a Cameron Crowe documentary in development in Netflix to feature Joni Mitchell ... and finally, a biography to be published by Questlove of funk/soul pioneer Sly Stone in October. (Joy!)
-On this date in 1945, Nat King Cole's KING COLE TRIO became the first #1 album on the first Billboard Pop Album chart. On this date in 1955, CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF opened on Broadway. On this date in 1984, six students in Shurmer High School in IL spent a Saturday in detention - an event memorialized in the movie THE BREAKFAST CLUB. And on this date in 1989, the Exxon Valdez tanker ran aground and spilled 11 million gallons of oil in Alaska.
-Happy Birthday to Harry Houdini, Fatty Arbuckle, George Sisler, Thomas Dewey, Joseph Barbera, Gorgeous George, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Norman Fell, Dario Fo, Steve McQueen, Carol Kaye, Bob Mackie, Jesus Alou, R. Lee Ermey, Curtis Hanson, Nick Lowe, Tommy Hilfiger, Louie Anderson, Barry Horowitz, Nena, Star Jones, Patterson Hood, The Undertaker, Lara Flynn Boyle, Jim Parsons, Alyson Hannigan, Peyton Manning, Jessica Chastain, Chris Bosh, and Damar Hamlin.
-Rest in Peace/Rest in Power to Queen Elizabeth I, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Jules Verne, Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery, Archbishop Oscar Romero, Ray Goulding, Harold Melvin, Birdie Tebbets, Richard Widmark, Robert Culp, Garry Shandling, Johan Cruyff, and Terrence McNally.
-Feed the Worms: real-life outlaw Clyde Barrow entered Earth on this date.