10/03/23
Good morning! It’s Tuesday, October 3rd.
Mean Girls Day!
How exciting! I wonder if I’ll go on a whole rant about Mean Girls at the end of this episode…
And now, the news.
ND State Senator Killed in Plane Crash
-via CBS News
We start with some genuinely sad news – North Dakota State Senator Doug Larsen, as well as his wife and two small children, died Sunday evening when the small plane Larsen was piloting crashed on its way to Utah.
The circumstances of the crash are currently unknown.
Just an absolute tragedy.
Search for Missing Nine-Year-Old
The search for Charlotte Sena, the nine-year-old girl who was abducted on Saturday evening while camping with her family, has come to an end! Hear how my voice went up at the end, in an positive way, as I continue on.
She was riding her bike around a loop in the park with family friends before she asked to do one last loop alone. There was only a 15-minute gap between when she was with her family friends and when the family began to search for her, but in those 15-minutes she was taken. The bike as found on the loop.
The park was closed while about 400 certified search and rescue personnel searched a span of 46 miles.
I had written most of that story through the lens of “the search continues” but while I was writing this episode, news broke that she had been found “in good health” and while there is still an active investigation, the suspect is in custody. This is breaking news, so not everything is known yet but the most important thing here is: Charlotte Sena has been found.
Nobel Prize for Covid Vaccine
-via AP News
Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman cited for contributing “to the unprecedented rate of vaccine development during one of the greatest threats to human health,” on Monday, as they received the Nobel prize in medicine for their discoveries that enabled to mRNA Covid vaccines. That technology is now also being studied to fight cancer and other diseases.
Neeeeeeeeerds.
No no. Hey! Come on! I got my booster last Friday! They full deserve this but 1: I’m coming off two tough stories. And 2: they’re nerds. We love a nerd. I’m a nerd! I mean it lovingly.
Pope Francis Is an Ally
-via CNN
In a letter in response to five cardinals asking the Pope about some pretty big ideas like: will you bless same-sex unions and whether women can be priests, the Pope acknowledged for the first time that people asking for blessings in a same-sex marriage could, in fact, have their union blessed on a case-by-case basis.
It’s baby steps but… it’s better than calling love a sin.
When it comes to lady priests though – that one needs to be studied a little more. Who’s to say what would happen if a lady were to be a priest.
Meet Your New Senator
-via NY Times
Folks, it’s time to… meet your new US Senator! (Note that she has not yet been sworn in, but she has been announced)
Laphonza Butler, who was, until this announcement, the president of Emily’s List (that’s a group that raises early campaign money for democratic, and pro-abortion rights, women to run for office. The name is an acronym for Early Money Is Like Yeast (as in, it makes the dough rise).
She is also a former labor leader.
At 44-years-old, she is more twenty years younger than the average age in the Senate (which is 65.3. In the House it’s 57.9).
As a reminder, Newsom did not want to choose someone already running for the seat, which is why he didn’t choose Barbara Lee, who many people were hoping would take the seat after Newsom pledged, in early 2021, to name a Black woman to the seat if it came open.
That is a promise he fulfilled with Butler, who will be just the third Black woman in the Senate, and the only Black woman currently in the Senate.
She is also the first LGBTQ Senator from California.
She will serve until the state votes on the seat next November. Butler herself could run for the seat but has not yet said whether she plans to do so or not.
Trump Crime Update Time
-via AP News
And now…
Trump Crime Update Time!
Gotta keep you own your toes though! This is not the last in the episode! Normally it just ends up being that way, but not this time. Impossibly, there’s another story to make fun of after this!
But first – Trump did, in fact, show up in court on Monday for the first day of his NY money crimes case. I don’t really need to go beat by beat because it was what was expected – Trump inflated or deflated the value, including square footage, of various properties depending on how it would best help him financially.
But here’s something cool – depending on how this goes, he could lose control on properties like Trump Tower in NY and Mar a Lago in Florida! Gotta hurt!
The trial is expected to go into December.
Matt Gaetz Attempts to Oust McCarthy
-via Washington Post and Twitter
And finally….
Matt Gaetz kept his promise to make sure the House can’t do any actual work, as is the mission of the Republicans this session, and filed a motion to remove Kevin McCarthy from the speakership. Per Jake Sherman, at Punchbowl News, after his speech: “The Democratic side of the House erupted in laughter as Gaetz left the floor.”
What a chump Gaetz is.
I love that no one loves him. Probably including himself, if he were to really think about it. Or at least the childhood version of himself.
The leadership has two days to bring this to a vote. So we’ll see how things go today or tomorrow.
What’s interesting here is that Gaetz thinks he’s so clever but as a reminder – he was, and kind of still is, under investigation for sex trafficking a minor. If he keeps his speakership, McCarthy could turn around, reinvigorate that case, and then bring Gaetz’ expulsion to a vote. I doubt he will, but still – what if? Congressional Fan Fiction.
SCOTUS is Back
-via NBC News
So much news broke as I was trying to write this episode and then get back to work on the nonprofit! Ai yi yi
Hey! The Supreme Court is back for the latest season of raising my blood pressure and erasing our rights.
And while I firmly do not believe this is a sign of how things will go this term, historical badman Justice Thomas actually did something interesting and recused himself from a January 6th related case. It was a fairly minor one, involving an appeal from former Trump lawyer, John Eastman, asking to not allow Chapman University, his prior employer, to hand over to the House January 6th commitee emails sent from his account. (The Court did not side with Eastman)
Also, by the time the Court got the case, it was basically pointless because the committee already had the emails.
So it really didn’t matter what he did.
Anyways, the Supreme Court is back so if you happen to have any rights stored in your coat pockets or between the couch cushions, I’d run real quick and hide them in your mattress.
And that’s it. That’s the news.
I’m not proud of Justice Thomas. I mean, duh but specifically in the recusal. Because let me tell ya something – it’s easy to do the right thing when it doesn’t matter. So this is unimpressive to me.
Also, it’s banned books week! Go read a banned book (there are currently plenty to choose from, unfortunately).
And of course, because it’s Mean Girls Day… I’m proud of Uncle Stef! Traditionally, this is of course the day to celebrate the perfection that is Mean Girls. But what makes art perfect? Is it the writer? Well, it’s Tiny Fey so yeah, of course she did amazing. Also, Amy Poehler is in it, and so immediately we love it, no questions asked. The truth is, this movie was already a 9 outta 10. But then… oh but then we get the cherry on top. The elevator button that takes you to the penthouse. That’s right, it’s the addition of one of our favorite Canadians… Stef Drummond!
But more than… eating fruit at work (it’s also eating fruit at work day)… because you’re sweet… I’m proud of you.