NATIONAL SKIPPING DAY UPDATES

Because We All Need To Act Like A Kid Every So Often

-Over the weekend, an agreement was reached between Manhattan D.A. Alvin Bragg and House Judiciary Chair Rep. Jim "Gym" Jordan that will allow former Manhattan prosecutor Mark Pomerantz to testify in front of Jordan's Committee working to try to protect Ex-President Trump from Bragg's prosecution of payments made to porn star Stormy Daniels. The deal was made after a Trump-appointed Federal judge rejected Bragg's motion to quash the subpoena due to the charges being made and a lack of federal jurisdiction over a state prosecution, as Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil - a judge whose experience consisted of over 30 years of commercial law in New York while Trump worked there and who also ruled in favor of Trump in a case involving a different Trump affair with Karen McDougal - ruled that Pomerantz needed to obey the subpoena, somewhat ironic given that the Chair of the Committee, Jordan, ignored a subpoena he received as part of the House January 6 investigation.

-Legal experts did note, however, that Pomerantz wrote a book about Bragg's initial refusal to prosecute Trump on similar charges, and that the book opened up Pomerantz to be interviewed about the book (not to mention the existence of the book being a potential problem for Bragg should he win a conviction against Trump) - but the same legal observers wonder whether Jordan has either read Pomerantz' resume (he is a veteran prosecutor who, as part of the agreement, will not speak about anything in the current investigation) or the book itself (whose theory is that Bragg was being too timid and that Trump is guilty of numerous financial crimes). So the net is likely to be another rake being stepped on by Jordan's committee as they continue to curry Trump's favor.

-In more interesting potential legal news, new reports indicate Trump 2020 campaign officials working to try to flip GA to Trump after Biden won sent emails to each other that indicate they were ready to use false reports of violated voting machines (see Dominion, Smartmatic defamation lawsuits) as justification to seat electors that would have voted for Trump - and that the emails are in the possession of Fulton County D.A. Fani Wills, and therefore (likely) Special Federal Prosecutor Jack Smith. There has been an expectation for weeks that indictments in that investigation are "imminent," but as new evidence emerges, prosecutors must investigate. So, watch ...

-While we have been living our lives, more people have been declaring their desire to run for President in 2024. On the Republican side, African-American Sen. Tim Scott (SC) announced an exploratory committee to run (the exploration should be short as Scott has less than zero chance of winning) while former MI Govenor candidate Perry Johnson (who didn't even qualify for the ballot in that state in 2022), former CA Gubernatorial candidate and talk show host Larry Elder, and former pharmaceutical CEO Vivek Ramaswamy (who is running  on an "anti-woke" platform) have also declared.

-And on the Democratic side, sort of, former environmental activist turned anti-vaccination zealot Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. has announced his candidacy against Joe Biden in a campaign that is being backed by UltraMAGA Trump supporters Steve Bannon and Roger Stone, looking to fracture Democratic support since that may be one of the primary ways for the GOP, and especially Trump, to retake the White House (and be careful - former Clinton campaign advisor and toe aficionado Richard "Dick" Morris says JFK Jr. will "definitely" be a "a very significant threat" to Biden!).

-The Twitter "blue check" fiasco continues to erupt for Twitter owner and billionaire weirdo Elon Musk. After demanding users pay $8/month for the checks - originally used by long-time users and institutions to verify the identity of the account holder and discourage copycat trolls - blue checks started appearing over the weekend with a note that said users were now paying Twitter for the checks. The problem is that overwhelmingly, users were NOT paying for the checks, and in fact the checks were randomly appearing on accounts in such frequency users found a way to delete the blue checks to insist they would never pay for a blue check. Even weirder, accounts from dead celebrities ranging from Anthony Bourdain to Jamal Khashoggi reappeared on the platform with said blue checks. All in all, the first weekend showed a grand total of 28 people apparently consciously paying for the I.D., adding more ridicule to the Musk account.

-To end on a positive note, Lizzo's concert over the weekend in Knoxville, TN, featured a parade of drag queens on stage - a direct challenge to that state's ban on drag shows passed by the same TN Republican legislature that attempted to expel two 27-year-old black Democratic Representatives for speaking out over a mass shooting in that state. Lizzo also set up tables to allow younger voters to register in that state, who have been energized by the actions of the state's leaders (one of which, Scotty Campbell, just resigned after two former workers reported he ... you know what's next ... sexually harassed them). Karma, baby - it's fabulous!

-On this date in 1800, the Library of Congress was established. On this date in 1898, Spain declared war on the United States over what is now believed to be an accidental explosion on the U.S.S. Maine that was exploited by, among others, then-War Secretary Teddy Roosevelt. On this date in 1962, the first satellite TV signal was sent from CA to MA. On this date in 1980, an attempt to rescue American hostages in Iran failed, killing eight U.S. servicemen as a result. And on this date in 2018, streaming music sales overtook CD music sales for the first time.

-Happy Birthday to Anthony Trollope, William De Kooning, Robert Penn Warren, Lou Thesz, Richard Donner, Shirley MacLaine, Jill Ireland, Barbara Streisand, Richard M. Daley, Tony Visconti, Eric Bogosian, Mumia Abu-Jamal, Michael O'Keefe, David J., Cedric the Entertainer, Djimon Hounsou, Omar Vizquel, Chipper Jones, Eric Snow, Carlos Beltran, and Kelly Clarkson.

-Rest in Peace/Rest in Power to Willa Cather, Bud Abbottt, Wallis Simpson, Oliver Tambo, Pat Paulsen, Estee Lauder, and Robert M. Pirsig.