Random Wednesday Morning Thoughts

Oh, "mind blown" might have been an overstatement, but still pretty cool. (Side note: And remember when there were Vine videos?)

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• So the Wise County Courthouse will now have the ability to change the colors of the new lights in the bell tower? It was (oddly) green this morning.  
  
  
  
• A UPS jet taking off from Kentucky, full fuel for a trip to Hawaii, crashed yesterday afternoon is a gigantic fireball.  Three are dead.  Video. Edit: The total death count has risen to nine with people on the ground now added.
  
  
  
  
  
  
• The first election results are in since Trump's inauguration. Lots and lots of blue: 
  
  
  
  
  

  

  
  
  

  

  

  
  

  

  
  

  
  
  
  
• The New York Post did not take the results well,
  
  
  
  
• Trump has if figured out, though. And did he just blame the shutdown on the Republicans?
  
  
  
• But get ready. Unsatisfactory results next year for Congress will not be accepted.  It's over. 
  
• On a lighter note, this is the actual Kentucky Secretary of State explaining to Kentucky voters why the polls were closed yesterday: 
  
  
  
• There were basically no metroplex races to give us a feel for what's going on out there, and the only one was a three person race for an open Texas Senate seat for north Tarrant County. The lone Democrat had the most votes but only because the two other candidates were Republicans and split their vote. Now that Democrat will have to beat the top Republican vote-getter in a run-off. But the district did grow to 48% Democrat from 42% last time. 
  
  
  
  
  
  
• The Wise County Special Edition of the Business Second™.
  
  
  
• ICE quick hits:
• That second step is that "the Highway Patrol division" will now act as ICE agents.  (Gift link.)  Seems big. 
  
  
  
• "How about we go as an ICE agent and an undocumented immigrant for Halloween?" / "Great! But don't forget the racist sombrero!" / "No problem! Got one right here!"
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• We had the greatest play-by-play Twitter thread of the courtroom action yesterday in the ICE Agent Sandwich Assault case yesterday.  The jury will get the case today. 
  
  
  
  
• James Comey prosecution update: The judge said in an order (PDF) yesterday that the grand jury transcript handed over by prosecutors "fails to include remarks made by [prosecutor Lindsey Halligan] both before and after the testimony of the sole witness . . . ." The judge wants the full transcript by 5:00 p.m. today. 
  
  
  
• The College Selection show was last night and here is how it currently stands.  But it will look nothing like this once all is said and done. 
  
• "You were making roughly $250,000 a year when you left the bench. What’s your going rate now?" "My hourly rate is $2,500. I’m charging $25,000 to $30,000 for a mediation." --- Newly retired Dallas federal judge Barbara Lynn, now in private practice, as quoted in the Dallas Morning News on Sunday. 

Random Tuesday Morning Thoughts

From the front page of the Dallas Morning News on 11/6/15. Relevant today.

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• New this morning. 
  
  
  
• “In our nation’s 246-year history, there has never been an individual who is a greater threat to our republic than Donald Trump,” - Dick Cheney (August, 2022)
• A former Bridgeport native is involved, and quoted, in this case and story.
  
  
  
  
• The trial of the century started yesterday. 
  
  
  
  
  
  
• "The Pentagon unveiled a new press corps last month, consisting largely of far-right media publications, including the Gateway Pundit, the Post Millennial, and LindellTV — MyPillow founder Mike Lindell’s streaming service — along with independent journalists and online influencers." Now they've added crazy Laura Loomer.  Not credentialed: The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post.
  

  
  
  
• This guy will forever be the face of the currently deceased Congress. .
  
  
  
  
• Trump's America:   Video
  
  
   
  

  

  
  
  
  
• The Business Second™. 
  
  
  
• The Second Business Second™: I'm beginning to believe those who think there is an AI financial bubble based upon a handful of companies just buying and selling to and from each other. 
  
  
  
  
  
  
• And being liquored up out of your mind didn't help matters. Video.
  

  

  
  
  
  
• Texas Tech fan will trade Goldendoodle puppy for four tickets to the BYU game.
  
  
  
• Based upon attendance snapshot numbers just released, Decatur High School might very well be moving to 5A.

Random Monday Morning Thoughts

I barely remember this, but I'll take more days like it. 

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• Wise County firefighters had a busy Halloween afternoon.
  
  
  
• Alcohol is getting some teachers in trouble.
• And Celina has had enough issues lately without this. 
  
  
  
• Story.
  
  
  
• In the last 12 hours, three major freeways have been shut down in the metroplex
• A wrong way driver shut down I-30 south of downtown Fort Worth yesterday evening. 
  
  
  
• I-35 east of downtown Fort Worth was shut down overnight..
  
  
  
• And now Dallas has a big problem this morning due to a SWAT standoff. Both sides of I-20 are shut down.
  
  
  
• FBI Director Kash Patel got caught using an FBI private jet to go see his girlfriend at a wrestling match and then lashed out, in weird ways, because of it. 
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Dateline Mar-a-Lago:
  

  

  
  
  
  
  

  

  
  

  

  
  
  
  
• Trump weekend crazy tweets which hardly became a blip on the radar:
• A comedian's jokes are "probably illegal."
  
  
  
• We are going to invade Nigeria
  
  
  
• Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick's son, who had recently been an appointed U.S. Attorney and then a partner in a big Houston law firm, is leaving to join one of the biggest conservative lobbying groups in Austin.
  
  
  
• Let's check in on Fox News. A reporter got duped by an AI video (with a "welfare queen" theme) and then, once the mistake is discovered, just changed the very same article's headline and rewrote the story.
• Original:
  
  
  
  
• The re-write with the same date and time:
  
• The Business Second™.
  
  
  
• Quick hit sports images:
• This quiz at SMU, on that scoreboard, is something. (Plus, this isn't going to help the mistaken belief that Ford Stadium was named after the President Gerald Ford. It wasn't)
  
  
  
  
• Who wears short shorts?
  
  
  
  
• I don't pay much attention to the NFL any longer, but this was wild.
  
  
  
• Sports quick hit: Luka Doncic joins Wilt Chamberlain as the only players in NBA history to start a season with 3 straight 40+ point games.