Random Wednesday Morning Thoughts

In what would end up being one of the most consequential battles ever, the Republicans, led by Mitch McConnell, would win it by preventing nominee Merrick Garland from being confirmed. 

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• Part of the Gatesville town square burned down.
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Bad decisions.
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Trump promised to quickly endorse either Paxton or Cornyn in their runoff with a strong suggestions that loser of the endorsement should drop out of the race. Trump still hasn't endorsed, and a deadline just passed. 
  
  
  
• Meanwhile, Cornyn is going crazy with a new digital ad targeting Paxton's affairs. 
  

  

  
  
  
  
• Racism on display at the Frisco City Council meeting. Video.
  
  
  
• Manhattan looked a little scary yesterday. 
  
  
  
  
• The Iran War is already a mess, and it's only going to get worse. 
  

  

  

  
  

  
  
  
  
• I've mentioned Kalshi before and how it will replace all gambling sites since it is technically "legal" everywhere. Well, Arizona doesn't agree. 
  

  

  
  

  

  
  
  
  
• The Business Second. Gift link.  This is a part of the massive shopping area at 287 and Harmon Road. 
  
  
  
  
   
  
  
  
• Legal nerdy stuff:  This might be one of the tenses exchanges between a judge and a prosecutor I have ever read. And it is wildly entertaining. (The 26 page transcript is included in this gift link.)
  
  
  
• Legal fun stuff: If you want to go down a rabbit trail, search for "Afroman defamation trial." A guy is being sued by a group of sheriffs deputies because of an online music video this guy made. The trial is being streamed this week. 
  
  
  
• The Evil Empire won its play-in game to make the NCAA Tourney of 64 with help from a last second shot last night, but they were lucky not to get a technical when a coach ran onto the court with time still left. The video.
  
  
  Speaking of, we are down to the last 24 hours to sign-up in the Liberally Lean Pick 'Em Tourney.

Random Tuesday Morning Thoughts

I stand by my "Huh."

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• Fox 4 has pretty good coverage of the wreck that killed three from Paradise.  
  
  
  
• The Wise County Sheriff's Office did another prostitution sting over the weekend. Thirteen were arrested for soliciting prostitution from someone they thought was an adult. 
• Bodycams are as good for cops as they are for civilians. 
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Step right up. No experience required.
  
• The New York Post will use stock photos as a bit pretty often. This one is kind of funny.
  
  
  
• Calling her an ex-prosecutor really doesn't do her justice. She served as the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas from 2017 to 2021, and has been a partner at Kirkland & Ellis in Dallas since then.
  

  

  
  
  
  
• Guess what happens when you unilaterally hit nations with tariffs and bad mouth them in general?
  
  
  
• Trump quotes from yesterday:
• He claimed a past president talked to him about Iran.   There is not a single chance this is true.
  
  
  
• He might have been shocked, but no one else was.
  
  
  
  
• This was really, really bizarre.  Video.
  
   
  
• Let me save you some time: The answer is "no." 
  
• The Aggies getting a car sponsored at the F1 race in Arlington this weekend would a good marketing strategy -- depending on the cost, that is. 
  
  
• Liberally Lean March Madness Pick 'Em Tournament sign-up is here.  (Ignore the "2025" in the bracket's name.) You have about 48 hours left. 

Random Monday Morning Thoughts

The pianist's wife was charged and tried but acquitted by "reason of insanity" by agreement between the State and defense.  

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•  Tragic news out of Paradise. Messenger story. 
  

  

  
  
  
  
• Messenger story.
  
  
  
  
  
  
• The Paradise Panthers won the state basketball championship.  But when throwing ball in with only 0.8 seconds to go, it almost all went up in smoke. Video.
• Last week, Dallas police officers shot an killed a man in a parking garage of Children's Medical Center Dallas in the Medical District. The story took a strange twist on Friday: 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Fatal police shooting out of Hood County.   This sounds a bit weird.
  
  
  
  
• Seems like a big deal. 
  
  
  
  
  
  
• War news:
• The six soldiers killed in plane crash in Iran last week have been identified.
  

  

  
  
  
  
• The Wall Street Journal reports that "Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has approved a request from U.S. Central Command, responsible for American forces in the Middle East, for an element of an amphibious ready group and attached Marine expeditionary unit, typically consisting of several warships and 5,000 Marines and sailors, the officials said."
  

  

  
  
  
  
• Israel is on the march, and no country will listen to Trump's demand they help him try to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. 
  
  
  
• Trump got mad at the coverage of the war so the Administration went full fascist. 
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Wasn't this thing formed like a month ago? 
  
  
  
• Appropriate, I guess. 
  

  

  
  
  
  
• The Bizarre Business Second™.
  
  
  
• This guy got 11.2% of the vote in his attempt to unseat Gov. Abbott, so guess what he is going to do?   Video
  
  
  
• Legal nerdy stuff
• This guy.
  
  
  
  
• Magicians Penn & Teller (with the UT Clinic) just filed an amicus brief for a Texas death-row prisoner convicted partly on “hypnotically enhanced testimony,” arguing it’s the same technique they use to trick audiences.
  
  
  
• It's time for the Liberally Lean Annual Tournament Pick 'Em contest with the modified scoring system. Sign up here. (Ignore the "2025" in the name of the bracket.)