Extra, Extra
Maudlin Fraudlin: “‘This is a fraud on me. What’s happened here, Sir, is a fraud on me,’ Trump said. He later accused the judge of not listening to him. ‘I know this is boring to you.'” (It’s been boring the hell out of the rest of us for a very long time.) Donald Trump defies judge, gives courtroom speech on tense final day of New York civil fraud trial. (Yelling at a judge who will decide your monetary penalties is not a good idea. Trump is going to lose every case. If he loses the election, he is doomed. If he doesn’t, we are.) In what could sadly be a foreshadowing for the year to come, there was a bomb threat on the home of the judge ahead of closing arguments.
+ Shipping Lane Change: “United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said earlier that a vessel in the Gulf of Oman had been boarded early Thursday by at least four armed people and had diverted course toward Iranian territorial waters.” Iran seizes oil tanker in Gulf of Oman.
+ Israelly? I’ve been plenty critical of Israel’s actions in Gaza, but it’s noteworthy that while the UN seems cool with Iran’s proxies targeting civilians and Hamas’ October 7th attack, it’s Israel that is currently being investigated for genocide in the UN. Meanwhile, Sunday will mark 100 days in captivity for the hostages, and their families are understandably feeling urgent. Relatives use giant loudspeakers to shout messages to Gaza, in hope hostages can hear.
+ Waste Case: “Reported levels of the virus in U.S. wastewater are higher than they have been since the first omicron wave, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, though severe outcomes still remain rarer than in earlier pandemic winters.” You don’t want to think about it anymore. I don’t want to think about it anymore. And back in March of 2020, none of us would’ve believed this crap would still be having a massive impact. NYT (Gift Article): We Are in a Big COVID Wave. But Just How Big?
+ A Blocked Bridge to Nowhere: “Christie did not endorse another candidate at the time of his announcement but he did pledge to ensure that ‘in no way do I enable Donald Trump to ever be president of the United States again. And that’s more important than my own personal ambition.'” Vocal anti-Trump candidate Chris Christie exits presidential race with hot mic moment. (When you have party in which Chris Christie is considered too upstanding…)
