08/15/23

Good morning! It’s Tuesday, August 15th.

Check the chip day.

This is not, much to my disappointment, about food. It’s to check microchip on your pet. Which I guess is a smart holiday to have, because I had no idea that was something that had to be done!

Fun fact – microchipped pets are 20 times more likely to be returned to their humans than pets that aren’t chipped.

And now, the news.

Michael Oher Sues to End Conservatorship

-via AP News

Michael Oher, whose story was the inspiration for “The Blind Side,” the move that finally gave Sandra Bullock her best actor Oscar (and when I say finally, I. Mean!), is suing the Sean and Leigh Ann Tuohy, the couple the claimed to have adopted him. Oher had become a ward of the state when he was 11, but during his junior year he started staying with the Tuohy family occasionally, fully moving in when he turned 18.

Per the suit, Oher claims that he was given what he believed to be adoption papers after he moved in, but it turned out to be conservatorship paperwork, a fact he only learned after February of this year.

Meaning that the Tuohy’s were in charge of his contracts, both for football and for the movie. And how did they handle that responsibility?

The Blind Side, a movie Oher very reasonably doesn’t like, grossed over $300 million. The Tuohys were paid $225,000 plus 2.5% of the profits.

A $200,000 donation was also made to Leigh Anne Tuohy’s charitable foundation.

Michael Oher… was no paid a single penny.

Take all their money, Michael.

Los Angeles Flash Mob Robbery

-via CNN

More than thirty people stole $300k worth of jewelry on Monday. No one was hurt, but no suspects have been taken into custody.

So just… I was with you all day Monday, remember? Remember how we had lunch and hung out and for sure I was not at that mall on Monday?

Judge Sides with Montana Activists

-via NPR

This is a really cool story – Remember a few weeks? Months, maybe? What even is time? At some point in our lives this year, I told you the story about young activists in Montana who were suing the state, with their argument being that state agencies were violating their constitutional right to a clean and healthful environment by permitting fossil fuel development without considering its effect on the climate.

And on Monday, District Court Judge Kathy Seeley… agreed!

Judge Seeley found the policy the state uses to evaluate fossil fuel permit requests without allowing agencies to evaluate the effects of greenhouse gas emissions, is unconstitutional.

It’s now up to the state’s legislature how to bring this policy into compliance.

Missing Divers Found

-via NPR

Four divers who hadn’t been seen after they plunged into the Atlantic more than 60 miles of the Myrtle Beach coast over the weekend, were found!

They were in the water for 12 hours before being rescued, but have no reported injuries.

Far-Right Libertarian Wins Argentina’s Presidential Election

-via NY Times

Javier Milei, the 52-year-old far right libertarian candidate, that wants to abolish the country’s central bank and welcomes all comparisons to Trump, has won Argentina’s primary presidential election.

And by abolish their central bank I mean… he wants to ditch their official currency for the U.S. dollar.

The general election is in October and uh… yeah. We’re gonna need to keep an eye on this election, but the last thing we need is another far right candidate winning the election.

Trump Crime Update Time (Eventually)

-via Washington Post , Washington Post, and NY Times

And speaking of… We’re gonna need to keep an eye on this election, but the last thing we need is another far right candidate winning the election…

Just a heads up that this is the week that we’re expecting the fourth indictment of Donald Trump this week, as the Grand Jury began hearing from witnesses on Monday, going very late into the evening.

Everyone’s going to have lots of thoughts and feelings about what this could mean, but I’m going to employ a very classic Here’s What’s Happening tactic: when we know more, we’ll know more. But as of this recording, there is no news beyond that.

Hey wait! We know more!

Folks…

Trump Crime Update Time

The Georgia jury has returned ten indictments! Ten indictments and zero, no, true bill – which is new to me, as a non-lawyer, but means that ten indictments were presented and ten were returned. In other words, they weren’t given, you know – fifteen indictments and they only liked ten of them.

So first let’s cover – who’s in trouble? Because, in all, there are 19 defendants.

Donald Trump. We assumed but this is where we learned that.

Also, people we know well – Mark Meadow (aka Marky Meads), America’s Mayor Rudy Guiliani, Jeffrey Clark, Sidney Powell, Jenna Ellis, and John Eastman.

Some we don’t know as well, but well – David Shafer, Ray Smith, Misty Hampton, Michael Roman, Cathy Latham, Robert Cheeley, Mike Roman, Shawn Still, Harrison Floyd, Trevian Kutty, Scott Hall, and Ray Smith III.

So nineteen in all! A couple quick things I want to point out, and this is breaking news so I’m sure I’ll have more feelings later (don’t I always, and also never, have more feelings?) but immediately my thoughts are – it’s interesting that the gang’s all here, versus the Coach Beard January 6th Insurrection Crimes Case, where it’s Trump, and a bunch of tbd un-named co-conspirators. Also, it’s interesting to see Marky Meads, who has yet to be charged anywhere else.

What are they charged with? Being a buncha babies. “Oh but I want the loser to be the winner!”

No no, well… but no no… the main charge is Georgia’s RICO Act. RICO stands for Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations, and it would appear that this covers the many many ways in which these 19 folks attempted to steal a lawful election.

This ten indictment indictment is also a 41 count indictment but also really just one very big indictment, so… tomorrow there will be a special episode all about this. After I read this whole thing. It’s… so many words. But overall here’s what’s happened tonight… Donald Trump, and his merry band of big bongs, has been charged by the Fulton County DA for trying to overturn the election.

Like I said, this is breaking news. Let’s put a pin in it. Let’s circle back. Special episode tomorrow.

And that’s it. That’s the news.

I’m proud of Sandra Bullock. I just watched Ocean’s 8 the other day – she’s great. Never misses.

But more than that, more than Sandra Bullock in Speed 2: Cruise Control, which is a real compliment because I LOVE Speed 2: Cruise Control… because you are also cinematic perfection… I’m proud of you.