The Morning Sixpack - March 21, 2025
Heathrow Chaos: Apocalyptic Blaze Grounds 200,000 Travelers, Sparks National Disruption
A massive electrical fire near Heathrow Airport has plunged Europe’s busiest travel hub into chaos, grounding over 2,000 flights and stranding more than 200,000 passengers worldwide.
The inferno—described by one witness as “absolutely apocalyptic”—erupted late Thursday night at a substation on Nestles Avenue in Hayes, West London, triggering a major power outage and prompting a full shutdown of Heathrow until at least 11:59 PM on March 21.
Passengers from as far as Australia and San Francisco were rerouted to airports across Europe, creating a logistical nightmare set to reverberate for days. As authorities scramble to restore power and manage fallout, the investigation—led by the Met’s counter-terrorism command—is ongoing, though no foul play is currently suspected.
The fire ignited 25,000 liters of cooling oil, knocking out power to 67,000 homes and critical airport infrastructure. Heathrow Terminals 2 and 4 remain dark, and backup generators were also impacted.
"There was a backup generator but it was also affected by the fire, which gives a sense of how unusual and unprecedented it was,” said Energy Secretary Ed Miliband.
London's fire brigade deployed 70 firefighters and 10 engines to battle the blaze, evacuating nearly 180 residents from nearby areas.
Heathrow officials warned of “significant disruption over the coming days,” urging passengers not to come to the airport under any circumstances.
Passengers have been left furious, confused, and exhausted.
"It’s an absolute nightmare. We're stressed and desperately waiting to figure out what's going on,” said Hadley Davydaitis, whose dream trip to Central America was derailed.
Maria La Chica, another stranded traveler, lamented losing £1,500 in expenses tied to a now-delayed trip to Washington, D.C. Hey, bright side, she’d probably have been apprehended by DHS/ICE and deported to El Salvador!
With contingency plans in place but limited capacity at neighboring airports, experts predict the gridlock will last well beyond the fire’s containment.
As National Grid teams work to restore power, one thing is certain: Heathrow will be dealing with the fallout long after the smoke clears.
Source: The Sun
MAGA Senator Who Pushed “Trump Derangement Syndrome” Bill Resigns After Sex Sting Arrest
Well, that unraveled fast.
Minnesota state Senator Justin Eichorn, a MAGA Republican, resigned from jail on Thursday after being arrested for allegedly trying to solicit sex from someone he believed was a 17-year-old girl—who turned out to be an undercover cop.
Just hours earlier, Eichorn had co-sponsored a bill to label “Trump Derangement Syndrome” a mental illness. Who has the mental illness now?
Apparently, the real pathology was sitting in the mirror.
The sting, conducted by Bloomington Police, ended with Eichorn’s arrest “without incident” at the meetup location.
According to the complaint, the then-senator requested explicit photos, haggled over sex acts and pricing, and even discussed the age of consent—all while fully believing he was chatting with a minor.
Police found two iPhones, cash, and an unopened condom in his car.
As Chief Booker Hodges bluntly put it: “As a 40-year-old man, if you come to the Orange Jumpsuit District (yes, that’s what the cops call his hookup location) looking to have sex with someone’s child, you can expect that we are going to lock you up.”
Lawmakers across Minnesota, including GOP leadership, quickly called for Eichorn’s resignation. This literally surprised me. Since Trump emerged from the depths of the Mar-A-Lago swamp, GOPers have increasingly doubled down on crimes they commit.
Governor Tim Walz reminded everyone, “When you’re in a position of elected office, the bar is higher for you.”
Yeah, not really.
Eichorn’s short resignation letter cited “personal matters.”
No mention of the sting, the charges, or the fact that he just torched his career in the most public, humiliating way possible.
Source: Rolling Stone
Musk Offers $100 to Wisconsin Voters for Bashing Judges
In his latest performance art piece called “Democracy for Sale,” Elon Musk is now offering cold, hard cash—$100 a pop—to Wisconsin voters who sign a petition slamming so-called “activist judges.”
It’s all part of a push by his America PAC to sway the state’s upcoming Supreme Court race and boost a Trump-friendly candidate. Because nothing says “rule of law” like bribing voters to trash judges who dare check executive power. Musk has also funneled money into GOP lawmakers who want to impeach judges they don’t like, including those who’ve ruled against Trump policies. One recipient, Rep. Brandon Gill, ranted on X: “These judges must be stopped, or we don’t have a Republic anymore.” Sounds like a totally chill, non-authoritarian thing to say.
Musk’s vendetta against the judiciary hit warp speed this week, donating to a who's-who of MAGA lawmakers pushing fringe impeachment articles. His donations went to Reps. Lauren Boebert, Elijah Crane, Andrew Clyde, Andrew Ogles, Derrick Van Orden, Brandon Gill, and even Senate Judiciary fossil Chuck Grassley. Critics say Musk is trying to turn impeachment into a partisan sledgehammer. “It should not be the case that the separation of powers can be sold to the highest bidder,” said Georgetown Law professor Stephen Vladeck. But hey, if the robe fits…
Meanwhile, Musk’s PAC is sinking millions into Wisconsin, aiming to flip the state’s highest court in favor of Republican Brad Schimel. That race wasn’t even on the PAC’s radar until recently, but the idea of reshaping abortion rights and union power in a key swing state proved too tempting for Team Elon. One of Musk’s advisers called it “within striking distance,” while Democrats have gleefully used Musk’s growing influence as Exhibit A in their “oligarchy” messaging. To quote Musk himself after a judge blocked one of Trump’s anti-trans policies: “This is a judicial coup.” Nah, Elon. What you’re doing is just a financial one.
Source: WaPo
Musk Goes Full Metal Twitter: Threatens Pentagon Leakers Over China War Briefing Leak
Elon Musk is back in fire-breathing mode—this time aiming his flamethrower at alleged Pentagon leakers after a New York Times report claimed the tech mogul was set to receive a secret briefing on U.S. war plans involving China.
Musk, now serving as Donald Trump’s top adviser (because of course he is), took to X to denounce the story as “pure propaganda” and vowed that “they will be found,” referring to the anonymous sources behind the leak.
The Pentagon confirmed a meeting with Musk was planned but insisted “China will not even be mentioned or discussed,” echoing Trump’s own Truth Social tantrum: “How disgraceful it is that the discredited media can make up such lies.”
Musk reposted Trump’s denial and escalated things, writing that he looked “forward to the prosecution of those at the Pentagon who are leaking maliciously false information.”
So now the billionaire who controls rockets, satellites, and social media is also the self-appointed national snitch-hunter. Great.
The bigger issue here—beyond Musk’s latest ALL-CAPS fit—is what this means for government oversight and conflicts of interest. Musk’s ever-expanding role as shadow cabinet member, megadonor, and defense contractor has alarm bells ringing, especially with his business ties to China and his megaphone on X.
“This is a judicial coup,” Musk wrote earlier this week in another unrelated rant. Well, if this keeps up, we might need a whole new word for whatever this is.
Source: Politico
Damn, Leon Musk is such a loser. Why can’t he build that spaceship all by himself and fly his pasty white ass to Mars on a one-way ticket?
Trump Moves to Nuke the Department of Education
Because nothing says ‘better schools’ like blowing up the agency that oversees them
In a move that surprised no one who’s been following the MAGA playbook, President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education, fulfilling a long-held conservative dream—and igniting a political and constitutional firestorm.
Framed as a crusade to “empower parents, states, and communities,” the order claims to be about fixing a failing system, citing stats like “70 percent of 8th graders were below proficient in reading.”
But critics are calling it what it is: political theater dressed up as reform.
“This is political theater, not serious public policy,” said Ted Mitchell, president of the American Council on Education.
The Department of Education, which oversees everything from student loans to civil rights enforcement, has already been hollowed out under Trump, with staff levels slashed nearly in half.
Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has helped accelerate the gutting of federal agencies across the board, but Trump’s education order is his most explicit step yet toward axing a cabinet-level department.
While Trump insists that services like student loans and Pell Grants “will be preserved in full,” (he’s LYING) he vaguely promises they’ll be “redistributed to various other agencies”—a bureaucratic game of hot potato with $1.69 trillion in outstanding student debt on the line.
Here’s the catch: Trump can’t actually pull the plug on the department without Congress—and that’s a tall order. Or is it?
With only 53 Republicans in the Senate and shaky support in the House (where even 60 Republicans voted against it last time), the odds aren’t great. But it’s a different world today than last time they tried it.
Side note: They’re going to repeal the Affordable Care Act, too. Remember, that one was saved by that “sucker and loser” John McCain—a single fucking vote.
AND… Senator Bill Cassidy is ready to try anyway, vowing to introduce legislation to finish the job. So what’s next? Probably months of grandstanding, finger-pointing, and lawsuits. In the meantime, 43 million student borrowers are left wondering if the lights are going out at the agency that holds their debt.
Hey, I’d love to get a student loan that can’t be enforced. But somehow, those pigfuckers will figure out how to bleed those kids dry.
Source: Al Jazeera
Florida Executes Child Killer After SCOTUS Says No
Edward James, 63, was executed by lethal injection Thursday night at Florida State Prison after the Supreme Court denied his final appeals.
Convicted of the horrific 1993 rape and murder of 8-year-old Toni Neuner and the brutal stabbing of her grandmother, Betty Dick, James showed no remorse and offered no final statement.
The jury that sentenced him to death nearly unanimously agreed he deserved it. And after three decades, the state finally carried it out.
James had been staying in the victims’ home when he launched the drug-and-booze-fueled attack that ended in a cross-country escape.
He confessed on tape after being arrested in California with the grandmother’s stolen jewelry and car.
Despite desperate last-minute arguments that his heart attack in prison somehow rewired his brain, courts were unconvinced.
“Cognitive issues did not shield James from his death sentence,” the Florida Supreme Court ruled, effectively shutting the door on his final bid for clemency.
This marks Florida’s second execution in 2025, with more scheduled.
James’ method of death followed the state’s standard three-drug protocol—sedative, paralytic, then heart-stopper.
Source: MDGN
Look, I’m a father and I’d kill the son of a bitch with my bare hands… That said, I don’t think “the State” ought to be taking lives. Let the bitch rot in prison. But kill him? State-sponsored murder is wrong.