Random News and Notes
Texas got redistricting done. There is a 5 seat GOP pickup in the Lone Star state. Governor Hairgel had a hissy fit on the interwebs about it and has now forced a special session in California to try to get Cali even more gerrymandered than it is now. Well, Newscum probably should have left well enough alone as Missouri has jumped into the fray.
The new map in Missouri looks to be a one seat pickup for the GOP. But that won’t be all. Florida, Ohio and Indiana are all looking to redistrict before the 2026 midterms. If the map out of Florida I am seeing is correct, there will not be a Dem seat in the whole state. That would be an 8 seat pickup.
Back to Hairgel and Cali for a moment. The state constitution requires voter approval of any redistricting and last week polling showed a majority was against Newsom’s plan to gerrymander the sate even more. He started this fight without realizing he may not get the results he wanted. The only other high population Dem states that could be pickups are Illinois and New York. Illinois is already as gerrymandered as it can be, so I don’t see a pickup there. New York has it’s own challenges to deal with, namely an independent redistricting commission that has State constitutional authority. A few years back Hochul tried to gerrymander two R districts out of existence but got slapped down by the state’s highest court.
The fines levied against Donald Trump from the rigged civil trial about property values have been tossed.
The ruling does not vacate the rulings. Worse, it affirmed the valuation of Trump properties that were assigned by the retarded judge – Arthur Engoron – assigned to them. It is good news however that the fines are gone now.
The fire aboard the USS New Orleans has been extingushed. According to a statement from 7th Fleet, “The fire began at approximately 4 p.m., Aug. 20. The cause of the fire is currently under investigation. New Orleans sailors’ firefighting efforts were supported by the crew of the San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship USS San Diego (LPD-22), which is moored at White Beach Naval Facility,” reads the statement. “[The fire] was declared extinguished at 4 a.m., Aug. 21.”
Two sailors suffered minor injuries according to the Navy. An investigation is underway into the cause(s) of the fire.
A South Lake Tahoe resident has tested positive for the Bubonic plague. Yeah, that Plague, the one that depopulated large swathes of Europe in the 1300s.
Bring out yer dead, bring out yer dead. . .
Just kidding, Bubonic plague responds well to modern antibiotics. It is also endemic to prairie dogs, squirrels and some populations of rabbits in the West. There are several cases each year in the US, mostly in the west.
Providence Rhode Island Judge Frank Caprio has passed. Caprio gained fame via a show called Caught in Providence. The show, featuring cases from his courtroom spread on the internet. He was known for his wise and compassionate judgement. Caprio’s judicial career spanned nearly four decades, during which he became famous for his leniency and empathy, often dismissing cases or reducing fines for defendants facing financial hardship.
Judge Caprio passed away on August 20, 2025, due to complications from pancreatic cancer. He was 88.
Requiescat in pace.
