Random News and Notes 7 July
The United States formally annexed Hawaii on this date in 1898, through the Newlands Resolution. Spurred by the geopolitical needs of the Spanish-American War, Congress approved the measure to secure a vital naval and fueling station in the Pacific, finalized by a ceremony at Honolulu’s Iolani Palace on August 12, 1898.
The annexation culminated a five-year struggle following the 1893 overthrow of Queen Lili’uokalani. Backed by U.S. troops, American sugar planters—led by Sanford Dole—deposed the Hawaiian monarchy to protect their economic interests from looming tariffs.
While President Grover Cleveland initially blocked the annexation out of respect for Hawaiian sovereignty, his successor William McKinley aggressively pursued it. The United States subsequently organized the region into an official U.S. territory in 1900 and admitted Hawaii as the 50th U.S. state on August 21, 1959
We all take pre-sliced bread for granted. On this date in 1927 the first pre-sliced loaves were sold by the Chillicothe Baking company in Missouri. The slicer was designed and built by jeweler Otto Rohwedder.
It was advertised as “The Greatest Forward Step in the Baking Industry Since Bread Was Wrapped” and “a fine loaf sold a better way.”
On this day in 1937, Japanese and Chinese forces clashed at the Marco Polo Bridge south of Peking. The incident was the start of the 2nd Sino-Japanese war. The incident transformed decades of escalating tensions and Japanese expansion into an open, full-scale war between China and Japan. It marked the beginning of China’s eight-year nationwide resistance.
The Marco Polo Bridge incident should be considered the first shots of WWII.
Nazi tattoo enjoyer Graham Platner has paused his campaign for Senate from Maine after more allegations of his shitty behavior have surfaced. A Politico story yesterday detailed the forcible rape of a girlfriend by Platner. Previously, Platner had been credibly accused of physical violence against a different girlfriend. I can assure you that the Dems knew all of this before they decided to push this asshat on the country. They figured they could spike the worst of it, which is why they ignored everything else when it came out. That the rape story got out was unplanned. It was also a bridge too far.
I am seeing reports that there is something else – something far worse – coming out in the next few days.
I should note that according to Maine election rules, the Dems have a week to force Platner out and replace him on the ballot.
The preliminary hearings for the trial of 23-year-old Tyler Robinson started Monday in Provo, Utah’s 4th District Court. Prosecutors presented DNA on the rifle, surveillance videos of him scouting the campus, and a confession note to prove probable cause for trial.
Kirk, 31, died from a shot to the neck on September 10, 2025, while speaking at a Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University in Orem. The five-day hearing, livestreamed despite defense objections, will decide if the aggravated murder case advances.
Andrew Gillum, the 2018 Democratic nominee for Florida governor who lost to Ron DeSantis, was arrested in Daphne, Alabama, and booked into Baldwin County Jail on charges of possession of dangerous drugs, drug paraphernalia, and marijuana.
The arrest occurred last week, with Gillum released the next day.
This isn’t Gillum’s first go-round with illicit substances. In 2020 he was found in a hotel room with meth and two male hookers.
The roof collapsed on a BJ’s Wholesale club in Ocean Township, NJ yesterday. Torrential rain is said to have caused the collapse. 27 people were inside art the time the roof came down and two were briefly trapped but escaped unharmed.
Local authorities closed nearby roads due to extreme flooding and ongoing severe weather.
America’s armpit must have forgotten the antiperspirant . . .