Random News and Notes 20 May
On this date in 1774, pissed off by the Boston Tea Party, King George III of England gives his royal consent to three out of four of the Coercive Acts. The Coercive Acts (also known as the Intolerable Acts) were a series of laws established by the British government. Their aim was to restore order in Massachusetts and punish Bostonians for their Tea Party, in which members of the revolutionary-minded Sons of Liberty boarded three British tea ships in Boston Harbor and dumped 342 crates of tea—nearly $1 million worth in today’s money—into the water to protest the Tea Act.
Passed in response to the Americans’ disobedience, the Coercive Acts included:
- The Boston Port Act, which closed the port of Boston until damages from the Boston Tea Party were paid.
- The Massachusetts Government Act, which restricted Massachusetts; democratic town meetings and turned the governor’s council into an appointed body.
- The Administration of Justice Act, which made British officials immune to criminal prosecution in Massachusetts.
The Quartering Act was passed by parliament at the same time, but did not gain royal assent until 2 June.
On this date in 1862, President Abraham Lincoln signs the Homestead Act, which opens government-owned land to small family farmers (“homesteaders”). The act gave “any person” who was the head of a family 160 acres to try his hand at farming for five years. The individual had to be at least 21 years old and was required to build a house on the property.
By the end of the Civil War in 1865, 15,000 people had homestead claims in territories that now make up the states of Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming, Montana and Colorado.
At 7:52 a.m.on this date in 1927, American aviator Charles A. Lindbergh takes off from Roosevelt Field on Long Island, New York, on the world’s first solo, nonstop flight across the Atlantic Ocean and the first ever nonstop flight between New York to Paris.
The next afternoon, after flying 3,610 miles in 33 1/2 hours, Lindbergh landed at Le Bourget field in Paris, becoming the first pilot to accomplish the solo, nonstop transatlantic crossing.
On this date in 1940, German armored columns led by Heinz Guderian reached the English channel at Abbeville France. severed all communication between the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) in the north and the main French army in the south. He also cut off the Force from its supplies in the west. A month later the French would surrender to the Germans.
After 10 days and 10 bloody assaults, Hill 937 in South Vietnam was finally captured by U.S. and South Vietnamese troops on this date in 1969. The Americans who fought there cynically dubbed Hill 937 “Hamburger Hill” because the battle and its high casualty rate reminded them of a meat grinder.
Located one mile east of the Laotian border, Hill 937 was ordered taken as part of Operation Apache Snow, a mission intended to limit enemy infiltration from Laos that threatened Hue to the northeast and Danang to the southeast. On May 10, following air and artillery strikes, a U.S.-led infantry force launched its first assault on the North Vietnamese stronghold. Hill 937’s North Vietnamese defenders did not give up their fortified position until May 20. Almost 100 Americans were killed and more than 400 wounded in taking the hill, amounting to a shocking 70 percent casualty rate.
We kick off the news with some electoral results. There were several primaries yesterday.
The results out of Kentucky in particular were eye opening. Seven term LoLbertarian Thomas Massie lost to Trump endorsed Ed Gallrein, bigly, 54.9%–45.1% or about 10,000 votes.
Mitch McConnell backed former AG Daniel Cameron lost to Trump backed Rep. Andy Barr 60.5%-30.8%. Barr will likely be the next Senator from Kentucky.
Generally, I think it is ill considered to put too much weight on a single election, particularly primaries, but I am of the opinion that the McConnell machine is done. Cameron was leading in most polls prior to Trump endorsing Barr. Cameron had more money and better statewide name recognition. He should have been the winner by all the old metrics. He lost, and lost badly all because of Trump.
So far – -there are still a couple of run-offs coming- – Trump was perfect in yesterday’s primaries.
One of the run-offs will be in the GA governors race where the results looked like this:
Lt. Gov. Burt Jones (Trump-endorsed) — 38.4%
Businessman Rick Jackson — 32.5%
Sec. of State Brad Raffensperger — 15.0%
AG Chris Carr — 11.9%
And the GA senate race:
Rep. Mike Collins — ≈40.5%
Former coach Derek Dooley — ≈30.2%
Rep. Buddy Carter and others trailed.
None of the other primaries really offered much in the way of tension or drama. Tommy Tuberville sailed to the R nom for Alabama Governor. Trump endorsed Rep. Barry Moore finished first in the race to replace Tuberville. He will face a June 16 runoff likely against Jared Hudson or Steve Marshall.
In other election news, the three conservative Justices up for election in Georgia held on to beat their leftist opponents. The races drew national attention because Democratic-aligned challengers (backed by figures like Obama and Harris) targeted the court to influence issues like abortion and voting rights, but the conservative-leaning incumbents held on, preserving the court’s ideological balance.
The South Carolina House passed bill H.5683 – a redistricting law – by a 74-37 vote around 12:30 a.m. after days of intense debate, dispersing voters from Jim Clyburn’s majority-Black 6th District to create seven GOP-leaning districts.
The measure now goes to the Senate before a May 26 early voting deadline, with Clyburn vowing to run in his 18th term regardless.
In some sad-ish news, Barney Frank has become a good commie. Frank served in the U.S. House from 1981 to 2013, chaired the House Financial Services Committee, and was one of the first openly gay members of Congress, shaping major legislation on banking regulation, housing, and LGBTQ issues.
He entered hospice care in April 2026 for congestive heart failure.
Yesterday, the first really warm day, a large group of unruly teenagers blocked streets, brawled, and climbed on vehicles near the popular Jersey Shore boardwalk area called Pier Village in Long Branch , prompting police from multiple towns to disperse over 100 personnel with riot shields.
Mayor John Pallone declared an 8 p.m. curfew, leading to several arrests but no serious injuries.