INTERNATIONAL SHAKEOUT DAY UPDATES
This Day Will Be Full of Shakeouts - Take A Gander At The Updates!
-What a holiday given the breaking news that former Trump election attorney Sidney "Release The Kracken!" Powell has been given a plea deal one day before the start of her criminal trial as part of The Enterprise that tried to overturn the GA 2020 Presidential election from the winner, Joe Biden. Powell is pleading guilty to all six of her charges and could be given six years probation in exchange for her testimony in other trials. To review: Powell is the second person who has flipped out of the 19 that were charged. Focus will temporarily turn to Ken Chesebro, whose trial is still scheduled to start Monday per a defendant's ability to call a 'speedy' trial in GA (he was to go on trial with Powell), as well as the two major figures still out there: Rudy Giuliani (who most recently was being sued by attorneys for non-payment of their services to Rudes), and The Head of The Enterprise, Ex-President Trump XCI.
-Speaking of overturning elections and watching the bad guys get ritually humiliated over and over, a third vote in the House is expected this morning that most observers believe will result in an even bigger defeat of GOP Speaker nominee Jim "Gym" Jordan - despite pleas from other Republicans that the margin will get larger with each vote. It is now being reported that Jordan, who has not passed a single piece of legislation in his 16 years of being in the House, attempted to 'win' voters through a series of bullying threats that included text threats against legislators spouses (propting The Nation's Elie Mystal to speculate the next level of threats will be against legislators' dogs) that has instead hardened opposition and angered colleagues.
-Amusement aside, the critical question of who can lead the House becomes more urgent with a looming government shutdown and funding for border security, Israel and Ukraine desperately needed. The quickest solution may be to enjoin current Speaker Pro Tempore Rep. Patrick McHenry (NC), who could get support from enough 'moderate' House members and a unified Democratic caucus to at least allow legislation to be worked on. There are conflicting reports about whether the Jordan camp is either amenable to this idea or fighting to squelch the idea, but after what seems to be an inevitable third defeat, the question of whether Trump's chief election denier can continue to deny his loser-dom. We shall see ...
-Tonight, President Biden will speak from the Oval Office for the first time to discuss American support of Israel in reaction to the HAMAS attacks two weeks ago - as well as support to attempt to do so while respecting those Palestinians who do not support HAMAS (likely the majority) and who are literally stuck in areas where HAMAS is also using them as human shields. Biden's visit to Israel yesterday was met with respect and support even as he continues to balance the factions and tensions in the area.
-Of those tensions, the largest one by far involves the missile attack on a hospital in Gaza City. Initial reports claimed it was the result of an Israeli attack - but Israel, and reporters with experience in the area, countered that it could not have been an Israeli missile given the sound and blast pattern of the weapon, and point towards Islamic Jihad as the potential source. That report is questioned because of a history of spin by Israeli forces in the past and ongoing suspicion of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and the prime lesson is to be very wary of first reports of such attacks during wartime, particularly involving social media and ESPECIALLY the now untrustworthy Twitter/X.
-Suddenly, with the Biden speech and Jordan vote and Powell flip, there will be plenty breaking news I will be trailing on my FB page and Threads account (@jafedorko), so track me there in between classes and report-writing for the latest. Be kind to folks who are hurting with all the news, too, because it's not an easy time and they deserve it. (That means you, too!)
-On this date in 1781, British forces surrendered in Yorktown, VA, effectively ending the American Revolutionary War (USA! USA!). On this date in 1789, John Jay became the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. On this date in 1796, the first public story (in the form of an editorial) of Thomas Jefferson having what we will call "an affair" with slave Sally Hemmings was published. On this date in 1812, Napoleon began his retreat from Russia, signaling the end of his reign. And on this date in 1987, the largest Dow Jones crash as measured in percentage of value (23%) happened in what became known as "Black Monday."
-Happy Birthday to Mordecai "Three Fingers" Brown, Charles E. Merrill, Hal B. Wallis, Tor Johnson, LaWanda Page, John Le Carre, Robert Reed, Lloyd Haynes, Tony Lo Bianco, Peter Max, Michael Gambon, Peter Tosh, Divine, Jeannie C. Reilly, John Lithgow, Patricia Ireland, Patrick Simmons, Bruce Weber, Karl Wallinger, Jennifer Holliday, Tim Belcher, Evander Holyfield, Ty Pennington, Webster Slaughter, Brad Daugherty, Jon Favreau, Amy Carter, Trey Parker, Chris Kattan, Pras, Jason Reitman, and Thundercat.
-Rest in Peace/Rest in Power to Jonathan Swift, Ernest Rutherford, Edna St. Vincent Millay, Elizabeth Arden, Gig Young, Martha Raye, Don Cherry, Mr. Blackwell, Rudy Ray Moore, Tom Bosley, Spencer Davis, Leslie Bricusse, and today, Dwight Twilley and Burt Young.
-Feed the Worms: Fox News doofus Steve "What A" Doocy, entered Earth on this date.
-The Number One Song in America ... in 2023, "First Person Shooter" by Drake featuring J. Cole ... in 2013, "Royals" by Lorde ... in 2003, "Baby Boy" by Beyonce featuring Sean Paul ... in 1993, "Dreamlover" by Mariah Carey ... in 1983, "Total Eclipse of the Heart" by Bonnie Tyler ... and in 1973, "Angie" by The Rolling Stones.