Random News and Notes 9 December

Hooray for Texas! Nah, just kidding. Jasmine Crockett filed the paperwork to run for US senator from Texas in 2026. Her filing chased rep. Colin Allred, who ran unsuccessfully against Ted Cruz last cycle, losing by 8+ points.

Lets be honest, she’s going to lose to whoever wins up the Republican nominee be it incumbent John Cornyn, Rep. Westley Hunt or – my pick – current TG Ken Paxton. The memes gonna be fire tho . . .

The Supreme Court held oral arguments in a case styled Trump v Slaughter. Back in March, President Donald Trump fired Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Commissioner Rebecca Kelly Slaughter without cause, citing her inconsistency with administration priorities, despite the FTC Act’s requirement for removal only due to inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance. Slaughter sued Trump and the FTC, securing a district court ruling in July 2025 that declared her firing unlawful and ordered her reinstatement, a decision upheld by the D.C. Circuit but stayed by the Supreme Court in September 2025 pending full review. The case challenges the constitutionality of for-cause removal protections for independent agency officials, potentially overturning the 1935 precedent in Humphrey’s Executor v. United States and expanding presidential authority over federal agencies.

For those not as immersed, Humphrey’s Executor is a nasty little decision that established that Congress can, without violating the Constitution, insulate the leaders of certain independent agencies that perform quasi-legislative or quasi-judicial functions from at-will presidential removal by requiring “for-cause” grounds.

This editor listened to some of the audio yesterday and it looks like Humphrey’s Executor is done for as stare decisis. Then there is this nonsense from the dumbest member of the Court, KJB.

. . .Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson claimed the president should have no power to fire expert bureaucrats. She said economists, PhDs, scientists, & transportation officials should operate beyond presidential reach. Such a view would carve the heart out of Article II & cement rule by permanent insiders rather than elected leadership. Jackson’s theory elevates the deep state over the voters who choose a president. That is a constitutional revolution in plain sight.

It has almost become axiomatic that if KJB makes an argument, you should look to the exact opposite for the correct answer. What she is advocating for here is an upending of the entire Constitutional system as it is known here in the US. She wants to – from the bench and out of whole cloth – create an entire class of unelected, unaccountable, permanent deep state bureaucrats. Good thing she is in the minority.

So, this is just funny. The FIFA World Cup draw what the other day. President Trump was involved and a good time was had by all. Mostly. Egypt and Iran have yet to weigh in. You see, they landed in group G in Seattle. Their game is set for 26 June and is the official Pride match of the Cup.

Yup, two Muslim countries with less than stellar treatment of homos, fairies, autoparts, and the rest of the alphabet Mafia are playing in the Gay Pride match in next years World Cup. Or maybe not, neither country has weighed in on the draw or the thematic match.

This editor learned something today; there is a paint color of the year. Pantone, a company that invented a color matching system that is used world-wide, names a color every year. This year’s color is called Cloud Dancer – PANTONE 11-4201. It is a ‘neutral white that brings calm, clarity and creative breath in a noisy world’.

Unless you are an AWFL or race obsessed grifter, in which case it brings nothing but heartburn and agita. The reaction from those groups is truly unhinged. It’s a color ffs, not apartheid. People really need to get a life.