NATIONAL FRENCH FRY UPDATES
(If you combine with National Mac and Cheese Day - which it also is - no judgment here!)
-Dark Brandon strikes again! This morning, President Biden announced that, thanks to tweaks in various laws and regulations, over 800,000 people have had $39 billion in student loan debt forgiven - a move in response to the right-wing Supreme Court's decision to negate the Biden Administration's attempt to forgive 40 million students of $10-20,000 of loans (because F them, that's why). That comes on the heels of news that inflation is now down to 3%, prompting expectations that interest rates may only be raised once more and some rumblings that consumer prices may begin a deflationary cycle - as has already happened with the price of eggs, now around $1 a dozen after being as high as $4/dozen earlier this year. All of which may explain that, in the second quarter of 2023, the Biden/Harris re-election campaign reports $72 million in donations - leading all candidates - to go with the $75 million already in hand. Not bad, eh?
-It helps that Biden's actions are playing out in contrast to the GOP and the UltraMAGA leadership. Last night, for example, the House approved a series of amendments to what is normally a pro-forma defense appropriation bill that was apparently designed to back up the no-officers-until-I-am-satisfied stance of AL Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R, of course), including a ban on abortion in the military, an end to medical support for transsexuals, and a ban on diversity equity and inclusion (DEI) classes. It led to the bill narrowly passing on party lines - likely bad news for Republicans in Biden-winning districts - and a contentious reconciliation process, as the Senate will all but undoubtedly pass a bill with none of the UltraMAGA bullet points on it. The moves portend a potential difficult time for the 2024 budget, which needs to be passed by September 30 in order to avoid a government shutdown (though get ready for an August filled with "DemocRATS Hate The Military" bilge on Fox/Newsmax/social media feeds).
-It also helps that Biden appears to be headed to a return bout of the 2020 election against the Twice-Indicted (so far) Ex-President (TIsoEP), Donald Trump, who today is likely wondering what his son-in-law Jared Kushner said to January 6 prosecutors when he testified (along with former inner circle members Hope Hicks and Alyssa Farah Griffin per CNN) about potential planning and fund-raising of the Trump attempts to ALLEGEDLY (eye roll) plot the events to steal the election that culminated in the January 6, 2021 insurrection - as well as the super-critical question of whether deep down Trump knew he actually lost but did what he did anyway (which kind of tracks given what we know about the guy - but needs beyond-a-reasonable-doubt evidence).
-Trump and his shambolic "legal team" may also be musing over the filing from Special Prosecutor Jack Smith that took aim at Team Trump begging their they-hope-ace-in-the-hole Judge Aileen Cannon to not set a trial date for the FL documents case until after the 2024 election. In the motion, Smith ridiculed Team Trump's request as having "no basis in law or fact for proceeding in such an indeterminant and open-ended fashion," adding "the defendants provide none" in what pro-Smith legal analysts interpret as Smith all but daring Cannon to accept Trump's arguments. A hearing is scheduled for Tuesday on the motion.
-In baby it's hot outside news, it sure is for most of the country. Records for consecutive +110 degree days are on the verge of being set in AZ and NV, the American southwest and south continue to broil in triple-digit temperatures, the water temperature in and around FL is now around 90 degrees F, and record intense flooding in the Northeast - bad enough that Jose Andre's World Central Kitchen is currently providing meals in VERMONT - is all adding up to fears that the climate crisis threatened to begin in 10-20 years may be happening right damn now. Whether this infiltrates the hard-right who either continue to live in denial or may welcome the disaster (because Jesus or some such crap) will begin to likely play out. Getcha iced tea ready ...
-To end today, let's double back on what may become the most hi-LAR-ious story of the 2024 cycle. All the details can be found via the New York Post's Page Six story, but the thumbnail is still a hoot: at a New York City benefit earlier this week for alleged Democratic Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a loud argument erupted over climate change between party host Doug Dechert - described in the story as "apparently drunk gossip columnist-turned-flack" - and longtime friend Anthony Haden-Guest - described in the story as an "octogenarian art critic" who "appeared to have been sleeping happily for most of the dinner" that became "roused" by Dechert enough to have Haden-Guest call Dechert "a miserable blob" - that escalated to the point where Dechert "sensed the need for a new rhetorical tack" in the form of what Page Six describes as "let(ting) rip a loud, prolonged fart while yelling, as if to underscore the point, 'I'M FARTING!'" Kennedy apparently sat quietly through all of this, as did his campaign manager, former Cleveland Mayor/House Representative/Green Party candidate Dennis Kucinich.
-As I said, find the story. The quotes and the details are ... (chef's kiss) ... and how can any update top a fart? It cannot, so ...
-On this date in 1789, the Bastille was stormed (in case you hear people playing LES MISERBLES or the band Phoenix today). On this date in 1921, Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti were convicted - many believe wrongly - for the murder of two men in MA. On this date in 1969, EASY RIDER opened. On this date in 1983, Nintendo released the first Mario Bros. video game. And on this date in 1992, the Linux open source computer operating system was released.
-Happy Birthday to Gustav Klimt, Happy Chandler, William Hanna, Terry-Thomas, Woody Guthrie, Gerald Ford, Arthur Laurents, Ingmar Bergman, Harry Dean Stanton, John Chancellor, Rosey Grier, Lee Elder, Jerry Rubin, Steve Stone, Tommy Mottola, Bob Casale, Franklin Graham, Joel Silver, Jane Lynch, Jackie Earle Haley, Phil Rosenthal, Tanya Donnelly, Robin Ventura, and Phoebe Waller-Bridge.
-Rest in Peace/Rest in Power to Quentin Roosevelt, Adlai Stevenson II, Pernell Whitaker, and Ivana Trump.
-Feed the Worms: right-wing scold Brent Bozell entered Earth on this date. Billy the Kid bought it on this date.
-UFC champion and possible sociopath Conor McGregor was born on this date. You decide if he gets a Happy Birthday or if he Feeds the Worms.