04/14/23
Good morning! It’s Friday, April 14th. Day of Silence.
Day of Silence was started in 1996 by Maria Pulzetti in reaction to noticing that the concerns and complaints of LGBTQ students and parents at the University of Virginia were being ignored. It was originally going to be a one-time thing, but the following year over 100 institutions joined in. Today that number has grown to over 10,000 organizations participate.
And now, the news.
Leaked Documents Suspect Arrested
About a week after leaked classified documents that covered revelations about spying as well as US military intelligence when it comes to Ukraine, were discovered, the leaker has been caught. And how did they find the 21 year old Air Force IT tech?
Well first of all, apparently the guy in IT forgot how easily traceable digital fingerprints are. Also, one of the pictures of a leaked document was cross-referenced with a picture he posted on Instagram… both had the same marble counter pattern.
I feel like this guy probably wasn’t great at IT.
He posted the documents on a Discord chat group called “Thug Shaker Channel,” where, in addition to the classified information, he also posted memes and jokes, including racist ones.
He was arrested on Thursday and is expected to make his first court appearance today.
In the meantime, the Pentagon is working on new restrictions that will limit who receives the high-level intelligence that this 21-year-old IT tech who seems like he wasn’t even that great at his job.
Florida’s Six-Week Abortion Ban
-via NY Times
Florida lawmakers signed off on a 6-week abortion ban, which now heads to Ron DeSantis’ desk, where he almost certainly will sign it.
Women in the deep south will now need to travel as far as North Carolina or Illinois for an abortion.
Abortions save lives. Abortion bans don’t end abortions. They safe abortions.
A 6-week ban is deadly.
Interesting, 7 Republicans broke with their party and actually voted against the ban.
9 reps didn’t vote, which is really just an amazing amount of bravery. Wow. Way to really stand up for something. Dinkuses. Lose your elections.
Because, listen – don’t be for abortion bans. But if you’re going to be, at least say it with your chest so we know who you are. A 9 vote is a vote for the ban.
Anyway, this is horrific and I’m sorry to all the women who live in Florida, who the state just decided don’t deserve bodily autonomy.
Trump Crime Update Time
-via NY Times
Just a tiny, small little…
Trump Crime Update Time
(Money crimes, edition)
So, this is the Tish James civil suit for the money crimes where Trump overvalued his assets by billions.
Trump was questioned most of the day on Thursday, and while it wasn’t public, the scuttlebutt is that Trump answered questions without pleading the 5th.
Feinstein (Temporarily) Replaced on the Judiciary
Amid calls for her to resign from the Senate, Diane Feinstein has been temporarily replaced on the Judiciary Committee after admitting that medical complications from shingles have kept her out of the Senate longer than she thought she would be.
Listen, of course she should have never run for re-election. And yes, of course it would have been better if she’d stepped down last year, or really at any time. She’s had an amazing career, the legacy of which is being tarnished by these final years in the Senate. But, with the campaigns to fill her seat already rocking and rolling, it’s just a super complicated situation.
Who knows if she’ll step down. Who knows what that’ll look like if she does. But in the meantime, she’s been replaced on the Judiciary so that judges can start getting confirmed. And that’s not nothing.
And in other bad news… looks like Mitch McConnell is returning to the Senate on Monday. Bummer all around.
And that’s it. That’s the news.
Short episode. You know why? Well mostly because I’m too mad about Florida.
But also – hey! Kelly Clarkson put out some new songs today, and who would I be if I didn’t call that out?
Go memorize those songs and have a great weekend. I’ll talk to you on Monday, okay?
Oh hey, real quick, before you go. While I have you here, I just wanted to say… I’m proud of you.