Minnesota madness continues; Bondi's extortion demands; Canadian shark stalking Florida coast; deadly amoebas spreading
It's National Peanut Brittle Day!
Welcome to the American Winter
In the frozen streets of Minneapolis, something profound is happening.
Believe Your Eyes: People are risking their lives to document agents in Minneapolis.
Yes, it’s Fascism.
Watching America unravel in Minneapolis. “What I saw, as federal agents stormed the city and residents banded together to protect themselves, was a dark, dystopian future becoming reality.”
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—Kevin G. Barkes
January 26 is the 26th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 339 days remain until the end of the year. Unfortunately, as of this writing, 1,089 days remain in Trump’s term of office.
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Knee-deep in the hoopla:
A minute-by-minute timeline of the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by a federal agent.
FBI supervisor resigns after trying to investigate agent who shot Renee Good. While it’s encouraging to see government officials resigning to maintain their ethical values, the problem is those who remain may have ethics that are questionable.
Bondi’s demands reveal what’s really behind the ICE/Border Patrol occupations. Want to get the Feds out of your town? All you have to do is share your Medicaid and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program data, give the Department of Justice access to the state’s voter rolls, and repeal your sanctuary policies. Tim Walz called the demands laid out by the Trump administration following the fatal shooting “blackmail, pure and simple.”
Federal judge blocks Trump administration’s push to end legal status of 8,400 migrants.
Judge blocks Trump admin from ‘destroying or altering’ evidence in deadly Minneapolis shooting of Alex Pretti.
New research claims AI agents are mathematically doomed to fail. A controversial research paper is throwing cold water on the AI industry's agent dreams.
Massive great white shark now lurking along Florida’s coast. ‘Contender’ made the long trip down from Canada over recent months.
Scientists call for urgent action as dangerous amoebas spread globally. Found in soil and water, some species can survive extreme heat, chlorine, and even modern water systems.
You may not actually own your next computer - here’s why.
Florida mom sues clinic after giving birth to the wrong baby. Lawsuit accuses Longwood clinic of embryo mix-up.
Late Night:
Saturday Night Live Trump Awards Cold Open (Video)
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Keep scrolling down. Lots of interesting stuff in Quote of the Day, Holidays, On This Day, Birthdays, and Deaths. I can pretty much guarantee you’ll learn something new.
History highlight:
1998 – Lewinsky scandal: On American television, U.S. President Bill Clinton denies having had “sexual relations” with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky.
Quote of the day:
Compassion isn't a sign of weakness, but a mark of civilization.
-Nicholas Kristof (Wikipedia link)
(More Nicholas Kristof quotes from the KGB Quotations Database)
Today’s holidays:
Better Business Communication Day, Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day, Community Manager Appreciation Day, Dental Drill Appreciation Day, International Customs Day, International Day of Clean Energy, Lotus 1-2-3 Day, National Green Juice Day, National Peanut Brittle Day, Spouse’s Day, Toad Hollow Day of Encouragement, and World Environmental Education Day.
On This Day:
2020 – A Sikorsky S-76B flying from John Wayne Airport to Camarillo Airport crashed in Calabasas, 30 miles west of Los Angeles, killing all nine people on board, including five-time NBA champion Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna Bryant.
2009 – Nadya Suleman gave birth to the world’s first surviving octuplets.
2005 – Condoleezza Rice was sworn in as first Black female secretary of state.
2003 – “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” premiered on ABC. (Video)
1998 – Lewinsky scandal: On American television, U.S. President Bill Clinton denies having had “sexual relations” with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky. (Video)
1988 – “Phantom of the Opera” opened on Broadway. (Video)
1979 – "The Dukes of Hazzard" premiered on CBS. (Video)
1952 – Black Saturday in Egypt: rioters burned Cairo‘s central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses.
1950 – The Constitution of India came into force, forming a republic.
1942 – World War II: The first United States forces arrived in Europe, landing in Northern Ireland.
1934 – The Apollo Theater reopened in Harlem.
1926 – The first demonstration of the television by John Logie Baird.
1915 – The Rocky Mountain National Park was established by an act of the U.S. Congress.
1905 – The world’s largest diamond ever, the Cullinan, which weighed 3,106.75 carats (0.621350 kg), was found at the Premier Mine near Pretoria in South Africa.
1870 – Reconstruction Era: Virginia was readmitted to the Union.
1861 – American Civil War: The state of Louisiana seceded from the Union.
1838 – Tennessee passed the nation’s first prohibition law.
1837 – Michigan was admitted as the 26th U.S. state.
1531 – The 6.4–7.1 Mw Lisbon earthquake killed about thirty thousand people.
(For comprehensive lists of the day’s historical events, check here, here, and here.)
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Some Birthdays:
1965 – Kevin McCarthy, American politician, 55th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
1963 – Andrew Ridgeley, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (Wham!)
1961 – Wayne Gretzky, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
1958 – Ellen DeGeneres, American comedian, actress, and talk show host
1958 – Anita Baker, American singer-songwriter
1955 – Eddie Van Halen, Dutch-American guitarist, songwriter, and producer (died 2020)
1946 – Gene Siskel, American journalist and film critic (died 1999)
1944 – Jerry Sandusky, American football coach and criminal
1944 – Angela Davis, American activist, academic, and author
1934 – Bob Uecker, American baseball player, sportscaster and actor (died 2025)
1929 – Jules Feiffer, American cartoonist, playwright, screenwriter, and educator (died 2025)
1928 – Roger Vadim, French actor and director (died 2000)
1925 – Paul Newman, American actor, activist, director, race car driver, and businessman, co-founded Newman’s Own (died 2008)
1921 – Akio Morita, Japanese businessman, co-founded Sony (died 1999)
1920 – Hans Holzer, Austrian-American paranormal researcher and author (died 2009)
1918 – Philip José Farmer, American author (died 2009)
1915 – William Hopper, American actor (died 1970)
1905 – Maria von Trapp, Austrian-American singer (died 1987)
1905 – Charles Lane, American actor and singer (died 2007)
1892 – Bessie Coleman, American pilot (died 1926)
1891 – Frank Costello, Italian-American mob boss (died 1973)
1880 – Douglas MacArthur, American general, Medal of Honor recipient (died 1964)
(A more complete list of today’s birthdays.)
Some Deaths:
2020 – Kobe Bryant, American basketball player (born 1978)
2017 – Barbara Hale, American actress (born 1922) (Video)
2017 – Mike Connors, American actor (born 1925) (Video)
2016 – Abe Vigoda, American actor (born 1921) (Video)
2000 – A. E. van Vogt, Canadian-American author (born 1912)
1997 – Jeane Dixon, American astrologer and psychic (born 1904)
1992 – José Ferrer, Puerto Rican-American actor (born 1912) (Video)
1983 – Bear Bryant, American football player and coach (born 1913)
1979 – Nelson Rockefeller, American businessman and politician, 41st Vice President of the United States (born 1908)
1973 – Edward G. Robinson, Romanian-American actor (born 1893) (Video)
1962 – Lucky Luciano, Italian-American mob boss (born 1897)
1823 – Edward Jenner, English physician and immunologist, creator of the smallpox vaccine (born 1749)
(A more complete list of today’s deaths.)
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“They Are Calked Fucking Republicans Get zit Right; Americans Voted Republican , And Americans Are Getting Republican!
…”While Republicans Run Rampage Against United States Constitution, “CRIMINAL CORRUPT JOHN ROBERTS REPUBLICAN RUN SUPREME COURT BEHIND ALL OF IT, FACT RUINING YOU GOOD AMERICA!