KGB Report is published Monday through Thursday, is assembled by an aging human, and contains no intentional A.I. generated material.
August 24 is the 236th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 129 days remain until the end of the year. As of this writing, 879 days remain in Trump’s final term of office.
Knee-deep in the hoopla:
The dumbest trade war revisited. “Trump’s decision to escalate a tariff brawl with Canada makes no economic or political sense.” This, from the Wall Street Journal, no less. (Wall Street Journal gift article)
What Canadian goods will take Trump’s 50% tariffs? Some pretty strange items. Buoys, dog muzzles, capes, national flags and “base metal statuettes” from Canada are now more expensive for U.S. shoppers. (New York Times gift article)
‘Damage from the chaotic tariff regime cannot be refunded’. The magnitude of tariff refunds the Trump administration must dole out is now outpacing how much money it's bringing in through the import taxes, and it's dealing a new blow of damage to the U.S. economy, one think tank warned. (Fortune)
‘The writing on the wall’: Trump’s staff departs ahead of possible turmoil. Trump heads into the second half of his term with key vacancies among his senior White House staff. That means whoever comes off the bench must contend with the possibility of a Democratic-controlled Congress, a slew of subpoenas, a lingering war in the Middle East and an open Republican presidential primary. (Politico)
He was waiting for his son to return from the USS Lincoln. Then Border Patrol arrested him. The’ arrest comes as the Trump administration rolls back immigration protections for military families to pursue its mass deportation agenda, detaining at least dozens of parents and spouses of active-duty U.S. troops. (AP)
Why do rich kids love socialism? Having money isn’t at odds with wanting a fairer economic system. A teacher who has to buy his own school supplies, an adjunct professor who works at three universities to make ends meet, a social worker who assists the disadvantaged, a nurse whose hospital was bought by private equity, a federal employee who watches lobbying groups kneecap safety regulations, a data engineer who helps make a product that gives teens suicide advice, a student who takes out burdensome loans to get a degree that is no longer a guaranteed ticket to a middle-class life- what should these people think of capitalism as it currently exists? What do you expect them to think?
(The Atlantic gift article.)
Scientists warn of a nearly 400% increase in toxic liver injuries– one common drug leads the list. TLDR: Acetaminophen (Tylenol). Women had higher rates of acetaminophen-associated liver injury than men, and suspected suicide was the most common reason for exposure in both sexes. (SciTechDaily)
There are carrier pigeon apps now because pigeon technology is actually superior. Sick of constant pings, they’re sending texts at the speed of a carrier pigeon. Apps that let users send digital messages at ultraslow speeds have taken off, with users reveling in a slower pace of life. (New York Times gift article)
Shelley Fabares, ‘Johnny Angel’ singer and actor in ‘The Donna Reed Show’ and ‘Coach,’ dies at 82. (Video) (AP)
Spain’s ‘wolf boy of Sierra Morena’ dies aged 80. He spent 12 extraordinary years being raised by wolves, after early tragedy had led to his abandonment. (CNN)
Keep scrolling… lots of interesting stuff in Quote of the Day, Holidays, On This Day, Birthdays, and Deaths. I can pretty much guarantee you’ll learn something new.
History highlight:
1992 – Hurricane Andrew made landfall in Homestead, Florida as a Category 5 hurricane, causing up to $25 billion (1992 USD) in damages.
Quote of the day:
The gods throw the dice, and they don’t ask whether we want to be in the game or not.
--Paulo Coelho (Wikipedia link)
(One of 52,783 quotations from the searchable KGB Quotations Database.)
Click here for more Paulo Coelho quotes.
Today’s holidays:
Can Opener Day, International Day Against Intolerance, Discrimination and Violence Based on Musical Preferences, Lifestyle and Dress Code, International Strange Music Day, National Knife Day, National Peach Pie Day, National Waffle Day, Pluto Demoted Day, Shooting Star Day, Vesuvius Day, Weather Complaint Day, and William Wilberforce Day.
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—Kevin G. Barkes (KGB)
On This Day:
2023 – Japan officially began discharging treated radioactive water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the Pacific Ocean, sparking international concerns and condemnation.
2016 – Proxima Centauri b, the closest exoplanet to Earth, was discovered by the European Southern Observatory.
2014 – A magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck the San Francisco Bay Area; it was the largest in that area since 1989.
2012 – Anders Behring Breivik, perpetrator of the 2011 Norway attacks, was sentenced to 21 years of preventive detention.
2006 – The International Astronomical Union (IAU) redefined the term “planet,” demoting Pluto to the status of dwarf planet.
1998 – First radio-frequency identification (RFID) human implantation was tested in the United Kingdom.
1995 – Microsoft released Windows 95 to the public in North America.
1992 – Hurricane Andrew made landfall in Homestead, Florida as a Category 5 hurricane, causing up to $25 billion (1992 USD) in damages.
1991 – Ukraine declared itself independent from the Soviet Union.
1991 – Mikhail Gorbachev resigned as head of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.
1981 – Mark David Chapman was sentenced to 20 years to life in prison for murdering John Lennon.
1975 – Queen began the sessions that would produce their “Bohemian Rhapsody”. (Video)
1954 – The Communist Control Act went into effect, outlawing the Communist Party in the United States.
1950 – Edith Sampson became the first black U.S. delegate to the United Nations.
1949 – The treaty creating the North Atlantic Treaty Organization went into effect.
1944 – World War II: Allied troops began the attack on Paris.
1941 – The Holocaust: Adolf Hitler ordered the cessation of Nazi Germany‘s systematic T4 euthanasia program of the mentally ill and the handicapped due to protests, although killings continue for the remainder of the war.
1938 – Kweilin incident: A Japanese warplane shot down the Kweilin, a Chinese civilian airliner, killing 14. It was the first recorded instance of a civilian airliner being shot down.
1936 – The Australian Antarctic Territory was created.
1932 – Amelia Earhart became the first woman to fly across the United States non-stop (from Los Angeles to Newark, New Jersey).
1909 – Workers started pouring concrete for the Panama Canal.
1873 – Elusive Mount of the Holy Cross photographed.
1857 – The Panic of 1857 began, setting off one of the most severe economic crises in United States history.
1821 – The Treaty of Córdoba was signed in Córdoba, now in Veracruz, Mexico, concluding the Mexican War of Independence from Spain.
1814 – British troops capture Washington, D.C. and set the Presidential Mansion, Capitol, Navy Yard and many other public buildings ablaze.
1682 – William Penn received the area that is now the state of Delaware, and added it to his colony of Pennsylvania.
(For more comprehensive lists of the day’s historical events, check here, here, and here.)
Some Birthdays:
2000 – Griffin Gluck, American actor
1997 – Karoline Leavitt, White House Press Secretary
1988 – Rupert Grint, English actor
1977 – John Green, American author and vlogger
1976 – Alex O’Loughlin, Australian actor, writer, director, and producer
1974 – Jennifer Lien, American actress
1973 – James D’Arcy, English actor
1973 – Dave Chappelle, American comedian, actor, producer and screenwriter
1972 – Ava DuVernay, American director and screenwriter
1970 – David Gregory, American journalist
1965 – Marlee Matlin, American actress and producer
1962 – Craig Kilborn, American television host
1960 – Cal Ripken Jr., American baseball player and coach
1958 – Steve Guttenberg, American actor and producer
1957 – Stephen Fry, English actor, journalist, producer, and screenwriter
1955 – Mike Huckabee, American minister and politician, 44th Governor of Arkansas
1951 – Orson Scott Card, American novelist, critic, public speaker, essayist, and columnist
1949 – Joe Regalbuto, American actor and director
1947 – Joe Manchin, American politician, 34th Governor of West Virginia
1947 – Paulo Coelho, Brazilian author and songwriter
1947 – Anne Archer, American actress and producer
1945 – Vince McMahon, American wrestler, promoter, and entrepreneur; co-founded WWE
1945 – Marsha P. Johnson, American gay liberation activist and drag queen (died 1992)
1942 – Jimmy Soul, American pop-soul singer (died 1988) (Video)
1942 – Max Cleland, American captain and politician (died 2021)
1938 – Mason Williams, American guitarist and composer (Video)
1934 – Kenny Baker, English actor (died 2016)
1922 – Howard Zinn, American historian, author, and activist (died 2010)
1900 – Preston Foster, American actor (died 1970)
1872 – Max Beerbohm, English essayist, parodist, and caricaturist (died 1956)
(A more complete list of today’s birthdays.)
Some Deaths:
2020 – Gail Sheehy, American author, journalist, and lecturer (born 1936)
2017 – Jay Thomas, American actor, comedian, and radio talk show host (born 1948) (Video)
2014 – Richard Attenborough, English actor, director, producer, and politician (born 1923)
2013 – Julie Harris, American actress (born 1925)
2006 – Rocco Petrone, American soldier and engineer (born 1926) (Video)
2004 – Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, Swiss-American psychiatrist and academic (born 1926)
2001 – Jane Greer, American actress (born 1924)
1999 – Mary Jane Croft, American actress (born 1916)
1998 – E. G. Marshall, American actor (born 1910)
1978 – Louis Prima, American singer-songwriter, trumpet player, and actor (born 1910)
1967 – Henry J. Kaiser, American businessman, founded Kaiser Shipyards and Kaiser Aluminum (born 1882)
1943 – Simone Weil, French philosopher and activist (born 1909)
(A more complete list of today’s deaths.)
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