The Morning Sixpack - July 30, 2025

Mass shootings take center stage (again); Earthquake triggers Pacific tsunami alerts; Senate showdown as Booker blasts Dems; Fed rate debate splits GOP; urban telescopes wow crowds (good news!)

Deadly Morning Rampage Rocks Reno’s Grand Sierra Resort—Three Killed, Two Hurt

A calm Monday morning at Reno’s Grand Sierra Resort turned deadly when a 26-year-old opened fire, killing three people and injuring two more.

Authorities quickly identified the shooter as Dakota Hawver, a local resident now in critical condition after police returned fire.

According to police reports, Hawver approached the resort’s valet area just before 7:30 a.m., pulled a 9mm handgun, and aimed at a group of people. The gun initially jammed, but once it cleared, he fired 80 rounds from multiple magazines, hitting five victims—two of whom died on the scene. The shooter then fled through the parking lot, fatally shooting a man ambushed in his vehicle.

Security confronted Hawver and exchanged gunfire, but he continued to flee until Reno police officers arrived. After a brief shootout, officers shot Hawver, who is now hospitalized. The three victims killed were Justin Aguila and Andrew Canepa, both 33 and visiting from Southern California for a bachelor party, and 66-year-old local Angel Martinez.

What’s baffling is that Hawver has no criminal or mental health history and no known ties to the resort or victims. The motive remains a complete mystery. The authorities are still digging for answers while the community reels from this senseless violence.

Source: UPI

From High School Football Star to Midtown Shooter: The Tragic Fall of Shane Tamura

Shane Tamura, once a lightning-fast running back in California high school football, shocked everyone by turning into a gunman who killed four and then himself at the NFL’s Midtown Manhattan headquarters.

The 27-year-old’s violent rampage has left many wondering how a promising athlete spiraled so far off course.

Back in his school days, Tamura was the guy teammates relied on— “When in doubt, give the ball to Shane,” said one. But after his senior year, he faded from public view, wrestling with mental health struggles that eventually landed him on a crisis hold in Nevada. Despite this, Tamura legally acquired firearms, including an AR-15-style rifle used in the attack.

Police found a suicide note blaming the NFL for suppressing the dangers football poses to players’ brains, referencing the degenerative brain disease CTE, though it can only be diagnosed after death. This adds a grim layer of context to his attack on the league’s headquarters.

Those who knew him then still can’t reconcile the football star they remember with the man who carried out Monday’s shooting spree. “For the kid version that I knew, it’s sad to hear,” said a former teammate. “The adult version, I don’t really know much.”

With the investigation ongoing, questions remain about how Tamura’s mental health and access to weapons intersected to cause this tragedy—a stark reminder of the complex fallout from the sport and the urgent need to address mental health and gun access.

Source: WSJ (gift article)

Cory Booker Shakes Up Senate, Demands Democrats Stop Playing Nice with Trump

Senator Cory Booker didn’t just speak his mind on the Senate floor Tuesday—he basically screamed it, calling out his own party for being too soft and letting Trump run the show.

The New Jersey Democrat blocked several bipartisan bills funding police programs, accusing the Trump administration of weaponizing law enforcement funds against Democratic states like his own.

Booker’s fiery outburst hit at the heart of a long-standing Democratic dilemma: Do you cooperate with Republicans to get things done, or do you draw a hard line and fight every move? “A lot of us in this caucus want to fucking fight,” Booker said bluntly after the exchange.

Not everyone in the party agrees with Booker’s approach. Nevada Senator Catherine Cortez Masto argued you can both support communities and oppose Trump’s policies, pointing to the bills she tried to pass that Booker blocked. Minnesota’s Amy Klobuchar criticized Booker’s timing, saying he should have raised objections earlier.

Like she did? LOL.

Booker went on to slam Democrats bending the knee to Trump and called for a wake-up call to fight harder, not just play politics. “You want to come at me that way, you will have to take it on with me because there’s too much on the line,” he said.

It was a rare raw moment showing just how tense and divided the Democratic caucus is as they face crucial battles ahead this fall. Their poll numbers are in the shitter, too. I think they’re in the teens to low twenties in approval ratings.

Source: AP News

Fed Likely to Hold Rates Steady, But Not All Republicans Are Buying Trump’s Rate-Cut Push

Despite President Trump’s loud demand to slash interest rates, many GOP lawmakers aren’t falling in line—and they’ve got reasons that go beyond just sticking it to Powell.

Senators and representatives from the Republican side are shifting the conversation away from short-term Fed moves to bigger concerns about long-term debt and fiscal responsibility.

Wyoming’s Sen. Cynthia Lummis, who’s openly unimpressed with Fed Chair Jerome Powell (or “Powoke,” as she called him), stresses that the real worry lies in long-term interest rates. These rates reflect Wall Street’s skepticism about Congress’s ability to tackle the national debt and deficits—not just Fed policy decisions.

Ohio Rep. Warren Davidson even tells Trump that the best way to impact borrowing costs might be to adjust how much the Fed pays banks on their excess reserves, encouraging banks to lend more rather than just cutting rates. He bluntly noted, “The market responded by actually increasing market rates” the last time Powell cut them.

Others like Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy caution that lowering rates too soon could trigger inflation, especially with tariffs still looming. “Once you let this cat out of the bag, it’s pretty hard to get it back in,” he warned.

Bottom line? While Trump blames the Fed for inflation headaches, many Republicans see the bigger picture: The country’s ballooning debt and the Fed’s cautious approach aren’t about politics—they’re about avoiding financial chaos. In fact, raising rates tamped down inflation. Lowering them now would only increase the likelihood of much higher inflation, especially with Trump’s stupid tariff tantrums.

Source: Semafor

Massive 8.8 Earthquake Strikes Russia’s Far East, Triggering Pacific-Wide Tsunami Alerts

An 8.8 magnitude earthquake off Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula sent shockwaves—and tsunami warnings—rippling across the Pacific, forcing evacuations from French Polynesia to Japan and Hawaii.

The quake, the strongest in the region since 1952, rattled buildings and injured people while unleashing waves up to 5 meters in nearby coastal towns.

French Polynesia’s remote Marquesas Islands were warned to move to higher ground as waves up to 4 meters approached, while Japan and Hawaii issued evacuations before later downgrading warnings. In Severo-Kurilsk, tsunami waves surged, flooding the port and sweeping vessels from their moorings—drone footage showed the shoreline submerged.

The earthquake was shallow, just 19 km deep, causing prolonged shaking that lasted three minutes in Kamchatka’s city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. Despite the strength, officials say the shaking was less intense than expected due to the epicenter’s characteristics. Aftershocks continue, but stronger quakes aren’t anticipated soon.

Japan scrambled workers from the Fukushima nuclear plant to safety, recalling memories of the 2011 disaster. Sadly, a woman died while evacuating in central Japan when her car plunged off a cliff. Hundreds of thousands faced travel chaos as train services along the Pacific coast were disrupted.

This quake underscores the ongoing volatility of the Pacific Ring of Fire and the fragile balance coastal communities live with every day. Stay alert, take warnings seriously, and prepare for aftershocks.

Source: Reuters

Imagine Strolling to the Store and Suddenly Seeing Saturn’s Rings—Thanks to These Pop-Up Telescopes

For thousands of city dwellers, a casual walk just got cosmic thanks to #PopScope, a volunteer-driven urban astronomy movement that’s bringing the wonders of the night sky right to the sidewalk.

Now in its 11th year, #PopScope has held 500 pop-up telescope events, enchanting over 26,000 people across North America and beyond.

Started in Ottawa in 2014, #PopScope’s genius is its simplicity: Set up an easy-to-use telescope in a public space, invite passersby to look up, and watch jaws drop as they glimpse planets, moons, and craters—even under city lights. The experience sparks awe, curiosity, and often, unexpected conversations about everything from astronomy to neighborhood life.

Co-founder Michael O’Shea says, “We’re motivated by the look of awe on a stranger’s face when they see Saturn’s rings for the first time.” These pop-ups don’t just offer views—they build friendships, turning strangers into starry-eyed pals sharing stories and dreams.

And it’s not just a local thing anymore. With chapters from Montreal to Miami and even pop-ups in Ireland, Malawi, and India, #PopScope is making the universe accessible to underserved communities everywhere.

The hope? To inspire the next generation of astronauts—or at least remind us all to keep looking up. Because sometimes, the best free show in town is right above our heads.

Source: Good News Network