TOM v Newsom cage fight

 

June 10, 2025 (141/1461)

The cage fight card for today features TOM v Newsom. Round 1: Without any request from Glitzy Gavin, TOM sent the Marines into LA to back up the National Guard, whom Newsom also did not ask for. Round 2: CA asks for emergency order to block TOM. “As Marines joined a contingent of National Guard troops in Los Angeles, officials asked a judge for an emergency order that would limit them to protecting federal property, prohibiting other law enforcement activities. The request asks a federal judge in California to issue a temporary order by 1 p.m. Pacific time, declaring that the Marines and other troops cannot accompany immigration agents on raids or perform other law enforcement activities, such as operating checkpoints.” Round 3: tbd currently as we await the decision on Round 2.

While LA, Newsom and TOM boil away, preparations are well underway for the grandiose Big Bully Birthday bash. Oh wait, and it’s also the anniversary of the Army. The big 2-5-0. So TOM wants a big party for himself, I mean “the country.”

“Preparations are ramping up for a massive military parade in celebration of the 250th anniversary of the United States Army on Saturday, June 14, a date that also coincides with President Trump’s 79th birthday. Matt McCool, a Secret Service official for the Washington field office, said at a Monday press conference that organizers were preparing for “hundreds of thousands” of attendees.” Really? Hundreds of thousands…..of mosquitos maybe.

In case you’re on the fence about registering to attend. Here’s what you’re (theoretically) in for:

·        “The parade will begin at 6:30 p.m. and roll down Constitution Avenue NW, featuring thousands of troops marching in formation, a group of each wearing uniforms representing every American conflict dating back to the American Revolution. 

·        It will also include significant military hardware, including tanks, helicopters, and armed fighting vehicles. A landing by paratroopers from the Army’s Golden Knights and a fireworks display will follow.

·        The day’s events will begin at 9:30 with a fitness competition. A festival on the National Mall starting at 11 a.m.,  The festival will feature live music and static displays of military equipment, including various vehicles and weapons.”

Wow. I mean. With no rehearsal? No real plan of action? And no work around alternative for people who actually live in the District and have to go about their normal weekend lives. (Because of course, many streets and even one Metro stop will be closed). Anyone else leaning to the “epic fail” side of the success curve?

A side show to keep track of in the coming months. Yale U trying to get ahead of TOM possibly? “Yale University’s famed endowment has been trying to offload one of the largest portfolios of private equity investments ever in a single sale, a move that reflects the pressures on both Wall Street and higher education under the Trump administration.

The Ivy League school has sought buyers for up to $6 billion in stakes in private equity and venture funds, according to three people briefed on the sales process, amid uncertainty about its federal funding and the reality that many of these investments have not delivered the outsize returns that Yale expected.” TBD whether this is wise or foolish. It is certainly a different tactic than other universities have taken so might as well try!