NATIONAL DADGUM THAT'S GOOD! DAY UPDATES
Not To Be Confused With WHOO-DOGGIE That's Delightful Day!
-One thing that clearly continues to be NOT dadgum good today - aside from attorneys representing Ex-President Trump (R-apist) XCI, who according to Rolling Stone 'literally' popped champagne open - was the revulsion being directed at the radical Supreme Court, both for their decision to decide if Trump or any President has God-like immunity from doing anything that could be prosecuted, and especially for SCOTUS’ leisurely timeline that, according to most experts, likely makes a potential verdict in the DC trial about Trump's involvement in igniting the January 6, 2021 insurrection will occur after the 2024 Presidential election difficult. And that presumes Trump does not take power in 2025 to claim God-like immunity from doing anything that could be prosecuted.
-Noting that SCOTUS took six weeks to rule on then-President Nixon's immunity claim in 1974, the four-day ruling to stop the count of Florida votes that should have given Al Gore the 2000 Presidential win, and the 30-day docket this SCOTUS set to hear CO's attempt to keep Trump off the ballot (which Trump is likely to win), Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) noted that when it wants to, SCOTUS can move "at Josh Hawley speed" when it wants to. But, when one considers Special Prosecutor Jack Smith asked SCOTUS to rule on this matter if it wanted to back in December and refused, it will mark five months until the April 22 date it has chosen to specifically hear arguments about "official acts" and the scope of how much Presidential immunity their is (which presumes Trump's acts up to and including January 6 were "official acts," which is a defense Team Trump is offering).
-In theory, SCOTUS could take 2-3 weeks to make their decision (which most people still think will go against Trump, especially if immunity would then extend to the current President) - but, given how long it has taken SCOTUS thus far, and noting all the Trump connections on this Court (the three Justices he appointed) and the implicated-but-not-recused members of the Court (good ol' Clarence Thomas!) and folks who would likely grant Trump God-like status (Alito), the dread is that that decision will come in June or even July, at which time 88 days get added to prep for the January 6 trial - and conveniently moving the trial past Election Day at a time when polling strongly hints a conviction will implode already somewhat iffy Trump support.
-As this update is typed, a hearing is taking place on the Mar-a-Lago documents case being overseen by the one Judge Trump has oddly never said anything bad about, Aileen Cannon. The presumption is a trial for that case may be set around August (to account for if SCOTUS does grant God-like powers to Trump), and rulings earlier in the week actually managed to nudge the case closer to being heard within the calendar year. Smith has said the case should take 4-6 weeks to present, Team Trump claiming 4-a gajillion weeks (actually around 8), but we shall see ...
-Strangely, the one person that has not been celebrating the SCOTUS gift has been Trump himself. Rather than chortle and whinny about the delay, Trump instead typed another disturbingly barely-coherent rant in which he attacked President Biden for claiming Trump misnamed Trump wife Melania as "Mercedes" when Biden appeared on Seth Myers' show ("a LOW-RATED show!" Trump overcompensatingly tried to claim on the same recording). The move is somewhat unusual given Trump's previous habits since he rolled down the elevator in the building Trump currently owns but may need to sell soon as he owes over $450M in fines to the state of New York and E. Jean Carroll by the end of this new month.
-Interestingly, next week Trump will be meeting with someone who has emerged as an influential and potentially powerful overseas ally, Hungarian Preident Viktor Orban. Orban, also allied with Vladimir Putin, is admired on the Right for taking the post-Iron Curtain democracy set up in Hungary and manipulating it so that he now enjoys autocratic control with elections set up to always advantage him, courts that support his every order, and a media that fawns and supports his every move - and may be able to front Trump some money for Trump's fines.
-Not sure why Trump or the MAGAts would see someone like that as an idol ...
-Trump and Biden made dueling appearances on the Mexican border yesterday, highlighting what has become a major issue after Trump ordered Congressional MAGAt Republicans to kill legislation negotiated over several months by a bipartisan set of negotiators. Biden decided to use his appearance to use the legislation to his advantage by asking Trump join him and find a solution to secure the border. Trump wants to use the issue to continue to create a portrait of America as an immigrant-violence-generating Hellscape (despite new statistics that show cities with increased immigration are LESS violent after said immigrants entered mostly-blue cities), and apparently thought he did so with this stirring statement he made on the border after waddling through a tour accompanied by TX Gov. Greg Abbott ...
-Speaketh Trump at the border: “Nobody can explain to me how allowing millions of people from places unknown, from countries unknown, who don’t speak languages - we have languages coming into our country - we have nobody that even speaks those languages. They’re truly foreign languages. Nobody speaks them. And they’re pouring into our country, and they’re bringing with them tremendous problems, including medical problems, as you know.”
-Management is not responsible for any brain-related episodes triggered by the previous passage.
-Hundreds if not thousands defied Russian authorities to line streets for the funeral of Russian resistance leader Alexei Navalny, who “died” after “collapsing while walking” last month. Given that arrests have been made on mourners setting flowers in public places, this showing took courage - and by most accounts, no roundups were made (at least along the funeral procession).
-In Gaza, recriminations continue to build after an attempt to set up a food distribution point became another horrific scene as over 100 Palestinians were killed after Israeli soldiers started firing weapons claiming a threat was imminent. Some reports claim the soldiers were "shooting to kill" while other reports insist the firing was in the air to disperse the crowd leading to a stampede. Whatever the case, Biden - who earlier in the week was hopeful a cease-fire could be negotiated to allow for hostage exchanges and desperately-needed humanitarian aid into the area - now admits that hope is going to be 'more difficult' to achieve. Reports also indicate there are Israelis that are actually trying to start settlements, an indication that Benjamin Netanyahu continues to ally with the hardest-right elements of his coalition and help people be reminded that Bibi is looking to the American election hoping that his ally - Trump - will return to power.
-Need some good news besides March becoming March? This weekend, it may involve DUNE 2. The sequel to what was thought to be an unfilmable novel has received universal praise from critics and a huge overseas opening, and is poised to do the same this weekend. Given the lackluster holiday film season, studios are looking to DUNE 2 to bring back the halcyon days of BARRBENHEIMER last summer - and, with a projected opening around $150M U.S., they just may get it this weekend before the Oscars (which, on the basis of previous awads show, looks to be an OPPENHEIMER coronation).
-Now THAT'S Dadgum GOOD!
-On this date in 1932, Charles Lindberg's infant son was kidnapped. On this date in 1969, Mickey Mantle retired. Also on this date in 1969, The Doors' Jim Morrison was arrested after exposing himself on stage in Miami. (Coincidence? YOU decide!) On this date in 2005, the Supreme Court ruled executing criminals who committed their crime when they were 18 or younger was unconstitutional.
-Openings on this date: the Salem Witch Hunt (1692), Yellowstone National Park (1879), the Hoover Dam (1936), The Peace Corps (1961), JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT (1968), THE DARK SIDE OF THE MOON (1973).
-Happy Birthday to Frederic Chopin, Glenn Miller, David Niven, Harry Caray, Ralph Ellison, Dinah Shore, Robert Lowell, Howard Nemerov, William Gaines, Yitzhak Rabin, Deke Slayton, Pete Rozelle, Robert Clary, Harry Belafonte, Jacques Rivette, Judith Rossner, Robert Conrad, Captain America, Peter Guber, Roger Daltrey, Dirk Benedict, Elvin Bethea, Alan Thicke, Thomas "Hollywood" Henderson, Catherine Bach, Ron Howard, Timothy Daly, Nik Kershaw, Paul Hollywood, Javier Bardem, Yolanda Griffith, Chris Webber, Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Will Power, Lupita Nyong'o, Kesha, and Tyreek Hill.
-Rest in Peace/Rest in Power to Homer Plessy, Jackie Coogan, Joe Besser, Edwin Land, Jack Wild, Bonnie Franklin, Alain Resnais, Minnie Minoso, Jack Welch, Vernon Jordan, and Conrad Janis.
-Feed the Worms: Robert Bork entered Earth on this date. Andrew Breitbart bought it on this date.
-Justin Bieber was born on this date. You decide if he gets a Happy Birthday or if he Feeds the Worms.