02/21/24

Good morning! It’s Wednesday, February 21st.

National Sticky Bun Day.

Hey fun fact – the difference between a sticky bun and a cinnamon roll is that a sticky bun has a sticky caramel topping.

Both are delicious.

And now, the news.

FBI Informant Had Russian Ties

-via AP News

A court filing on Tuesday showed that Alexander Smirnov, the FBI informant who accused of Hunter Biden, and President Biden, of taking bribes from Ukrainian energy company Burisma to the tune of $5 million each, leading to the House’s current impeachment investigation of the president, and who has now been indicted now that those claims appear to be lies… had contacts with Russian intelligence-affiliated officials.

If there’s one thing Russia’s gonna do it’s murder their opposition and muck around in American elections.

Prosecutors say Smirnov admitted last week that “officials associated with Russian intelligence were involved in passing a story.”

This is one of those things that, right now, feels small but it’s all part of a biggest story. Will this change the House’s views on the impeachment investigation? Who’s to say? (Though I’m sure we can all guess that it’s unlikely) but still…

Hunter Biden is expected to give his deposition next week.

SCOTUS Leaves Powell Sanctions in Place

-via CBS News

Also on Tuesday, the Supreme Court declined to hear a case brought by a group of Trump-aligned lawyers who face sanctions in Michigan because of the time that they lied about the election being stolen.

It was not and frankly, they shouldn’t even be able to keep their law licenses at all. So they can just calm down.

Consequences for actions. Alta Vista it.

The group includes some superstars in the Trump community (yikes) like Sidney Powell and Lin Wood.

By declining to hear the case, the Supreme Court is allowing a lower court ruling to stand, which includes paying more than $175,000 to cover the legal fees that Detroit and the state incurred to defend the lied-filled lawsuit they brought in hopes of overturning the free and fair election. They were also referred to the bar associations in each of their states for disciplinary proceeding.

Better bust out your warmest turtleneck sweaters Sid, because find out season appears to be upon ya.

Nikki Haley Will Stay in the Race

-via NBC News

For reasons that are unknown, but no one try and talk her out of it, Nikki Haley, who is more than 20 points behind Trump in her home state, is still staying in the race. Refuses to get out. So excited to stick around.

"South Carolina will vote on Saturday. But on Sunday, I’ll still be running for president. I’m not going anywhere."

Dream big, babe.

Missing 11-Year-Old’s Body Found

-via ABC News

Okay and then I’ve got two difficult stories to talk about. Both are different, but each deal with the death of young kids. If this isn’t something you want to hear about, these are the last stories this episode so you can safely end it here and know that I’m proud of you for taking care of yourself.

But if you can, please stick around because they’re important stories.

First up, the body of 11-year-old Audrii Cunningham, who was last seen the morning of Feb. 15 near her dad’s home in Livingston, Texas, has been found near the Trinity River.

In custody since Friday, the suspect is Don Steven McDougal, a friend of her father’s with an extensive criminal history that includes enticing a minor who lives in a camper behind her house and allegedly promised to take her to school that dad.

He was arrested Friday on unrelated aggravated assault charges.

Eleven years old.

Horrific.

Nex Benedict

-via The Independent

And then, of course, there is the story of Nex Benedict. Nex was a 16-year-old nonbinary teen in Oklahoma, which is home to not only a bathroom law that requires public school students to use the bathroom that matches the sex listed on their birth certificate, but also the Don’t Say LGBTQ+ Bill. Both were signed into law in March of 2023.

And just a few months later, at the beginning of the school year, Nex was the subject of constant, and increasingly violent, bullying.

On February 7th, Nex and another transgender student were in what the school described as a “physical altercation,” when they fought with three older girls in the bathroom. Nex was knocked to the ground and beaten, with bruises on their face and eyes and scratches on the back of their head.

The school didn’t call an ambulance or police. Instead, Nex was suspended for two weeks.

The next day, Nex collapsed in the living room and was declared dead that night.

An investigation into what LGBTQ advocacy groups are calling a hate crime is ongoing and who knows who will be charged. But I know for sure that the governor and state reps who passed the hate-filled laws should be, but won’t.

This was a 16-year-old kid, who was bullied and died because all they wanted to do was live their most authentic life. That’s it.

This was a straight A kid. Their most authentic life should have been long. It should have included falling in and out of love. College, or maybe not college. Maybe backpacking through Europe. Loving a song so much they drive their friends so bonkers they can’t hear it without teasing them. Finding a new favorite book and band and movie a hundred different times. Their most authentic life should have been beautiful and included a million little things that make all of these silly little days worth it.

And without question, it should have included turning seventeen.

But instead the state passed their cruel-for-the-sake-of-being-cruel laws that allowed the intolerance in others to turn to a violent hate that left a kid who didn’t do anything wrong in its wake.

What do you even say in a moment like this except that Nex deserved better.

And that’s it. That’s the news.

I’m proud of you.