Minnesota melting down; Banana Republicanism; Greenland invasion plan spooks generals; real & A.I. monkeys roam St. Louis; U.S. 'exploding head weapon'?; falling space junk threatens aircraft.
It's National Peach Melba Day!
“We are in a confusing dark place.”
Jon’s brilliant take on Trump’s ongoing descent into authoritarian insanity. | The Daily Show
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January 13 is the 13th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 352 days remain until the end of the year. 1,102 days remain in Trump’s term of office.
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Minnesota and the Twin Cities sue the federal government to stop the immigration crackdown.
Scenes of escalating violence, chaos, and resistance in Minneapolis. Trump’s militarized immigration crackdown is intensifying.
Inside Minneapolis’s sprawling network of ICE watchers. Renee Nicole Good lived in a community where residents by the thousands are using text alerts, whistles and Google documents to shadow federal agents.
“ICE Barbie” blindsided on TV with clip of MAGA’s ‘double standard’.
Mamdani ‘outraged’ after New York City council employee detained by ICE: "egregious government overreach."
Banana Republicanism. A criminal investigation of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell will test whether Republican loyalty to the president has any limits.
‘Crazy and illegal’: Generals alarmed by Donald Trump’s order to draw up Greenland invasion plans… the commander-in-chief's order has reportedly alarmed senior military leaders and Western diplomats.
Nearly 17K fans cancel 2026 World Cup tickets amid boycotts over U.S. political climate. FIFA has scheduled an emergency meeting this week.
‘The Constitution assigns no authority to the president’: States win injunction as judge swats down Trump effort to ban vote-by-mail ‘to restore the proper balance of power.’
What is the ‘exploding head’ weapon the US used in Venezuela?
AI images create confusion as real gang of monkeys roams St. Louis.
Elon Musk’s Grok chatbot faces bans and investigations over nonconsensual bikini images.
The risk of falling space junk hitting airplanes is on the rise. There's a 26% chance that sometime in the coming year, space debris will fall through some of the world's busiest airspace during an uncontrolled re-entry.
Late Night:
Why is there a Late Night section? Because late night comedians, unfettered by institutional journalistic and corporate inhibitions, often provide observations and analysis that are more thorough and comprehensive than network or cable news. And the humor helps.
Jenin Younes - Minneapolis and the escalating undermining of civil liberties | The Daily Show (Video)
Trump responds to outrage in Minneapolis by sending in more ICE agents and wants a Nobel Peace Prize-Jimmy Kimmel (Video)
Powell charges set off alarm bells | Trump is destroying the world | monkey ‘mergency-Stephen Colbert (Video)
The Nobel Peace Prize cannot be re-gifted. (Video)
Noem flails on CNN Over ICE shooting; protester schools Fox News; Trump’s oil meeting: A Closer Look-Seth Meyers (Video)
Bookmark KGB Report Notes and check periodically for cartoons, memes, news, commentary and other stuff that didn’t fit or broke between e-mail newsletter issues. It’s also a great place to comment and chat.
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:
On this date in 2021, outgoing U.S. President Donald Trump was impeached for a second time on a charge of incitement of insurrection following the January 6 United States Capitol attack one week prior.
Quote of the day:
We’re living in a world where Google beats Gallup.
-Nate Silver (Wikipedia link)
(More Nate Silver quotes from the KGB Quotations Database)
Today’s holidays:
Korean American Day, Make Your Dream Come True Day, National Peach Melba Day, National Poetry at Work Day, National Rubber Ducky Day, National Shop for Travel Day, National Sticker Day, Printing Ink Day, Public Radio Broadcasting Day, and Stephen Foster Memorial Day.
On This Day:
2021 – Outgoing U.S. President Donald Trump was impeached for a second time on a charge of incitement of insurrection following the January 6 United States Capitol attack one week prior.
2020 – The Thai Ministry of Public Health confirmed the first case of COVID-19 outside China.
2018 – A false emergency alert warning of an impending missile strike in Hawaii caused widespread panic in the state.
2012 – The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia sank off the coast of Italy due to the captain Francesco Schettino‘s negligence and irresponsibility. There were 32 confirmed deaths.
1990 – Douglas Wilder became the first elected African American governor as he takes office as Governor of Virginia in Richmond, Virginia.
1982 – Shortly after takeoff, Air Florida Flight 90, a Boeing 737 jet, crashed into Washington, D.C.‘s 14th Street Bridge and fell into the Potomac River, killing 78 including four motorists.
1968 – Johnny Cash performed live at Folsom State Prison.
1966 – Robert C. Weaver became the first African American Cabinet member when he is appointed United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.
1942 – Henry Ford patented a soybean car, which was 30% lighter than a regular car.
1920 – The Reichstag Bloodbath of January 13, 1920, the bloodiest demonstration in German history.
1898 – Émile Zola‘s J’accuse…! exposed the Dreyfus affair.
1888 – The National Geographic Society was founded in Washington, D.C.
(For comprehensive lists of the day’s historical events, check here, here, and here.)
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Some Birthdays:
1995 – Eros Vlahos, English actor and comedian
1995 – Natalia Dyer, American actress
1990 – Liam Hemsworth, Australian actor
1982 – Ruth Wilson, English actress
1978 – Nate Silver, American journalist and statistician
1977 – Orlando Bloom, English actor
1976 – Michael Peña, American actor
1975 – Andrew Yang, American entrepreneur, founder of Venture for America, and 2020 Democratic presidential candidate
1972 – Nicole Eggert, American actress
1970 – Shonda Rhimes, American actress, director, producer, and screenwriter
1968 – Traci Bingham, American actress, model, and television personality
1967 – Suzanne Cryer, American actress
1966 – Patrick Dempsey, American actor and race car driver
1964 – Penelope Ann Miller, American actress
1962 – Trace Adkins, American singer-songwriter and actor
1961 – Julia Louis-Dreyfus, American actress, comedian, and producer
1949 – Brandon Tartikoff, American screenwriter and producer (died 1997)
1943 – Richard Moll, American actor (died 2023)
1938 – Billy Gray, American actor, competitive motorcycle racer and inventor
1938 – Charlie Brill, American actor, voice artist, and comedian
1931 – Rip Taylor, American actor and comedian (died 2019)
1931 – Charles Nelson Reilly, American actor, comedian, director, game show panelist, and television personality (died 2007)
1930 – Frances Sternhagen, American actress (died 2023)
1926 – Michael Bond, English author, created Paddington Bear (died 2017)
1925 – Gwen Verdon, American actress and dancer (died 2000)
1919 – Robert Stack, American actor (died 2003)
1886 – Sophie Tucker, Russian-born American singer and actress (died 1966)
1885 – Alfred Fuller, Canadian-American businessman, founded the Fuller Brush Company (died 1973)
1832 – Horatio Alger, Jr., American novelist and journalist (died 1899)
(A more complete list of today’s birthdays.)
Some Deaths:
2024 – Joyce Randolph, American actress (“The Honeymooners”)(born 1924)
2017 – Dick Gautier, American actor (born 1931)
2010 – Teddy Pendergrass, American singer-songwriter (born 1950)
2009 – Patrick McGoohan, Irish-American actor, director, and producer (born 1928)
2003 – Norman Panama, American director and screenwriter (“The Court Jester”)(born 1914)
1980 – Andre Kostelanetz, Russian-American conductor (born 1901)
1979 – Donny Hathaway, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer (born 1945)
1978 – Hubert Humphrey, American pharmacist, academic, and politician, 38th Vice President of the United States (born 1911)
1962 – Ernie Kovacs, American actor and game show host (born 1919)
1958 – Jesse L. Lasky, American film producer, co-founded Paramount Pictures (born 1880)
1941 – James Joyce, Irish novelist, short story writer, and poet (born 1882)
1929 – Wyatt Earp, American police officer (born 1848)
1864 – Stephen Foster, American composer and songwriter (born 1826)
(A more complete list of today’s deaths.)
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Excellent daily report, as always