News to keep you afloat for the week of May 3, 2018

Buckle your seat belts, this week’s news dives into the Oakland A’s and their search for a home, a submarine gone astray, violence in Kabul and the latest out of the Trump legal circus.

A’s: Last stop, Oakland

There’s no question that 1968 was a year to remember, here in Bay and throughout the country as a whole. But one of the happier memories from that fateful year was the day the A’s officially made Oakland the team’s home and again when Jim “Catfish” Hunter pitched a perfect game at the Coliseum. Fifty years later, the franchise is struggling to stay in the same city that cheered them on as they dominated the early ‘70s and went on to win their fourth World Series title as Oaklanders in 1989. They have a solid place in local history, but their future here in Oakland is shaky as the options for a new facility are being squeezed by miles of red tape and bureaucratic BS.

Illustration courtesy of Oaklandballpark.com

At the moment, it looks like the Howard Terminal at the Port of Oakland may be their best bet. The East Bay Times reported Friday that the team and the Port entered a one-year agreement to conduct impact studies that will hopefully shed light on the viability of a proposed 50-acre waterfront ballpark at the site. However, it seems they’re not keeping all their eggs in one basket as they also expect to enter similar agreements with the city and Alameda County to explore building potential on the soon-to-be (go Las Vegas Raiders!) abandoned Coliseum property.

The $9,000 Yellow Submarine

Shanee Stopnitzky payed $4,000 for her yellow submarine, but after it was fished out of the Emeryville marina Sunday, she figures she’ll have to come out of pocket another $5,000 just to fix what was damaged when thieves decided to take it for a joy ride. The marine scientist seemed to take the whole ordeal in stride when she spoke with KPIX 5, explaining that someone obviously tried to operate the yellow and Captain America-themed vessel because it was found filled about halfway with water, with numerous valves opened and the hatch broken – apparently the thief wasn’t exactly a submarine expert.

Photo courtesy of CBS San Francisco

“It’s really funny,” Stopnitzky said. “I really wish there was film evidence of this happening.” For the record, we’d also love to see that footage! But for now, she’d just be happy to get her baby out of an Oakland tow yard she calls “submarine jail”.

Seeking Truth: Ten Journalists Die Upholding the Code

Ten journalists died in Kabul Monday on what was the deadliest day for journalists in Afghanistan since 2002, according to the New York Times. Twin bombs were detonated within 40 minutes of each other during the morning rush, killing at least 25 people, including nine journalists. The 10th journalist, from the BBC Afghan service, was shot and killed later in the same day during a separate attack. Amid recent vitriol toward the press, Monday was a sour reminder of the dedication and sacrifices journalists make to bring important stories to the public. The Society for Professional Journalists lists four primary principles, the first of which is to “seek truth and report it” – and that’s exactly what they gave their lives to do. Just to be clear, there’s nothing fake in that news.

Netanyahu, PowerPoint and the Potential for Global Destruction

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made no secret of his feelings about Iran. As the two countries ramp up the rhetoric and clash in strikes largely centered on Iranian bases in Syria, Netanyahu opted to go full-CEO with a really big PowerPoint presentation in Tel Aviv Monday. His mission was to convince the world that Iran has been lying about their nuclear program and thereby garner support for his military actions. The timing of his presentation is additionally important as the President Trump faces a May 12 deadline when he’ll be forced to extend U.S. participation in the Iran Nuclear deal, or not.

Photo courtesy of The Hill

Granted, not many world leaders put a whole lot of trust in the Iranian government, but as French President Emmanuel Macron expressed during his very huggy and kissy visit to the U.S. last week, an imperfect deal is better than no deal at all. It’s also worth noting that Netanyahu’s advice track record is spotty at best, considering he testified to Congress in 2002 that Iraq definitely had weapons of mass destruction and fully supported the U.S. invasion. Turns out he was wrong.

The Caravan of Tired and Poor

The buses that Trump lamented over finally arrived at the U.S. border in Tijuana Sunday, but the number of people expected had shrunk from 1,500 to under 200, largely comprised of women and children. Although the president preemptively accused the refugees, who fled violence in their home countries, of trying to rush our borders in an attempt to get in on the DACA deal (not a thing, by the way), the group arrived and followed the laws, lining up to request asylum and be processed legally. They slept on concrete for days, knowing that their families would likely be separated if they were in fact accepted. As of Wednesday, only 49 migrants had been accepted as reported by the Los Angeles Times.

Migrant refugees waiting to be processed at U.S. border. Photo courtesy of Los Angeles Times

Latest installment of the Trump Cirque du Legale

White House Chief of Staff John Kelly allegedly called the president an idiot. It is being widely speculated that Kelly is next in line for the guillotine. Surprise! Rudy Giuliani is picking up where Trump leaves off in implicating the president, as he demonstrated during two Fox News interviews this week when he stated that Trump was not only aware of the Stormy Daniels “deal” but also reimbursed his legally-embroiled personal attorney Michael Cohen for the hush money payoff. Thursday morning brought breaking news that Cohen was wiretapped in the weeks prior to the FBI raids on his home, office and hotel. So, that should be interesting…