Random Tuesday Morning Thoughts

Because seven ticket holders couldn't see the Super Bowl, a lawsuit about it actually went to trial  in federal court in Dallas and lasted two weeks. They were awarded $76,000. And do you recognize the plaintiffs' lawyer addressing the press afterwards? That's the currently incarcerated Michael Avenetti.

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• At least Ukraine won't let the U.S. abandoning them prevent them from putting up a fight.
  
  
  
    
  
  
  
• Twitter was down a great part of the day yesterday as Musk, without providing proof, blamed Ukraine for a denial of service cyberattack while a different group took responsibility. 
  
  
  
  
  
  
• We had a big ship collision off the coast of England. A Portuguese-flagged cargo ship collided with a US-flagged oil tanker, the Stena Immaculate. Flames then erupted.
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Canada and China surgically struck back:
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Update regarding the permanent resident alien from yesterday. PDF of order. 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Related opinion piece:
  
  
  
• Elon Musk, for some reason known only to him, called a US Navy combat pilot, a NASA astronaut, and now as a US Senator, a "traitor" for visiting Ukraine. 
  
  
  
• Trump came to the aid of his BFF this morning by telling all of his MAGA disciples to go buy a Tesla.  Side note: What's "illegal" about most people not wanting to buy a car from a Nazi? 
  
  
  
• Tell Wise County state rep Andy Hopper to vote "no" on school vouchers and to not gut and harm our rural Texas schools. (Link to new poll.)
  

  

  
  

  

  
  
  
  
• Let's check in on Fox News.
  
  
  
• In a weird trial in federal court in Dallas, County Judge Clay Jenkins is being sued by a BlazeTV online host who accuses Jenkins of prematurely shutting him down during the public forum period at a commissioners' court meeting.  To make it odder, an arrest for a "panty raid" by Jenkins while a student at Baylor is at the center of it all. Thread from yesterday's proceedings. 
  
  
  
• Pretty crazy story over in Gainesville where the current district judge is being accused by the current District Attorney of having withheld evidence in case when she served as the District Attorney.   
  
  
  
• The Business Second™. 
  
  
  
• The odd Houston misdemeanor judge posted a very weird court clip yesterday.

Random Monday Morning Thoughts

Bridgeport won the basketball state title but not without raising eyebrows. (As reflected in that preview of the game by the Dallas Morning News.)

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• On the heels of shutting off intelligence information to Ukraine, on Friday Trump continued his pro-Putin stance on Friday afternoon.

• And then over the weekend, Ukraine paid the price for America turning its back on her:

• This needs more attention.  The lead protestor last summer at Columbia University against Israel's atrocities in Gaza  -- who has a green card making him a permanent resident alien and is married to a (pregnant) U.S. citizen  -- was snatched up by ICE on Saturday night.  Why? Simply because he was a protestor. Seriously. He took a stance the Trump Administration doesn't like, and he was taking into custody in a raid of his apartment because of it. 
  
  
  
  
  
  
• The State Department can't just "revoke" a green card. And being critical of Israel does not make a person a "Hamas supporter."  And even if it does, this amounts to the government taking you into custody because of the words you say.  
  
  
• This, from his lawyer, should scare you to death. And if it doesn't simply because the guy is different than you, it really should. Who amongst us is next? What subject matter is next? 
  
  
  
• Update: He was moved to Jena, Louisiana overnight. Explanation?:
  
  
  
• Front pages which treat this news a bit differently: 
  
  
  
• Let's take it one step further. 
  
  
  
• In related news, Trump sent a message that colleges and universities need to get in line by not allowing their students to say things that other students may find offensive (so long as the his Administration finds the words offensive, too.)
  
  
  
• Elon Musk spent the weekend with Trump at Mar-a-Lago, road in the limo ("The Beast") with Trump while there, then they flew back on Air Force One and Marine One last night and walked into the White House together.
  
  
  
• Kind of legal nerdy stuff but not really: An insane "open letter" from the U.S. Attorney for D.C. 

• Welcome to Orwell's 1984.  Words are being banned from the federal government. Gift link. 
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Measles count.
  
  
  
• The state rep from Fort Worth is so weird.
  
  
   
  
  
  
• Former UT star and current Kansas City Chief Xavier Worthy was arrested for felony assault of his girlfriend on Saturday night, but the DA rejected the case in record time. Side note: The DA graduated from UT.

• Missed this story on Friday.  (The commentary from the person taking the video is pretty funny.) 

• I may be arrested for posting this news. 
  

• The basketball court at the Big 12 women's tournament could caused seizures just by looking at it.
  
  
  
  
• There is an odd misdemeanor judge in Houston who posts clips of himself in court when he's apparently proud of himself for acting a bit like Judge Judy. Latest example here.