NATIONAL BAD POETRY DAY UPDATES
"Like jowling meated liverslime, Groop, I implore thee, my foonting turlingdromes, And hooptiously drangle me, With crinkly bindlewurdles, mashurbitries."
-I hate to start with what will likely be sad news for many of you, but the info is the info, and the info is that Ex-President Trump XCI is finally listening to some of his lawyers for now - and has cancelled a press conference scheduled for Monday in which he was promising to finally release his infrastructure plan - no, sorry, I mean, release his plan to replace Obamacare - no, sorry, that's wrong, too, where is it? OH, here it is - the press conference was meant to release the Kraken - DAMMIT! - release the EVIDENCE he has been withholding to PROVE to the world that the 2020 Presidential election was STOLLEN from him and illegally given to Joe Biden!
-So, you'll need to change your plans.
-On a much more serious note, security has been amped up and investigations open in GA after reports that members of the Grand Jury that voted to indict Trump and 19 other co-conspirators and actors to try to steal the GA Presidential electors from the actual winner in 2020, Joe Biden, have been receiving specific threats from MAGAts and other assembled Trump supporters. It is standard procedure in GA to have the names of the jurists who vote to indict published along with the indictment, so while this was not an unexpected measure, it is still disturbing.
-Along with those investigations, a woman in TX was arrested and charged with threatening to kill Judge Tanya Chutkan, the DC-based Federal judge presiding over Trump's January 6 case being handled by Special Counsel Jack Smith (along with a threat to TX Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee). The threat came after Chutkan warned Trump to not post belligerent messages on social media, which Trump of course then did. The father of the accused woman, in news that should surprise no one, said she was an alcoholic who "sits on her couch daily watching the news" that would "agitate" her and then would lead her to "call... people and threaten... them."
-This is setting up next Friday's hearing with Trump quite interestingly. Beyond the question of whether Trump may receive a gag order (or perhaps try to get one in the belief it will help his 2024 Presidential "campaign"), there is the matter of when Chutkan will schedule that trial. Smith wants Jan. 2, 2024 and Team Trump wants April 202SIX - and Chutkan has warned that if Trump continues to threaten witnesses in any of his cases, a faster trial date will be necessary in order to not sully the jury pool. (Besides, some wags have said Chutkan should split the difference, agree to the 2026 trial date - and then detain Trump until THAT trial begins.)
-All of this sets up the first GOP Presidential debate next Wednesday in Milwaukee. Trump declared that he will not be attending, owning to his HEUGE lead in the polls (with "counterprogramming" scheduled) (maybe THAT'S where he'll reveal the evidence he has on GA 2020!), so besides Chris Christie trying to bait Trump by calling Trump a "coward," the only reason to tune in may be to see the continued implosion of Ron DeSantis. A memo released to the media reportedly wrote the 'strategy' DeSantis will attempt to use to try to regain his dwindling edge as the alternative to Trump - and that reportedly includes DeSantis defending Trump from any attacks Christie makes on Trump while pivoting to attack the man reportedly "taking" most of DeSantis' votes at the moment: businessman Vivek Ramaswamy (who wowed the folks at the IA State Fair with a cover version of Eminem's "Lose Yourself") (no, really!), who is also becoming the new favorite among Fox commentators. The memo also asks DeSantis to be charming and recognizably human, so ...
-How insane is the climate becoming? So insane that right now a hurricane warning has been issued for ... California?! Yep, California. Hurricane Hilary (oh, the irony!) is currently racing near the Pacific coast as a Category 4 storm, and while it is apparently expected to weaken (per the Weather Channel and Al Roker), cities like Death Valley and Palm Springs could be getting up to three years' worth of rain in the span of a few days. Stay safe out there!
-For the first time since the start of the strike in May, a sense of tentatively cautious optimism is creeping into some of the leadership of the Writers Guild, as they consider re-engaging negotiations with Hollywood producers over restructuring of what used to be called residual payments and artificial intelligence protections in the new streaming environment. It is unclear if there are specific proposals currently on the table, and spokespeople warn that the efforts could break again, but a little hope that movies and TV shows could resume work in September (assuming actors also get a new contract) if momentum picks up and a good contract is on the table.
-SOLIDARITY!
-To end on some other Hollywood news, the estate and children of conductor and composer Leonard Bernstein have come to the defense of Bradley Cooper after the first preview of Cooper's new biopic MAESTRO was released this week. Why? Cooper, who is also portraying Bernstein in the movie, opted to have his nose made up to make it larger than his and closer to the size of Bernstein's, thus creating controversy over why an actor would do something that, admittedly, has been used for antisemitic stereotypes and tropes over centuries. Bernstein's children note they worked with Cooper on the movie, and that yes, "Leonard Bernstein had a nice, big nose. Bradley Cooper chose to use makeup to amplify his resemblance, adn we're perfectly fine with that. We're also certain that our dad would have been fine with it as well." The movie will premiere on Netflix later this year.
-On this date in 1920, Tennessee ratified the Nineteenth Amendment by one vote, thus enshrining the right to vote for women into the Constitution. On this date in 1926, the first weather map was shown on television. On this date in 1958, LOLITA was published. On this date in 1969, Jimi Hendrix ended the Woodstock Music and Art Fair with a searing and iconic rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner." And on this date in 1991, a coup was launched against Soviet Premier Mikhail Gorbachev - a coup that was quashed in a matter of days thanks in large part to the leadership of Russian Republic President Boris Yeltsin.
-Happy Birthday to Antonio Salieri, Meriwether Lewis, Marshall Field, Max Factor, Shelley Winters, Roslyn Carter, Marge Schott, Rafer Johnson, Roberto Clemente, Vincent Bugliosi, Gail Fisher, Robert Redford, Joe Frank, Martin Mull, Derryl Cousins, Greg Pruitt, Elayne Boosler, Patrick Swayze, Jon "Bermuda" Schwartz, Denis Leary, John Jurkovic, Christian Slater, Edward Norton, Everlast, Malcolm Jamal Warner, Regine Chassagne, Andy Samberg, and Frances Bean Cobain.
-Rest in Peace/Rest in Power to Walter Chrysler, Anita Loos, B.F. Skinner, John Sturges, Persis Khambatta, Elmer Bernstein, Scott McKenzie, Bud Yorkin, Louis Stokes, Kofi Annan, Jack Whitaker, and Ben Cross.
-Feed the Worms: Ultra-dumb Jan. 6 alleged co-conspirator former Rep. Louie Gohmert entered Earth on this date. Genghis Khan and Robert Novak bought it on this date.
-Award-winning director and super-creepy pedophile Roman Polanski was born on this date. You decide if he gets a Happy Birthday or if he Feeds the Worms.