11/09/23
Good morning! It’s Thursday, November 9th.
National I Guess It Was Just Allergies, Day.
No, actually it’s “go to an art museum day”. And hey, if you can’t go to an art museum, if you just Alta Vista “virtual museum tours,” there are a bunch of museums you can check out for free online.
Look at us – so artsy!
And now, the news.
Texas Chemical Plant Explosion
Let’s start in the Houston-area, where a fire at a chemical plant on Wednesday prompted a shelter-in-place order for the rural area of Shepherd, which is 60 miles northeast of Houston.
The fire started because of an accident with a forklift, which is… so embarrassing for whoever did that.
The fire is out now, well out as of this recording, which is great. It’d be bad if the first from Wednesday morning was still burning when I recorded in the evening. It’d be really, really bad if it was still burning when you hear this Thursday morning.
Anyway, the fire is out and the company says the will cooperate with state and local environmental regulators.
Speaking of Houston – they’re mayoral election is headed to a December 9th runoff. If US House Rep Sheila Jackson Lee wins, she will be Houston’s first Black female mayor. A big change for the country’s fourth-largest city.
The runoff is between two democrats. Jackson Lee and state Senator John Whitmire.
Colorado Funeral Home Owners Arrested
-via NPR
Okay, brace yourself because this next store is upsetting and also… gross.
Jon and Carie Hallford, the owners of a Colorado funeral home, were arrested on Wednesday after authorities found almost 200 decaying bodies improperly stored at the funeral home.
They’re being charged with four felony charges, including abuse of a corpse, theft, money laundering and forgery.
I guess you can’t be arrested on a felony charge of just being a real gross weirdo but, if so…
Biden’s Son and Brother Issued Subpoenas
-via Washington Post
President Biden’s son, Hunter, and brother, James, were issued subpoenas on Wednesday from the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, in their further investigation of “I don’t know, somethin’s fishy here. Don’t you worry though. If we don’t find a crime, I promise to invent one.”
No no, I mean yes but – officially they’re looking into the Biden family’s finances, determined to find a crime.
Hunter we knew about, but James is new. Oversight Committee Chair James Comer says the committee has questions about a 2018 check the president, who was a private citizen in 2018, received from his brother. The check’s note says “loan repayment,” and Washington Post verified that, in early 2018, the president transferred $200,000 to his brother.
Comer however believes that vibes are off. No crimes, just vibes.
The committee is asking James to appear on December 6th and Hunter on the 13th.
What a cool and not at all wasteful use of congress’ time and money.
Trump Crime Update Time
-via NY Times, CNN, and Washington Post (Minnesota)
And because we are nothing is we’re not faith and balanced here…
Trump Crime Update Time
(hey, this is a real crime, edition)
The New York’s attorney general’s office has rested their case against Donald Trump and the no good, very bad tax lie money crimes.
As a reminder, a judge has already said Trump is guilty of the money crimes, so now this is just to figure out Trump’s punishment. The trial has lasted six weeks so far, and while Tuesday we saw Trump have a meltdown on the stand, today it was “nobody puts baby in a corner, I have a backup plan - I’m friends with the Kardashians” Ivanks Trump who took the stand.
Like her brothers before her, Ivanks used the classic “I barely haven’t ever seen a gortar” defense, claiming she was not involved in the annual financial statements. Even though she was pretty central in setting up the Trump Org’s relationship with different financial institutions, including Deutsche Bank. A 2011 email literally has her telling a colleague that favorable terms of some deal would only be possible if it were backed by a guarantee about Trump’s net worth.
Overall it was very: “I don’t know, I knew a little, I tried to turn a post office into a fancy hotel. What do you want from me? But like – I didn’t do crimes. I didn’t know about crimes.”
Like I assume any conversation with Ivanks would be, it certainly had words, but substance? Eh.
She did say she talked to her husband, Jared, about a lot of the deals. Which I’m sure was fun for Jared.
So the AG’s office has rested and the defense will start on Monday.
And speaking of… well Trump crimes but a different one… remember the time that Trump did an insurrection because he was having big feelings about having to go back to Florida after a literal whole country rejected him?
Well a judge in Minnesota dismissed a case that was hoping to kick Trump off the ballot in the state for his insurrection crimes. Not because he didn’t do insurrection crimes, but because, per the judge, when it comes to the primary (which is the first ballot they were trying to keep him off), “there is no state statute that prohibits a major political party from placing on the presidential nomination primary ballot, or sending delegates to the national convention supporting, a candidate who is ineligible to hold office.”
So while Trump sees this as a win, it’s also not a loss for those who would love to see him be ruled ineligible under the 14th Amendment.
The fight continues, I guess. Not in Minnesota, but you know… elsewhere.
And that’s it. That’s the news.
I’m proud of… ugh, not my allergy medicine, that’s for sure. I’m on that stuff every day, and nothing!
Museums though. Museums are great. I’m a modern art gal, myself. But in general, museums are fun!
But more than that, because you are also a classic… I’m proud of you.