08/27/24
Good morning! It’s Tuesday, August 27th.
International Lottery Day.
Oh but I already won the lottery… the day I learned about podcasting…
And now, the news.
Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine
Starting with an update on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine after, over the weekend, Russia launched 236 missiles and drones into Ukraine, sending residents of Kyiv into basements and damaging water and power supplies.
Ukraine’s Air Force claimed it shot down or electronically disabled 201 missiles and drones, though this has not been able to be verified.
At least four people were killed and 30 more were injured, with 194 settlements losing power.
In all, more than 10,000 civilians have been killed since February of 2022, when Russia launched this full-scale assault and invasion of Ukraine.
Attack in Pakistan
-via NY Times
Over in Pakistan, at least 38 people have been killed in a 24-hour period of violence carried out by an armed separatist group known as BLA.
The attacks included storming into four different police stations and shooting at officers while setting the cars on fire as well as destroying a bridge.
However, the major attack happened on a highway, where armed men stopped traffic on a highway as they pulled people from buses and trucks to shoot and kill them, before also setting at least 10 vehicles on fire.
This is a higher degree of coordination and planning than in previous attacks by the same group. Which isn’t a great piece of information, that’s for sure.
Military officials say security forces were able to respond to each of the attacks and at least 21 of the insurgents have been killed.
Polio Medicine to Gaza
-via CNN
And over in Gaza (I’m sorry, we’ll get to more casual news after this, I promise)
Over in Gaza, more than 1.2 million oral polio vaccines have arrived in the Gaza strip, with millions more expected over the next few days. The question now is how these vaccines can be safely administered. There is a plan in place for distribution and to keep them chilled between now and administration, but the problem is safety. How can relief workers literally get these to kids in the middle of an active attack on Gaza?
Organizations like the WHO, the Palestinian Ministry of Health, the United Nations Children’s Fund, as well as the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees are calling for what they call a Polio Pause of seven days, to administer the vaccine.
Hamas supports the pause, so now it’s up to Israel to agree.
Tennessee GOP
-via AP News
As we all know, Tennessee is a cool place with a terrible government in the majority.
Buncha doofuses.
Well on Monday, lest we forget about their general doofustry… top Republicans in the state threatened to withhold millions of dollars from Memphis city council if they move forward with putting three gun-control measures on the ballot.
I want to be clear… they’re not using executive action to put the gun-control measures into action. They’re just giving voters the option to decide on their own.
And that’s where they have the problem.
Giving voters a choice.
We’ll see what happens but let me remind you that when someone is trying not to give voters a chance, an opportunity to cast a ballot, whether it’s through disenfranchisement or straight up working to block things from being on the ballot… that’s exactly when we need to vote even harder. Because they know the power of your voice.
That’s the only reason they’re trying to silence you.
Because they know voting works.
Election 2024
-via NBC News
And I do have a little bit of election news. But only because it’s so deeply unserious.
Tulsi Gabbard, who ran for president as a Democrat in 2020 even though everyone was like… hey I think you’re a Russian op or bot… has endorsed Donald Trump for President.
And I just am very curious to know who wasn’t sure about who they were voting for in November but this endorsement changed their mind.
Also, the word “endorsement” is doing some heavy lifting here.
Because Tuls… no one cares!
If no one cares who you’re voting for, that’s not an endorsement, that’s just a thought you head. And as we all know, not every thought needs to be an outside thought.
Go touch grass.
Also, Trump is hinting that he’s going to back out of the debate with Kamala Harris.
No big shocker there!
Trump Crime Update Time
-via Washington Post
And finally, just a bit of Trump Crime Update Time for ya…
Jack Smith, aka Coach Beard (if you’re new here… they look alike! This is different than yesterday’s rant about Ted Lasso. I do think most things can be related to Ted Lasso, but that’s not this. This is just about looks)
Anyway, Coach Beard urged an appeals court to reverse Judge Cannon’s dismissal of Trump classified documents crimes case.
He did so on the grounds that AG Garland was well within his rights to appoint him to lead the prosecution.
Though if I were him, I would have added that if she’s going to say he should have never had his job as lead prosecution, that’s rich coming from her – who Trump appointed to the bench and then she was like happy to return the favor. Hey, do crimes here in Florida. Well, I guess do them wherever. You’d done a lot. But do one here and I got ya covered. Hey, have you considered stealing our nation’s most precious secrets??
Anyway, so we’ll see what happens.
And that’s it. That’s the news.
I’m proud of… the lottery.
Money in general.
But more than that. More than money. Because you would also be cool to hang with sometime… I’m proud of you.