GLOBAL FORGIVENESS DAY UPDATES
What The World Needs Now ...
-We’ll start today with a story that is the total antithesis of Global Forgiveness Day. Reports emerged that last weekend, the House Freedom (aka UltraMAGA) Caucus, apparently at the behest of Rep. Lauren Boebert (N-R-A, CO), voted to totally expel and shun and not ever invite to any of their sleepovers or reindeer games ever again, UltraMAGA leader Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (Z-Q-R, GA). The move is a clear retaliation for the Boebs-Marge screeching match that took place in the well of the House when Boebert beat Greene out to file a motion of impeachment (because REASONS!) against President Biden – a confrontation that culminated in Greene calling Boebert a rhymes-with-WITCH, as one does when debating matters of global importance in one of the world’s great legislative bodies. Neither, um, lady has commented on the move.
-Meanwhile, House figurehead leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy (SINO-R, CA) is whispering to colleagues that, between the UltraMAGA caucus spending all its time on empty maneuvers like impeaching everyone in retaliation for their leader, Twice-Impeaced Ex-President (TIEP) Trump and Trump’s continued leading of 2024 GOP primary against the clearly-imploding campaign of Ron DeSantis and continued legal pressures building on Trump, that he is aware that the chances of Democrats retaking control of the chamber in 2025 are getting better and better. The idea is likely not going to go over well with Trump, and given that Trump has already publicly called Special Prosecutor Jack Smith a “CRACKHEAD!” in a social media post, McCarthy may be girding whatever loins he has for more attacks against him.
-Speaking of social media, the launch of the social media app Threads continues to destroy downloading records. Over 30 million downloads of the new app were made in the first 24 hours since its release, and while the micro-blogging app still has issues it needs to iron out (no hashtags to allow for trending and news aggregating, no GIFs, the inability to delete the app without also deleting Instagram, the fact that it is a Meta/Facebook product with all the known worries about data mining and selling stuff to you), the fact that major institutions and celebrities have begun using the app and its ease of use is combining to make the app a slam-bang success.
-Oh, and Threads’ success also may have a tiny little bit to do with the fact that its main competitor is a once-trailblazing app that has turned into an unusable site full of right-wing, bigoted, racist hate posting that only works if one pays a monthly fee to do so – and all by design. After a petulant post by its CEO complaining that Threads is nothing more than a copy of Twitter, billionaire weirdo owner Elon Musk has resorted to the time-honored tradition of threatening to sue Meta (which is a step up from his previous challenge of Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg to a cage fight that was only stopped because Musk’s mommy told him not to do it) (no, seriously, that was the reason). Keep the popcorn fresh as you wait for Threads’ web site to come online (if you micro-blog, that is) …
-The White House cocaine story continues as the story that cocaine was found in the place last week continues to evolve, with a new report that the Secret Service continues to investigate how it might have got there – and even though President Biden and his family were not in the White House last week, that has not stopped House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer (HunteR!, KY) to demand everyone come to his chamber to allow his UltraMAGAts to continue to grandstand by continuing try to keep Hunter Biden’s name in public, despite most normal people not caring if they even know who Hunter Biden is.
-It’s not as if there were other important issues House Republicans could be investigating, like the fact that July 3-4-5 were the hottest days recorded in the history of humans recording the temperature. Who needs that when there is harassment to be done in the name of TIEP Trump?
-Let’s end with a goofy celebrity story, shall we? This takes place as many such celebrity stories do, in Las Vegas, where there is a dispute between former teen pop queen turned Vegas entertainer Britney Spears and the NBA’s number one draft pick, Victor Wembanyama. Seems the two were in a restaurant where someone touched someone and upset that person to the point where a ruckus ensued. The camp representing Spears (42-ish, 5’ 4”, LA) claims she was traumatized by Wembanyama (19, 7’ 5”, France) after she was “slapped” by a security person protecting the new San Antonio Spur, in Vegas to play in the NBA Summer League. For his part, the Wembanyama camp claimed it was Spears who tried to approach Wembanyama when whatever happened happened. Expect the kerfuffle to last at least until the first Spurs summer game ends, which is tonight against Charlotte.
-We needed that, didn’t we?
-On this date in 1898, the Hawaiian Islands were ‘annexed’ by/to the United States. On this date in 1946, Jimmy Carter married the former Eleanor Roslyn Smith. On this date in 1976, the first woman was admitted to West Point. On this date in 1981, Sandra Day O’Connor became the first woman to be nominated to be a Supreme Court justice. And on this date in 1990, the first concert by The Three Tenors – Plaicido Domingo, Jose Carreras, and Luciano Pavarotti – took place in Rome.
-Happy Birthday to Gustav Mahler, George Cukor, Ted “Double Duty” Radcliffe, Satchel Paige (more or less), Robert A. Heinlein Gian-Carlo Menotti, Lawrence O’Brien, Ezzard Charles, Wally Phillips, Doc Severinsen, Alan Dixon, Joe Zawinul, David McCullough, Ringo Starr, Joel Siegel, Joe Spano, Shelley Duvall, Len Barker, Jessica Hahn, Ralph Sampson, Vonda Shepard, Jim Gaffigan, Joe Sakic, Lisa Leslie, and Michelle Kwan.
-Rest in Peace/Rest in Power to Henri Nestle, Johanna Spyri, Arthur Conan Doyle, Veronica Lake, Ruffian, Bill Cullen, Bison Dele, Syd Barrett, Dick Williams, Eduard Shevardnadze, and Robert Downey Sr..
-Feed the Worms: Three people who attempted to assassinate members of Abraham Lincoln’s cabinet were hung – including Mary Surratt, the first woman to have been executed in the United States.