10/18/24

Good morning! It’s Friday, October 18th.

National Mammography Day!

Great day to remind you that early screening saves lives. I love procrastinating more than almost anything - this is not the thing to procrastinate on.

And now, the news.

Hamas Leader is Dead

-via AP News

Starting with big news out of the Middle East, as Israel announces, and Hamas confirms, that Yahya Sinwar, Hamas’ leader and the mastermind of the October 7th attacks that killed more than 1,200 people… is dead.

It happened during a chance encounter!

This is a big deal, and it’s so wild to me that it was just… oh hey! That guy is here!

He was killed by trainee squad commanders on a routine patrol.

Now, of course this does not mean the war is over. In fact, it opens up a new set of questions. For example – who will be the new leader of Hamas? And what does this mean for the ceasefire negotiations that Israel keeps backing out of as Netanyahu, who is facing corruption charges, continues being accused by many of trying to prolong the war.

Now, with Sinwar’s death, he has a possible off-ramp. Whether he takes it will be a pivotal moment in this war.

Kamala Harris called for an end of the war on Thursday. Hopefully, she and President Biden can pull the rest of the world into pressuring Netanyahu to finally, finally finally finally, do the right thing.

Texas Pauses Execution

-via CBS News

Two stories out of Texas, starting with an execution in limbo (which should be its own classification of cruel and unusual punishment). Here’s what’s going on – Robert Roberson is on death row for the 2002 death of his two-year-old daughter through shaken baby syndrome.

If carried out, Roberson would be the first person in the nation to receive the death penalty for shaken-baby syndrome.

However, both Republicans and Democrats on the House Criminal Justice Committee believe Roberson deserves a new trial because shaken baby syndrome has been widely dismissed by experts as junk science.

On Thursday night, Travis County judge granted a temporary restraining order to pause the scheduled execution of Robert Roberson. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals then denied the stay, thanks to Ken Paxton. He remains the worst.

It all came down to whether Governor Abbott would stay the execution and you will be shocked to hear that he did the wrong thing, and did not.

I’m not saying Roberson is guilty or innocent, I’m saying it appears he did not have his Constitutional right to due process – and it killed him.

Paxton Sues Doctor

-via NBC News

Also in Texas, and also starring Ken Paxton (which means this will also be bad)…

On Thursday, Ken Paxton filed a suit against a Dallas doctor who provided gender-affirming care to 21 minors.

Now, to be fair, what the doctor did was against the law. She provided the minors with hormone replacement therapy and, to hide it, she is alleged to have used false diagnoses and billing codes.

Here’s the thing though – maybe what she did was illegal, but that doesn’t mean it was necessarily wrong. It’s the law that’s wrong.

Because it’s still legal for minors to get breast augmentations or get ED medication.

So it’s not that you have a problem with gender-affirming care. It’s just that you have a problem with the people receiving that care.

And when the law is not applied equally, it is not applied justly.

Busy day for Ken Paxton! “Hey, make sure you kill that guy. And then make sure you sue that doctor. And then after that, I don’t know… steak, lobster, and find new corruption to do since I didn’t really get in trouble for the other stuff?”

Blech.

Fentanyl Deaths Have Dropped

-via NPR

Hey here’s something to tell your Fox News-loving uncle - According to data released this week from the CDC, fentanyl overdoses are down 12.7%.

According to White House officials, "This is the largest recorded reduction in overdose deaths, and the sixth consecutive month of reported decreases."

If the trend holds, this year is expected to be the first since 2020 where overdose deaths will fall below 100,000.

Huh.

I wonder what’s changed in the last few years that’s helped this happen…

As you may recall, while they were elected in 2020, the Biden-Harris administration didn’t take office until 2021 (just a few weeks after Donald Trump organized and carried out an insurrection).

Election 2024

-via NY Times, Washington Post, Washington Post, and ABC News

And finally, let’s check in on the Presidential candidates!

Thursday night saw the Al Smith dinner, a famous fundraiser that raises money for Catholic charities. Traditionally, both candidates are invited and invited to speak. Trump said yes, Kamala pre-taped remarks, so she could continue to campaign in the battleground states.

It makes sense, right? Trump isn’t really campaigning aggressively at all. Kamala has ground to make up. So I don’t think this is a big deal, though obviously Trump is trying to make a meal out of it.

While at the dinner, he mispronounced Kamala’s name and made fun of her laugh. Cool guy! Super normal!

Meanwhile, at his Univision townhall on Wednesday, Trump called January 6th “a day of love.” People died! The confederate flag was in our capital!

A day of love.

Okay man, well on Thursday Peter Maloney, one of the full of love people at the capital on January 6th pled guilty to his actions on the 6th.

What were those loving actions?

He sprayed police with wasp killer! Black Flag brand wasp killer. He sprayed their hands, arms, and heads. He also attacked two people with cameras.

A day of love.

Yeah, I’m sure Trump loved it – that’s why we can never let him near the White House again. He genuinely shouldn’t even be able to get a tour. I’m not kidding when I say – he’s a security risk.

Also on Thursday, we learned that, in a podcast interview, Trump blamed Ukraine for Russia’s invasion! “But he should never have let that war start. That war’s a loser.”

They were invaded! By your friend!

This. Dude. Sucks!

Oh also apparently, behind his back, Mitch McConnell called Trump “stupid” and a “despicable human being.”

But he also said he shouldn’t be impeached for the insurrection he did and said he’d vote for him again this year so… who cares!

Who cares about Mitch anyway? He’s leaving stepping out of leadership next year and leaving office when his term is up in 2026. He’s given us everything we hate about politics and I don’t care if you happened to talk about Trump in private, when you allowed him to continue having a career in public.

That dude sucks too.

And that’s it. That’s the news.

Feels like a good time to break for the weekend.

Hey, depending on when in the weekend you listen to this, there are either 18, 17, or 16 days until Election Day.

Whoa!! Whoa baby!

Raisingvoters.org/increaseturnout

I’m proud of people that get their mammograms on time. Early detection saves lives.

And because I know you will make a dr appointment and do your best to always stay healthy… I’m proud of you.