Ben Keenan Just Can't Stop Talking

Trump Is Crashing the Economy So Badly that 58% of Americans Think We're Already in a Recession

Here's what happened April 8, 2025: * At least 44 people died and more than 160 others were injured after a roof fell in at a nightclub in Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic, authorities say. Apparently this was an iconic nightclub with attendees that included politicians, athletes, performers, and more attending a merengue concert. * In a massive escalation, Donald Trump has increased reciprocal tariffs on China to 104% after China didn’t remove their reciprocal tariffs on the US. For context, we get 16.5% of our imported goods from China, meaning that now, nearly 1 in every 5 items you buy will be DOUBLE the price it was yesterday. Thanks Trump. * Democratic Senator from Oregon, Ron Wyden, announced a bipartisan resolution to end Trump’s global tariffs - cool, only 2 issues. 1. Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson will NEVER bring this to a vote in the House, and 2. Even if he DID bring this up for a vote and it passed, Trump already said he would veto it. So what do we do now… * The Denver Nuggets NBA team have fired their coach, Michael Malone, despite him being the winningest coach in franchise history and also winning the only championship in franchise history - THEN they also fired their GM, Calvin Boot. Recession core. * In a new court filing, we learned that the IRS has agreed to share the personal information of undocumented taxpayers with ICE * As of 12:45pm, the S&P 500 completely wiped out the full last year of gains, with a new Cygnal poll reporting that 58% of Americans believe that we are currently in a recession. And yet Trump’s disapproval number is still only like 55% - I need to speak to that 3% of folks that think we’re in a recession, but approve of Trump, expeditiously * After filing for bankruptcy, Big Lots - the giant retail store - announces store reopenings and maybe it’s a me thing, but do I just not know what bankruptcy means. Shouldn’t they just be gone with no money? * Texas’s Republican Attorney General, the notoriously corrupt Ken Paxton, has announced a primary challenge to Republican Senator John Cornyn. Now, while Ken Paxton becoming a Senator would be one of the worst things I could imagine for the Senate, the possibility of enough people hating him and the primary getting nasty could be a really good opportunity for Texas to elect a Democrat in a Blue Wave year…something to consider when looking at who could potentially run.

Nicki Minaj Was Named the Best Female Rapper of All Time by Billboard

Here's what happened April 7, 2025: * Off the back of Trump’s tariffs and the stock market absolutely PLUMMETING, China’s stock market opened before the US to the worst single-day crash since 2008. The S&P 500 is having its worst three-consecutive-days since October 1987. The DOW also dropped 1200 points at opening. And yes, we’re creeping close to a recession. * Secretary of HHS RFK Jr. has come out in support of the MMR vaccine in order to control the spread of measles that HE HIMSELF caused through his anti-vax rhetoric. * We have FINALLY gotten the first trailer of Wes Anderson’s new moving “THE PHOENICIAN SCHEME”, starring Benicio del Toro, Mia Threapleton, Michael Cera, Tom Hanks, Benedict Cumberbatch, Scarlett Johanson and more * Remember the Maryland father who was mistakenly sent to a prison in El Salvador by the Trump administration due to “administrative error”? And remember how a federal judge ordered that the Trump administration return this guy? Well, as you could’ve probably predicted, the Trump administration is appealing this decision to the Supreme Court. They ACTIVELY ASKING the Supreme Court to block this decision, meaning that they just fucking leave a man they mistakenly deported there. Well anyway, the Supreme Court gave into Trump and stopped the ordered that would return the guy they mistakenly sent * Speaking of the Supreme Court, they opted today to turn away a challenge to New York’s recently enacted gun restrictions, meaning that most provisions of the laws, including a ban on carrying concealed firearms in sensitive places, remain in tact * Billboard has named Nicki Minaj the best female rapper of all time. * After RFK Jr.’s come to Jesus moment about recommending the MMR vaccine, he NOW is saying he plans to tell the CDC to stop recommending flouride in drinking water. * An American YouTuber has been arrested for visiting an off-limits island in the Indian Ocean and leaving a can of Diet Coke for the reclusive Sentinelese tribe - objectively funny. Less funny? In 2018, the tribe killed an American missionary who arrived illegally on the beach. * Back to the Supreme Court, they lifted a court ordering blocking Trump from deporting Venezuelans under a rarely used 1798 wartime law called the Alien Enemies Act. * The University of Florida beat the University of Houston to win the Men’s NCAA March Madness tournament * And finally, Mercury Retrograde ended last night

Trump Put Tariffs on Penguins & Now JPMorgan is Predicting a Recession, So That Sucks

Here's what happened on April 4, 2025: * So quick update on Trump’s tariffs we spoke about yesterday. Turns out when I said they were on every country, I misspoke - they’re on every country EXCEPT Russia, North Korea, Belarus, and Cuba. They’re even on the McDonald Islands, which is solely inhabited by penguins. Even the PENGUINS got higher tariffs than Russia did! * Apple has added 8 new emojis to the newest update, including a tired face, a fingerprint, a purple splat, a shovel, an old spooky dead tree, a harp, a radish, and a flag of Sark, which is a self-governing island in the Channel Islands * Robert Irwin - son of crocodile and snake person Steve Irwin - has entered the modeling game for an underwear brand called Bonds and let me tell you this guy is RIPPED. Good for him. * Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has announced that Hungary will withdraw from the ICC so he’s able to host Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu without having to arrest him for entering the country. As a reminder, the ICC has an arrest warrant out for Netanyahu over allegations of Israel committing war crimes in Gaza * New Hampshire Democratic Congressman Chris Pappas announced his run for Senate to replace outgoing Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen. * New York Democratic Mayor Eric Adams has decided that he’s going to skip the Democratic primary for the seat and instead run for re-election as an independent candidate. * Subway has revealed a new footlong menu item: Doritos Footlong Nachos * Australia has banned social media for kids under 16 years old - this will start December 10 and will impact platforms such as Snapchat, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. This law is the first of its kind in the world * Kesha has announced her Tits Out Tour for this summer, with Scissor Sisters, Slayyyter, and Rose Gray.  * The Pentagon’s acting inspector general announced that they’re now investigating Pete Hegseth’s use of a Signal chat for the Yemen bombing attack plans * Disney’s live-action remake of “Tangled” has been paused after an underwhelming response to the live-action remake of Snow White with Rachel Zeigler. * The 2025 VMAs are being broadcast by CBS for the first ever, instead of being broadcast by MTV. * The Dow dropped more than 1600 points today due to Trump’s tariffs, marking the biggest wipeout of the stock market since 2020 and the first time ever that the Dow dropped more than 1500 points on back-to-back days. The NASDAQ is down 20% since Trump took office and he’s out golfing today, yet again. Make America Great Again, amirite * Russell Brand has been charged with rape, indecent assault, and sexual assault by London’s Metropolitan Police. According to Variety, the charges relate to four separate women and incidents that took place between 1999 and 2005. * The Democratic Party has launched what they’re calling “The People’s Cabinet” in order to counter messaging from the White House and Republicans. * JPMorgan has officially stated that they predict a recession in 2025 so that sucks, and Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell says that Trump’s tariffs will likely raise inflation and slow US economic growth, womp womp * In a 2-1 decision, the North Carolina Court of Appeals has sided with the Republican who lost by 700something votes, ordering the State Board of Elections to recount the votes of 65,000. * Eminem has welcomed his first grandchild * Duke freshman men’s basketball player Cooper Flagg has been named AP Player of the Year * Kombucha girl influencer and comedian Brittany Broski has released her debut original song, “The Sun” * Ed Sheeran has released his new single, “Azizam” from his upcoming album “Play”  * Trump announced an additional 75 day delay in the TikTok ban, saying that the deal “requires more work” - the new deadline is now June 19. * The US Supreme Court has approved Trump’s freezing of millions of dollars in grants used to address teacher shortages in poor and rural areas. * FKA Twigs cancelled her North America tour over visa issues

Trump Put Tariffs on Every Country in the World and FOR WHAT?!

Here's everything that happened April 2, 2025: * Actor Val Kilmer died at 65 years old * The results are in for the mayoral race in Aurora, IL, the state’s second-largest city - Incumbent mayor Richard Irvan, who ran for governor as a Republican in 2022 and has aligned himself closely with Trump, was defeated by his Democratic challenger, John Laesch. Democrats have successfully flipped this city from having a Republican mayor to a Democratic mayor. * Michigan State Senator Mallory McMorrow has announced she’s running for Senate in Michigan * Glen Powell has come out with a new line of condiments called Smash Kitchen  * Nintendo has announced a new game, “Mario Kart: World”, which will be coming exclusively to the Nintendo Switch 2 * Former Biden Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra (yes, he held the role right before current Secretary RFK Jr.) announced that he’s running for Governor of California * In an exclusive story from POLITICO, Trump has told his inner circle, including members of his Cabinet, that Elon Musk will soon be stepping back from his current role as governing partner, ubiquitous cheerleader and Washington hatchet man. * Apparently Amazon is going to make a bid to buy TikTok in the US. In another potential play here, Trump is also considering a deal where ByteDance continues to own the algorithm and just leases it to TIkTok and whoever ultimately ends up owning it in the US. Oh and then also the founder of OnlyFans decided to put in a bid to buy TikTok, as well, which I mean… * It’s been confirmed that influencer Jake Shane has been cast in the upcoming Season 4 of Hacks * Melinda French Gates, the ex-wife of Bill Gates, has revealed in an exclusive to PEOPLE that she’s dating again and very happy in a new relationship * NBA star Carmelo Anthony has been notified that he’s been elected into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2025 * There is apparently a Hawk Tuah documentary in the works about the Hawk Tuah girl herself, Hailey Welch * Trump announced that starting at midnight, he’s implementing what he calls “reciprocal tariffs” on ALL imports into the US with a baseline tariff of 10% on all countries, to allegedly promote US manufacturing, but what we’ll get are higher costs and trade wars. Oh and the stock market TANKED right after this announcement and 2025 recession odds jumped to 50% on Polymarket

Black Democratic Senator Cory Booker Just Beat Segregationist Strom Thurmond's "Longest Speech" Record

Here's what happened on April 1, 2025: * New Jersey Democratic Senator Cory Booker’s standing filibuster officially broke the record of 24 hours and 18 minutes, held by segregationist Strom Thurmand to protest the passage of the Civil Rights Act ,standing himself for 25 hours and 4 minutes * The Trump Administration admitted in a court filing that it had mistakenly deported a Maryland father to a notoriously dangerous prison in El Salvador due to “administrative error”, but due to him already being in El Salvador, they’re unable to bring him home. * US Attorney General Pam Bondi has directed federal prosecutors to seek the death penalty for Luigi Mangione in the alleged killing of the UnitedHealthcare CEO. * Steve Kornacki and his election-time khakis are leaving us. Sort of. NBC News confirmed today that Steve will be leaving his election analysis at MSNBC and will be moving to NBC News and NBC Sports as parent company Comcast prepares to spin off the bulk of its cable networks into a new stand-alone entity. * Tinder launched something new called The Game Game, where users can test their flirting skills with an AI. * Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced that Israel eliminated tariffs on American goods. * According to the Washington Post, Mike Waltz - the same guy who added the Editor  from The Atlantic to the Yemen bombing group chat - has ALSO been using Gmail for government communications * The Republican won in Florida’s 6th Congressional District to replace Mike Waltz, but this is a 19 point shift towards the Democrats since Trump won this in November by 33 points. * The Republican won in Florida’s 1st Congressional District to replace Matt Gaetz, but much like the other race, Jimmy Patronis only won by 13 points, while Trump won by 37 points in November. Once again, this is a 24 point shift towards the Democrats. * Brad Pitt is set to reprise his role in “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” in a new movie at Netflix directed by David Fincher and written by Quentin Tarantino. * The Democrat won in the Wisconsin Supreme Court race where Elon Musk personally spent $19.44M to try and influence the result. This preserves the liberal 4-3 makeup of the Wisconsin Supreme Court