Frank Chow: Asian- American Political Pundit

 An odd thing I've noticed as I've gotten older is that history is a blip. 9/11 to our interns is an event. It happened; it was tragic, but that's it. I had friends go to war over "this event." I had friends who faced brutal racist abuse because of "this event." I was considered a traitor for opposing the war. It's so weird being this old now. Not sure how I feel about it.  Here are your highlights:  Texas schools, man , get out of that state as fast as possible.  Bibi knew an attack was coming. He didn't do anything .  Republicans are trying to rig elections. But mail-in voters are determined .  Oil is over $100 a barrel .  AI researcher says we're all doomed .  Trump likes his handler a little too much. He gifted Natalie Harp $45k .  I am Frank Chow, and I approve this message. 

 I hope everyone had a lovely holiday weekend. I stupidly tried to do too much and am paying for it now. Don't underestimate your recovery time from an appendectomy. I'm sore as all hell. The kids and I had a chill day; we went to a food hall, they played video games, and we cuddled with the pup. Every weekend should be a three-day weekend.  Here are your highlights:  The destruction of the Civil Rights Department .  Miami airport tragedy. Five dead in plane crash .  Are we a Banana Republic?   Alarm bells should be ringing. The Nazis have won in Germany .  Houthi rebels attack Saudi Arabia . I thought the war was over.  As we approach the 9/11 anniversary. It's interesting to see how states educate students about that time . I remember talking to an intern about it, and let's just say it didn't go well. Students really don't get the full scope of what happened, what was going on at the time, and how the Nation reacted in its aftermath. "Planes in...

 A win in the bank. At first, it looked like a long night, but the Fighting Illini pulled away with offensive power. I'm sure early nerves and excruciating heat played a part in the first half, but the fellas got it done. I'm not sure how people tailgated yesterday. It was so hot. Yet the loyal Illini fanbase was out in full force. It might be record temps, but football is here. My favorite time of year (Fall) can't come soon enough.  Here are your highlights:   Dear GOP, please run on Trump's record . I like our chances if you're pushing the image of the least popular president ever.  Epstein Class - Leon Black refuses to testify . Lock him up!  Speaker Johnson likes a vacation more than any Congressman in recorded history.  A video game to capture immigrants at the border , on the official White House website. Just the worst fuckin people ever.  Missouri candidate tried to plant cocaine on primary opponent . Ummmmmmmmmmmm. Nepal search team rescues...

 We interrupt your regularly scheduled politico blogging with the following message: I L L!!! It's the home opener, and I'm bummed I can't attend. Doesn't make sense to go to a game post-op. The idea of walking up and down that many stairs sounds awful. So, I will yell and scream from my couch like a true armchair fan. I have no idea how this season will go for the Fighting Illini. We're not pre-ranked, so some of the pressure should be off. I'm interested to see how the new QB looks. Can't wait to tailgate again! Let's go! Here are your highlights: Starving children to own the Libs . For a party that claims to care about families and children, they love starving kids.  More AI shenanigans. Nvidia buys Hugging Face .  Cruel ICE kills people with ankle monitors .  Minnesota Mass Shooting . Guns are the problem. Get the guns.  The Boat Murders alone are reason enough to send Hegseth and Trump to jail. There must be consequences for such egregious crimes . ...

 Another day, another endless war. Another day, another racist directive by Hegseth. Another day, another war crime committed. I ask you, what is Congress? What are we doing?! I'm not sure an "Apology Tour" will save us this time. There will be a new normal. I don't envy this next administration's task of committing to an overhaul of our foreign policy.  Here are your highlights:   Israel keeps on adding to their reputation. Bars U.S. citizens and other foreign travelers from entry . Texas playing fair. Democrats cry foul as Texas polling sites slashed . Chevron to expand in Venezuela .  GET VACCINATED . If there's ever been an own goal... Ford's inability to adapt its fleet to electric vehicles will be seen as one of the biggest own goals in automotive history .  China presses ICE after a man dies hours after being held in custody . ICE is a criminal organization and must be defunded immediately.  I am Frank Chow, and I approve this message. 

 This weekend was quite the scare. I woke up around 2 am in excruciating pain in my abdomen. I began throwing up. It was all clear liquids. I couldn't sleep. No pain medication worked. I was miserable. I finally gave up around 6 am and went to the ER. I'm glad I did. I listened to my body, and it told me "GO GET HELP!" After several tests and a lot of drugs, I started to calm down. Turns out I had appendicitis. Just my luck, not a single local hospital had a bed available, so EMS took me about an hour away to St. John's in Springfield. I was transferred from ER to ER and later that night had my appendix removed. I'm lucky to have health insurance. I'm lucky I was able to advocate for myself. And I was lucky to have a nursing and surgical team that listened to my concerns. I'm still in pain, but much more manageable now. Six weeks of recovery. Glad to be alive. But damn, that was scary; I had no idea what was going on. Take care of yourselves, y'all...