NATIONAL SON AND DAUGHTER DAY
Hug 'Em. Hug 'Em Long and Hard. Then Do Something Fun!
-As the first formal hearing on the January 6 insurrection criminal trial takes place this morning, Thrice-Indicted (so far) Ex-President (TIsoEP) Trump has, even for him, taken his rhetoric to a new and scarily vile low. The descent started Tuesday during an appearance in NH where an excessively bronzed and sweating Trump launched a brutal barrage of lies against Fulton County D.A. Fani Wills (whose indictments in GA are expected to be announced next week), going so far as to accuse her of sleeping with a gang member (and that's close to a direct quote).
-That charge was repeated in a series of social media posts in which Trump also continued to attack Special Counsel Jack Smith and DC Judge Tanya Chutkan, calling them "MAD!" and "RACIST!" and tools of that Criminal Mastermind Who Is Also Too Senile To Stand Up Straight, President Biden. Those Tweets have been completed with the airing of a TV ad that is or will be running in GA (as well as the sites of his other trials, DC and FL) repeating the above lies under the guise of "political advertising" while adding barbs at Manhattan AG Alvin Bragg and NY AG Leticia James.
-And by the way, do please note that Trump has NOT attacked the OTHER Judge hearing one of his cases, the controversial (I'm being kind) Trump-appointed Judge Aileen Cannon. Huh ...
-All of this will frame today's hearing, in which Team Trump will argue that Trump should be allowed to talk about any discovery evidence that is turned over to him because of his 'need' to discuss the case with others who aren't officially attorneys to help him (and also freedom of speech, because apparently Trump believes running for President absolves a candidate of following any rules or decorum or morality).
-And all of THAT took place after a disturbing incident in UT on Wednesday, where a social media poster who had made specific threats of assassination towards President Biden as Biden was speaking in that state was shot and killed when he resisted federal officials who came to his home to investigate the threats. The aforementioned judges and prosecutors have all needed extra security and receive daily threats, with protection of workers representing the largest budget item in the DoJ investigation into January 6.
-If this is a day that ends in a "-y," it must mean there's yet more reporting that shows even more incredibly expensive gifts from incredibly wealthy 'friends' being 'given' to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and his wife, the at-the-very-least insurrection-adjacent Ginni - and there is, courtesy of ProPublica. The latest ledger indicates the Thomases 38 luxury vacations through his 30+ year tenure, ranging from yacht rentals to luxury boxes at sporting events, jet and helicopter flights to golf club memberships to his $200,000+ motor home - all of it undeclared, all of it likely to add up to well into the millions, and all of it of absolutely no interest to House members (who today will allegedly be outlying the "evidence" they have against what they continually call "the Biden crime family") (HAH!) or Senate members (the Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee is Dick Durbin of IL, in case you want to drop him a dime or something) since SCOTUS is the one Court in the country that does not have a code of ethics. Thomas could not be reached for comment.
-55 people have been reported to have died in the wildfires still ravaging the Hawaiian island of Maui, with local officials warning the toll is likely to rise. The pre-statehood capital city of Lahaina has been virtually destroyed, and locals are concerned about whether a 150-year-old banyan tree will be able to survive the still-burning fires, although officials say the fire is 80% contained and the island remains without power. Multiple relief efforts and fundraising are underway, and it is likely friends in your social media feeds are promoting many of them if you can.
-Russia has been able to take part of their time and resources away from invading Ukraine and creating World War I-style defense lines proving stubborn to be broken through by Ukrainian forces to launch their first space mission to the Moon since the 1970s. The unmanned mission looks to land a probe to search for water, though the suspicion is that the mission is an attempt to regain some respect from superpowers given how Ukraine has exposed the Russian military of being far weaker and less intimidating than its pre-2022 reputation.
-SLAVA UKRAINI!
-Negotiations are quietly continuing between the Writers Guild and producers as the writers' strike passes 100 days. It is unclear how serious the negotiations are or whether there are any imminent breakthroughs, but as a contingency the Emmy Awards for 2022-23 have been officially rescheduled for mid-January, 2024. Any updates anyone would like to provide would be appreciated.
-SOLIDARITY for all the striking writers and actors reading this update!
-On this date in 1924, the first newsreel showing Presidential candidates (including eventual President Calvin Coolidge) was filmed. On this date in 1965, race riots broke out in Los Angeles after an incident involving a speeding black driver and white officers. On this date in 1973, a back-to-school party in the Bronx bore audio witness to the first breakbeat on two turntables played by DJ Kool Herc, which historians and musicologists cite as the birth of hip-hop. And on this date in 1994, a strike by major league baseball players began, cancelling that year's World Series before being settled.
-Happy Birthday to Mike Douglas, Alex Haley, Arlene Dahl, Carl Rowan, Kenny Gamble, Ian McDiarmid, Eric Carmen, Sandra Scheuer, Steve Wozniak, Bob Mothersbaugh, Hulk Hogan, Joe Jackson, Richie Ramone, Craig Ehlo, Viola Davis, Charlie Sexton, Chris "Mack Daddy" Kelly, Ben Gibbard and Chris Hemsworth.
-Rest in Peace/Rest in Power to Andrew Carnegie, Edith Wharton, Jackson Pollock, Alfred A. Knopf, Clara Peller, Peter Cushing, Herb Brooks, Mike Douglas, George Furth, Eunice Shriver, Robin Williams, V.S. Naipaul, Sumner Redstone, and Trini Lopez.
-Feed the Worms: "Alleged" murderer Claus Von Bulow, right-wing evangelist Jerry Falwell Sr. and muscle-headed misinformation choad Joe Rogan entered Earth on this date.