1.20.2025

Random Monday Morning Thoughts




This story even made its way to the Drudge Report.

  • Today's the day. Moment of silence, please. 


  • Big breaking news: A highly unusual act just happened in response to a highly dangerous man and his movement. It is only shocking in that it had to be done in the United States.  


    • Those not on the pardon list who I am very concerned about: 
      • Jack Smith
      • Alvin Bragg
      • Letitia James
      • Judge Juan Merchan
      • Fani Willis
  • Trump was in church moments ago this morning. 

    • In the back, Mark Zuckerberg, Tim Cook (partially obscured), and Jeff Bezos were sitting together. And that's the CEO of Google behind Zuckerberg.

  • As you've heard, the Inauguration will be moved inside the Capitol today presumably due to the weather. Thoughts and prayers to the folks who put up all those chairs and then had to take them all down again again.

  • TikTok summary:
    • What happened:
      • Last year Congress, with Democrats and Republicans agreeing, passed a law to ban TikTok because it is owned by the Chinese and the U.S. fears data collection.
      • The Supreme Court upheld the law on Friday. 
      • TikTok, in a political stunt, went "dark" on Saturday earlier than yesterday's deadline to divest.
      • Then Trump, who has no power to do so, says he will suspend the law for 90 days. His reason? He likes TikTok because he believes it helped him get elected. 
      • Underreported side note: He thinks the U.S. government, which he will now control, should own 50% of the company. 

      • TikTok goes live again yesterday, and the CEO will be by Trump's side at the inauguration today. 
    • Observations:
      • Trump just saying he won't enforce a duly enacted law should send shock waves through everyone, but it won't.  But this is just the beginning. He will do whatever he wants and there is no one in place to stop him this time.
      • The government owning 50% of TikTok and taking it by force? Hey, what's it called when the government nationalizes a company and "seizes the means of production"? 
      • Flashback from five years ago:

  • Trump started the worst kind of grift over the weekend. And then his grifter wife followed suit.



  • Trump has an odd pre-inaugural rally yesterday at the basketball arena in D.C.

    • Afterwards, he had the Village People on stage. 


    • But the only person he invited on stage with him during the speech was . . . you guessed it. 

  • There was some good news in the Israel/Hamas saga yesterday as the first part of the prison exchange went off without a hitch:



at 8:30 AM

1.17.2025

It's Friday -- Let's Get Out of Here

at 2:30 PM

Random Friday Morning Thoughts




I think the county eventually paid up on this case, but I don't know the amount.

  • TikTok: What a mess.
    • Up until yesterday, it looked like TikTok was toast come Sunday.  Congress passed a law banning it and the Supreme Court, with the case pending before it, had not intervened to stop the law from going into effect on January 19th. 
    • Well, late yesterday the Supreme Court surprisingly announced it "may announce opinions" this morning. Most people think this may very well be a final decision, or maybe at least a decision on a temporary stay, on the TikTok ban. Release time is at 9:00 a.m. 

    • Then it got even a little confusing last night when the Biden Administration made this announcement. They will take a hands off approach on Sunday, his last full day in office.

    • And Trump now loves TikTok, but I'm not sure how he could stop a federal law if the Supreme Court upholds it. But then again, the rules don't matter any longer. 
  • The shooting of the suspect by police was caught on video.

  • Man, the Keller ISD School Board got an earful last night after the public learned through social media that some of the members were intending to split the school district along Highway 377 and kick out three of its four high schools and feeder schools. The superintendent announced she is prepared to quit over the insane plan. 


    • A lot of the attacks by the public were of lawyer Tim Davis, who advises the school board, who might be the brains behind the plan to split.  He was also the lawyer for Grapevine-Colleyville ISD when they went all nuts on the made-up controversy over "critical race theory."
    • Although the public comments started off with a guy doing a bit. This is why we can't have nice things. 

  • Elon Musk's SpaceX had another launch last night:
    • The good: The booster safely returned and did that cool docking maneuver.

    • The bad: The most important part, the rocket that the booster was attached to, blew up.
       

  • I'm not sure this is the greatest idea on the heels of what just happened on Bourbon Street.

  • The Business Second™: I'm surprised there were 10 acres available at LBJ and Hillcrest.

  • Media Stuff: I'm a fan of the Texas Tribune, but something weird is going on. Unless I'm missing it - and I've searched and searched - there's not a single reference to Nate Paul's guilty plea.  And there's been no publication that has covered Ken Paxton scandals as much as the Texas Tribune. This seems very, very odd. Even intentional.
  • Legal news: If you ever read the SCOTUSBlog, you will be interested in the indictment yesterday on tax evasion charges of the rich lawyer who runs it. It's based upon non-reported gambling winnings. And we are talking big winnings. 

  • Very legal nerdy stuff: A couple of months back I had a bullet point about an appellate case holding that a drug dog's nose protruding inside the passenger compartment of a vehicle constituted an illegal search. Well, yesterday the Court of Criminal Appeals granted a PDR in the case. 
  • Lauren Whitener Clock*: 5 years and 197 days. (*I'm still workshopping the wording.)

at 8:30 AM

1.16.2025

Random Thursday Morning Thoughts




We had the great weed debate between Nancy Grace and a rapper.  It was gold. Video.

  • We had two law enforcement deaths in Texas yesterday. A police officer in Navasota and a deputy in Brazoria County.



  • I completely missed this from last month.

  • Yesterday: 

    • This morning: Not so fast. 

  • President Biden must be a Liberally Lean reader! From last night's address: “Today, an oligarchy is taking shape in America of extreme wealth, power and influence that literally threatens our entire democracy.” 


  • So what if Congress passed a law to ban TikTok because it is an instrument of data collection by the Chinese government? Let's invite the CEO to the inauguration. 



  • The next Attorney General under Trump continued to be an election denier at her confirmation hearing yesterday.  We're doomed. 


  • The guy who was in financial bed with Ken Paxton -- which led to the impeachment proceeding -- has cut a deal with federal prosecutors. 


  • He's crazy.

  • Honestly, that listing of the property at at 3736 Aviemore Drive in Fort Worth doesn't look like it's worth $17 million - making it the most expensive home in the city. 

  • "Bad decision, coach." I would have looked for another NIL deal instead if I were him. 

  • Messenger - Above the Fold

at 8:30 AM
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