USE LESS STUFF DAY UPDATES
For Inspiration, Please Refer To George Carlin's "A Place for My Stuff"
-The government will not shut down in 2023. The Senate passed the House's two-step continuing resolution that will keep the doors open at least until specific appropriations bills are passed, using a January 19, 2024 deadline for some departments and February 2, 2024 for others. Both bills were passed with bipartisan support over the yammering objections of the UltraMAGA House caucus, who essentially concede that new House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Jay-EE-zuz!, LA) did EXACTLY what previous Speaker Kevin McCarthy (Flying Elbow, R, CA) did that lost McCarthy his job. Don't worry - between sniping among Republicans to literal physical threats and confrontations over the last two days, the melodrama and nihilism will resume after another holiday break ...
-A protest at the Democratic National Party headquarters by an estimated group of 150 demanding a cease fire in the Israel-HAMAS War turned into a melee, with shoving between protestors and police, six officers treated for minor industries, one protestor arrested, and a speaking event inside ending with a need for police escorts to allow participants to leave. There was an allegation that protestors attempted to enter the building that was denied, but the claim was made on the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
-Earlier in the day, Twitter owner Elon Musk complimented another antisemitic post, further antagonizing and alienating posters and protestors on all sides of the conflict and the reactions to them (in case you are still on that site - and, if you aren’t, you should follow ME on Threads @jafedorko!)
-As Democrats and the Biden campaign continue to try to figure out how to boost his polling numbers against Ex-President Trump, one area they may need to look at more carefully is Latino media. The Washington Post reported this week that Univision, which Trump labelled "a mouthpiece of the Democratic Party" in 2020, has apparently made a full shift to becoming an unabashed pro-Trump outlet. Since its merger with Mexican media company Grupo Televisia in 2021, the network has given Trump deferential bordering on glowing coverage and interviews. More disturbingly, attempts by the White House to counter Trump's appearances have been rebuffed, going so far as to have Biden ads cancelled by the network in four swing states (AZ, FL, NV, PA). Several Univision executives have appeared at Mar-a-Lago as recently as November 7, and one of the executives is reportedly a close personal friend of Jared Kushner. One Univision anchor resigned this week, and many are looking to Univision news lead anchor Jorge Ramos, who was famously thrown out of a Trump "news conference" in 2015 - and given Trump made notable Latino vote gains in 2020 (especially in FL), the developments deserve further focus and tracking.
-On the other hand, talks between Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping went relatively well yesterday, with the pair vowing to continue discussions beyond yesterday's appearance - important given Xi's building of ties with Vladimir Putin. As another symbol of slightly-warming relations, it was announced China would return pandas to the National Zoo after removing them last month. All could be a sign of increasing concern in China, where the Covid epidemic is combining with a real estate value crash and exit of high-tech manufacturing to slow down its economic growth to a point that it now trails the United States' economic expansion for the first time in 40 years. Whether America will recognize this amid higher bacon prices and continued reports of Biden's polling (which was referenced in a post-talk press conference yesterday) remains to be seen.
-THIS JUST IN: A House Ethics Committee panel has found what it calls "substantial evidence" of election law violations committed by "Rep." "George Santos" ("R," "NY"). Don't look so shocked ...
-THIS ALSO JUST IN: Major League Baseball has unanimously approved the move of the Oakland A's to Las Vegas by 2028.
-And, let's end with some Shout-Outs! To P!nk, who is touring in FL right now and giving away banned books to her fans as part of her performances ... to The Regrettes, one of my favorite bands of the last 10 years, who have announced their final performance next month in Los Angeles ... and to Kevin Hart, this year's recipient of the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. HUZZAH to all of you!
-On this date in 1945, 88 German scientists were moved to the United States in order to 'allow' them to help the United States develop missiles that would eventually become the foundation of America's nuclear weapons arsenal and space exploration programs. On this date in 1973, Richard Nixon approved construction of the Trans-Alaska Oil Pipeline. On this date in 1988, Benazir Bhutto was elected leader of Pakistan. Notable openings on this date: UNESCO (1945, Organization), THE SOUND OF MUSIC (1959, Broadway), HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER'S STONE (2001, film release), Lionel Messi (2003, soccer).
-Happy Birthday to W.C. Handy, George S. Kaufman, Burgess Meredith, Daws Butler, Elizabeth Drew, Donna McKechnie, Steve Railsback, Jo Jo White, Marg Helgenberger, Diana Krall, Dwight Gooden, Harry J. Lennix, Lisa Bonet, Martha Plimpton, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Amare Stoudemire, and Pete Davidson.
-Rest in Peace/Rest in Power to Moses Cleaveland, Dr. Bob Smith, Clark Gable, Sam Rayburn, Edie Sedgwick, Ralph Edwards, Milton Friedman, Edward Woodward, Ferdie Pacheco, William Goldman, and Robert Clary.