WEIGHTS AND MEASURES DAY UPDATES
Three Cheers for Quantification!!!
-Five days of official mourning have begun in Iran after authorities confirmed that a helicopter carrying President Ebrahim Raisi crashed in the northern part of the country, killing him and several other government officials. Raisi was a long-time member of the ruling council and believed to be the heir become the true new ruler of the country with the title of Ayatollah, currently held by Ali Khamenei. The 63-year old Raisi achieved his power through his role in the creation of "death committees" responsible for the execution of thousands of dissenters and protestors in the 1980s in the wake of Iran's war with Iraq and recently after women began defying Islamic law (as determined by the ruling Mullahs) and refusing to wear hijabs. Raisi's death signals a battle to become Khamenei's successor, though the New York Times notes that Khamenei has a son, Mojtaba, whose line to succession has suddenly become a bit clearer if he wants it ...
-In New York, the cross-examination of Michael Cohen in the election interference trial of Ex-President Trump (R-apist) LXXXVIII has resumed. While it is believed this will be his last day, Judge Juan Merchan let the court know that, with the upcoming Memorial Day weekend, summations and jury deliberations will now likely begin next Tuesday to allow the jury the long weekend.
-Trump's in-court defense appears to be one so-called expert on election law (though the witness is an expert on federal election law which is largely irrelevant with the trial being about New York state law) and a belief that Trump's attorneys will play some contradictions it mined in its cross-examination of Cohen into an attempt to portray Cohen as being so important to the prosecution's case that any disbelief of Cohen will equal disbelief in the case as a whole. Despite Trump bragging about being excited about taking the stand in his defense, no sane person on Earth (that is, everyone who is not MAGA - who are the overwhelming majority of humans on this planet) believes that will happen. (Although, hey, there can always be surprises!)
-Trump's out-of-court defense continues to be one in which lapdogs and toadies - er, surrogates - for the former President will fan out to the right-wing mediascape and continue to insist Trump is innocent and the entire prosecution is a witch hunt interference nothing wrong who is that Daniels Stormy woman puppet job masterminded by the evil doting ruthless sleepy calculating comatose Joe Biden (who, of course, has less than zero involvement in the case). Trump also has another set of groupies attending today's proceedings - the literal rogue gallery today featuring former NYPD chief Bernie Kerik, would-be Trump CIA Director-in-waiting Kash Patel, Jeffrey Epstein Underwear-Wearing-Massage enthusiast Alan Dershowitz, and Trump's favorite unimpeachable legal 'expert,' Jonathan Turley.
-And for good measure, Trump today invoked a new "legal expert" in his printed-by-his-aide-to-keep-him-awake (THIS JUST IN: Trump has already dozed off at least once in court this morning) news reports assuring him that the case has nothing to do with his criming: Bill O'Reilly, the former Fox News shouter who had to pay over $40 MILLLION in settlement fees for sexual harassment, which apparently does give Bill-O a bit of expertise in this particular trial.
-Meanwhile, Trump again displayed what many describe as another example of his cognitive decline after video of his appearance at last Saturday's National Rifle Association conference showed him stopping his speech for 30 seconds with music playing in the background. Trump claimed the silence was not a 'glitch' along the lines of at least two that have occurred with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (TuRtle, KY) but was a TelePrompTer issue - itself rather interesting considering Trump's nonstop and boring attacks he made of Barack Obama's use of the devices. But Trump also continues to slur and stammer in public appearances, so ...
-Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) had a bad day yesterday. She flew to Israel to attack President Biden's criticisms of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu - but her initial claim that she was going to speak before the full Knesset turned out to be a bit of hyperbole, in that she actually only spoke to members of Netanyahu's ultra-right majority government and legislators, not the full legislative body. She also got to express faux outrage at The Media (TM) when the leftist liberal news organization known as Fox News asked her about 2016 comments she made calling Trump "insulting to women." Stefanik, once thought of as a moderate and potential post-Trump leader, angrily denounced Shannon Bream for, in Stefanik's own words, "tak(ing) a New York Times article and just read(ing) the quotes!" Another lesson for a Trump sycophant: only Trump can get away with that crap (sorta) ...
-In Sportsball news, the NBA will have another new champion this year as the Denver Nuggets lost a 15-point halftime lead to fall to Minnesota last night. The Timberwolves will move on to face Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving (he's BAA-AACK!) and the Denver Nuggets for the Western Conference title. In the East, the number one seed Boston Celtics will try to return to the Finals, facing the six-seed Indiana Pacers, who beat a Giannis Antentokounmpo-less Milwaukee team and then beat a New York Knicks team that at the end of the series were missing four starters to injuries (as superstar Jalen Brunson broke his hand during yesterday's Game Seven). The NBA Finals begin June 6.
-That's it for today's Updates - but don't you worry, there will be PLENTY of news as we ease out of May! Sit tight and chill a little!
-On this date in 1784, a series of treaties were signed that formally ended the American Revolution. On this date in 1862, Abraham Lincoln signed the Homestead Act, paving the way for Western expansion of the United States of America. On this date in 1927, Charles Lindberg began his solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean. On this date in 1979, the first western pop/rock star played a concert in the Soviet Union - Elton John. And on this date in 2015, David Letterman stepped down as host of THE LATE SHOW with The Foo Fighters' "Everlong" roaring through the theatre.
-Debuts on this date: The Sonnets of William Shakespeare (1609), blue jeans (1873), "Every Breath You Take" (1983), photographs from the Hubble Space Telescope (1990), East Timor (2002).
-Happy Birthday to Dolly Madison, Honore de Balzac, John Stuart Mill, Adela Rogers St. John, Jimmy Stewart, Bill Hewlett, Moshe Dayan, George Gobel, Bud Grant, Anthony Zerbe, Sadaharu Oh, Stan Mikita, Joe Cocker, Bobby Murcer, Cher, Dave Thomas (SCTV), Cindy McCain, Anton Corbijn, Jane Wiedlin, Ronald Reagan Jr., Bronson Pinchot, Susan Cowsill, Nick Heyward, David Wells, Ted Allen, Dan Abrams, Mindy Cohn, Timothy Olyphant, Terrell Brandon, Tony Stewart, Busta Rhymes, Chris Froome, and Jack Gleeson.
-Rest in Peace/Rest in Power to Marquis de Lafayette, Gilda Radner, Stephen Jay Gould, J.D. Cannon, Hamilton Jordan, Randy "Macho Man" Savage, Robin Gibb, Ray Manzarek, Billy Cannon, Niki Lauda, and Roger Angell.
-Christopher Columbus died on this date. You decide if he Rests in Peace or if he Feeds the Worms.