Wednesday, June 14: Happy Birthday Donny
Embroiled in controversy, drizzled in corruption and ketchup
What better way to ring in your 77th birthday than spending some quality time in federal custody? The former commander in chief, accused of being a bit careless with some of the country’s most sensitive secrets and obstructing authorities as they tried to recover the documents, pleaded not guilty to 37 felony charges. Yet he seemed thrilled to be back in the spotlight, treating the day like a campaign event, even as he’s under criminal investigation and faces serious threats to his political ambitions.
The orange blob had encouraged his deranged supporters to show up at the federal courthouse, which hundreds did, while the leading republican 2024 presidential candidate shot off a few cursory posts on his social media app, calling it the investigation a “WITCH HUNT” and “ONE OF THE SADDEST DAYS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY.” (always the all caps with this guy)
After leaving the courthouse (without his mugshot being taken), Trump’s motorcade whisked him off to an iconic Cuban restaurant in Miami, where he briefly bowed his head with two pastors and a rabbi for a moment of prayer (man’s trying to get in the Lord’s good graces, no matter the religion).
Lost in all this courtroom drama is the fact that in all likelihood, it’s nothing but spectacle. I remain unconvinced that Trump will answer for any of his crimes, so the pageantry and pomp don’t impress me. I’m not holding my breath for the bombshell that disqualifies him from office, that time has long passed. Now I’m just hoping for more pictures of the awful attempts at hiding state secrets.
Side Items
RIP Cormac McCarthy: The legendary author of classics like “The Road” and “No Country for Old Men” passed away at the age of 89. He was best known for writing on the themes of justice, despair, and the futile but urgent need for hope in a fallen world (sound familiar?). McCarthy spent the first 27 years of his career as a nobody, selling less than 5,000 copies of his books. But once his unique and devastating writing style was widely discovered, it was only a matter of time before he was recognized. He always managed to scrape the barrel in terms of eliciting emotions in his writing. In “No Country for Old Men” he wrote, “I think the truth is always simple. It has pretty much got to be. It needs to be simple enough for a child to understand. Otherwise it’d be too late. By the time you figured it out it would be too late.” I think I agree, it’s easy for us to overcomplicate things in our lives. The truth is simple
Boat Accident In Niger: Hundreds of people, including guests traveling for a wedding, are presumed dead in north-central Nigeria after a boat they were traveling in capsized in the river Niger early yesterday. The victims, including women and children, were returning from an overnight wedding ceremony in the village of Egboti in Niger state. The boat was allegedly carrying up to 300 people and overturned after hitting a tree trunk
Another Accident in Greece: At least 78 people have died and more than 100 were rescued after a fishing boat carrying refugees and migrants capsized and sank off the southern coast of Greece. The Italy-bound boat was believed to have sailed from the Tobruk area in eastern Libya. Greek authorities did not confirm its port of departure but said that most of those on board were from Egypt, Syria and Pakistan. Last year, nearly 3,800 people died on migration routes within and from the Middle East and North Africa, the highest number recorded there since 2017, according to data published by the International Organization for Migration (IOM).