NATIONAL HANDWRITING DAY UPDATES
NO, This Substack is NOT Written in Longhand First. Please Stop Asking ...
-Before today’s full Update, a sincere THANK YOU to the newest subscribers to my Substack - and for shattering the previous readership record! As its says in the description, I write this Substack in the tradition of classical essay writers who use prose to contemplate single questions in the world, to then be read by others seeking out thoughts on the same question. Admittedly, my topic for each day is pretty broad, and can be pretty accurately paraphrased as “WTF, World?!” so I hope these chained-together rants help you to do the same!
-ONWARD …
-The Week One Shock'n'Awe of the new/old American regime continues apace, and as many others have written, Team Trump works in volume to see what will pass and will not. That said, they also have been known to work by being given all kinds of benefits of the doubt by Legacy Media (and HOO BOY is there a story about THAT), but consider for a moment that much of the venality we are seeing may not be as much of a part of a massive multi-directional chess match as we think - and may simply because these people are old and bad and lazy and dumb.
-The example is the release of everyone imprisoned for taking part in the January 6, 2021 insurrection. Much has been written about how Trump and his aides did this with the full expectation and intent of creating a paramilitary goon squad at the behest of Trump - and, sadly, that may still come to pass (at least if you believe freed Proud Boy leader Enrique Tarrio in a conversation with still-making-his-podcast infected blood vessel Alex Jones yesterday). But if an account in Axios is true, the reality of what happened may be much more mundane.
-In the report, Trump was reviewing some of the 1,500 cases to decide which he might free, which he might commute, and which would stay in prison. Trump's Vice-President-on-Paper JD Vance and Attorney General nominee Pam Bondi were both on the record saying the most violent offenders (like Tarrio) should not be freed, yet according to Axios the Manliest Man of All Alpha Male Manly Men was getting tired and cranky - and after trying to read a few of the cases (if he can) (ALLEGEDLY) (eye blink), Donnie simply said "Fck it - release 'em all!" And, because Trump has surrounded himself with old circus seals who clap at everything he blarts, they did not say no - and despite worries by families of many of those released that they would fear for their physical safety, freed they were.
-The story shows that damage can and will (and already arguably has) be done as much by laziness and cruelty than calculated plans for national domination. Bad to be sure - but an example of why so many remind everyone that we must be vigilant but protect ourselves from both being overwhelmed and not to give too much credit where it is not warranted.
-Indeed, yesterday the first "press conference" of the new regime was held - and, yes, it was just as lazy and boring and sleepy and deranged as every press conference held by Trump in the last nearly ten years (crimony!) - but you are not likely to hear that from the Legacy Media. And while that is absolutely a byproduct of editorial decisions made by owners and editors alike, a report in the Columbia Journalism Review revealed that individual reporters in the White House Press Corps also share a ton of blame for how we got here and where we may go from here ...
-In the report, CJR reported most reporters in the pool were Very Very Unhappy with President Biden and his team. In large part, that was because Biden himself did not make himself readily available to be asked why the New York Times reports that BIDEN B OLD needed commentary from Biden himself.
-Worse, incredibly, was that reporters also resented - resented - when Biden would pass legislation and make proposals and ... get this ... bring out experts to discuss what was in the legislation! The corps blamed Biden for "fewer eyeballs on the press briefings," and so even though Trump has repeatedly threatened the lives and livelihoods of reporters and entire press operations (he just threatened MSNBC this morning in a social media post) (AGAIN), the fact they can now sit near Trump's stench as he gets to incoherently babble and bully is making many of these "reporters" get chills up their leg.
-That CNN is about to reportedly lay off 400 employees after first instructing on-camera talent not to be mean to Dear Leader and his disciples while their post-election ratings drop a staggering 76% - perhaps in part because the lone anchor that has dared challenge any MAGAt that came on camera, Jim Acosta, had his highest-rated CNN show relegated to midnights - either just isn't getting through to what is on screen, or the pandering and pre-ordained obedience is just that ingrained in the once-respected and trailblazing network, apparently now Hell-bent on nestling somewhere between Lindell TV and The Blaze for viewership without their right-wing sugar daddies propping them up.
-Meanwhile, the Trump/Project 2025 "plan" to "attack" and erase "wokeness" in the early hours of their reign also continues. Of note was the overturning of an Executive Order first made in 1965 by Lyndon Johnson as part of the Civil Rights Bill (but not part of that bill itself) calling for setting aside a certain number of Government contracts for what was then referred to as "minority" contractors - notable because it is within that document that the phrase "affirmative action" was first coined - as well as multiple moves looking to fire anyone and everyone throughout the government who worked on any DEI programs. Those that get fired and are being fired without even a pretense of probable cause or following any procedural rule books will absolutely trigger a series of expensive litigation that may ultimately include buyouts and damages (in case Uncle Ernie claims money's being saved by doing this crap), but the clear signal that Trump will continue in an initiative to preserve jobs for mediocre-or-worse white (probably likely male) Christian men will accelerate.
-Indeed, one other seemingly disconnected action may actually be connected. That action involved the immediate and complete suspension of all federal funding for medical research by various Governmental entities - action that by themselves could endanger a number of ongoing important pushes for research. The open question seems to be why, and there are of course a number of possible whys, including allowing potential Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (vomit) to review the research, "punishment" of academia for their opposition to Trump, and just being a-holes. But the possible connection involves reports that all that funding - which amounts to over $80 billion and is the life blood of a number of college science and technology programs - will involve Donnie insisting that any college that has any DEI program of any kind anywhere on campus would immediately result in said college getting no money at all for any program in the school from the Federal Government.
-Again, and this cannot be emphasized more, nobody knows for sure. Chaos is one of the goals of all of this, as well as beating down the resistance to allow Trump and company free reign to, if not become a full-on autocracy or Americanized version of apartheid or bronze-coated Fascism or reign of terror of a dilapidated madman - whatever this thing we are staggering through is.
-BUT, for a bit of hopium, there are bits of hope ...
-For starters, earlier this week a third MAGAt Representative resigned from the House - which means that right now, the House stands 215-215, pending special elections that were just called in Florida. That means many of the other things Trump will need Congress to do, in particular things involving the power of the purse that Trump does NOT yet have, will at best take 1-3 months to work through. That presumes Trump pet and House Speaker Mike Johnson can wrangle enough votes to get things passed - not a sure bet at all given how he has always needed Hakeem Jeffries and Democrats to pass basic legislation, which Jeffries has already said won't happen since, hey, "OverWHELMing MaJOritY!"
-For second, the continued reports of how poorly constructed many if not most of the Executive Orders are continue to circulate. As mentioned in the last update, not knowing what an Order is supposed to do makes executing it impossible, so as many of these Orders get to the courts - courts that have vastly more Democratic-appointed judges than four years ago - expect a few to get struck down.
-Indeed, THIS JUST IN: Seattle-based Federal Judge John C. Coughenour - appointed by that well-known DEI Woke Commie Liberal Sympathizing Bootlicker RONALD REAGAN - took about an hour and change to block Trump's attempt to overturn birthright citizenship as enshrined in the 14th Amendment, calling the order "blatantly unconstitutional" while doing so. Do not be surprised if that is not the only such order to get such treatment.
-There are the Cabinet nominees. Despite hearings being scheduled since the start of the year, there is still no schedule to review the nominations of RFK Jr., FBI Director nominee Ka$h Patel, or Director of National Intelligence nominee Tulsi Gabbard, with some reports indicating her nomination in particular may be on shaky ground given her extremely weak interviews and Trump choosing not to put any of his overweight fat arse behind her and help "make calls" to get her safe. (Not sure what the difference between her and these men are ... any guesses?)
-Then there is Defense Department nominee Pete Hegseth. The man whom Trump did put his considerable-because-he-is-obese weight behind, who looked despite being raked over the coals by Democrats to have cleared the low bar to get passed, had a new bar thrown up as Democratic Sen. Jack Reed revealed one of the FBI reports Congress was denied access to before Hegseth's testimony. That report (TRIGGER WARNING) centered around physical and verbal abuse Hegseth allegedly heaped on his second wife, which was so severe she created a "safe word" to text in case she needed to escape their home - and had to use it at least once.
-The report also claimed Hegseth recently was so drunk he had to be led out of a strip club in Minnesota while wearing his uniform, a clear violation of military rules. This report is so bad that THIS JUST IN: Hegseth has lost the votes of AK Sen. Lisa Murkowski and ME Senator Susan Collins, meaning he has to keep from losing two more votes or else lose the nomination (as he and his people are, of course, denying everything). The vote has passed another procedural motion, but the pressure is on - and the effectiveness of Hegseth, if he does manage to stagger into the office, will be an open question.
-All of this speaks to the things Trump and company are doing over what they are saying. This is why I have waited to mention the comments made directly to Trump yesterday by Episcopal Bishop Marianne Budde in which she simply asked Trump and company for compassion to immigrants and the LGBTQ community, only to be met by venomous and not-at-all-holy reactions from Trump and other MAGAts. Yes, what she said was morally clear. Yes, saying it in front of Trump and company was awesome. No, the reactions by the Trump/MAGA punks are not in the least bit surprising. And, frankly, IMHO, none of it really amounts to anything of substance when it comes to dealing with actual policies and proposals we continue to sort through. Pray for everyone, let's do the work, but we already have enough real rage bait that has direct implications for all of us to dwell on it, sadly.
-Keep yourself healthy. Perhaps take a watch at one of the Oscar-nominated movies this weekend (exempting WICKED, which may be in multiple-view range already) - and if you want to make the art help you build and rebuild your resistance muscles, a couple of the movies may be of use. There is, of course, THE APPRENTICE, which is about the relationship between Trump and Roy Cohn that got Oscar nominations for Sebastian Stan (as Donnie) and Jeremy Strong (as Cohn). You could also go foreign and watch ANORA, the Palme d'Or comedy/drama about a sex worker who marries the son of a Russian oligarch that got 10 nominations, including Best Picture. Or you can go with the film that broke the record for largest number of nominations by a foreign language movie (13), EMILIA PEREZ, which is your typical musical about the boss of a drug cartel who wants to escape from prison and transition into life as a woman - and which boasts the first nomination of a transgender performer as Best Actress, Karla Sofia Gascon. EMILIA PEREZ is available on Netflix, so use that rate hike and P*ss Donnnie and MAGA off!
-On to the updates ...
-NEWS ON THIS DATE: In 1556, the deadliest earthquake in recorded history - approximately 830,000 people being killed - took place in China. In 1968, the USS Pueblo was captured by North Vietnamese forces. In 1973, the Vietnam War officially ended. In 1988, Sub Pop records signed Nirvana. In 2020, the Chinese city of Wuhan was locked down due to the outbreak of COVID-19.
-DEBUTS ON THIS DATE: Georgetown University (1789), the Frisbee (1957), JULES AND JIM (1962), BARNEY MILLER (1975), David Bowie's Thin White Duke (on the album STATION TO STATION, 1976), ROOTS (1977), THE A-TEAM (1983), Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees (1986), Female U.S. Secretary of State (Madeline Albright, 1997), The Age of Aquarius (1997 - bet you thought it was earlier!), SPICE WORLD (1998).
-HAPPY BIRTHDAY: John Hancock, Edouard Manet, Randolph Scott, Django Reinhardt, Justice Potter Stewart, Hans Haas, Jeanne Moreau, Derek Walcott, Jaes Rado, Chita Rivera, Jerry Kramer, Gil Gerard, Rutger Hauer, Anita Pointer, Danny Federici, Richard Dean Anderson, Richard Gilliand, Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger, Antonio Villaraigosa, Pat Haden, Robin Zander, Gail O'Grady, Mariska Hargitay, Eric Metcalf, Brendan Shanahan, Tiffani Amber Thiessen, and Tito Ortiz.
-REST IN PEACE/POWER: Anna Pavlova, Edvard Munch, Paul Robeson, Toots Shorr, Terry Kath, Salvador Dali, Allen Collins, Thomas A. Dorsey, Jay Pritzker, Nell Carter, Bob Keeshan, Johnny Carson, Jack LaLanne, Ernie Banks, Hugh Masekela, Stansfield Turner, Jim Lehrer, Hal Holbrook, Larry King, Charles Osgood, and Melanie.
-Feed the Worms: Watergate co-conspirator E. Howard Hunt bought it on this date.
-Instagram and Threads major domo Adam Mosseri was born on this date. You decide if he gets a Happy Birthday or if he Feeds the Worms.
-YOUR MUSICAL INTERLUDE: Happy Birthday Ernie Kovacs!