Current Events
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Source: SOPA Images / Getty
A member of the Black Americans for Trump Coalition and a Republican strategist pondered President Donald Trump’s policies on tariffs, describing the messaging around them as “chaotic.” Melik Abdul, the Black Americans for Trump Coalition member in question, spoke with CNN about the implementation of global tariffs and the effect it’s having on the nation and the economy.
Melik Abdul was a guest on CNN’s Table For Five program discussing President Donald Trump and some of the conversations he’s been having surrounding his policies, citing that people threw their support behind the longtime mogul based on the perception of his business acumen. However, Abdul appeared to be disillusioned with President Trump’s handling of the tariffs situation and didn’t meet the expectations he and others had when they voted for him.
“It is what I can only describe as a very chaotic week. Because you’re right, a lot of the things that you pointed out, Donald Trump, they were full-throated in this, and this is the thing: it was the certainty that this is going to work,” Abdul began.
He added, “And as the market got that little bump and they say, ‘See, this is what deal-making is, this is art of the deal.’ and then we see a different story. And it is the messaging where you have Donald Trump saying one thing. You may have Ka
roline Leavitt saying another thing, you may have Lutnick saying another thing, you may have [Treasury Secretary Scott] Bessent saying another thing.”
The CNN segment and Melik Abdul’s commentary can be viewed here.
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Photo: Getty
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Source: Aaron M. Sprecher / Getty / Stephen A. Smith
The internet is screaming at Stephen A. Smith that no one wants him to run for president.
Stephen A. Smith is growing increasingly bored with dropping sports hot takes and being mad at LeBron James.
He is now setting his sights on the world of politics, as he has been making appearances on Fox News, The View, and NewsNation to express his disdain for the current Democratic party and Republicans, especially Donald Trump.
Appearing on This Week on ABC, Smith told co-host Jonathan Karl that he is so fed up with Democrats that he has “no choice” but to consider a run for the White House.
“I have no choice, because I’ve had elected officials, and I’m not going to give their names, elected officials coming up to me. I’ve had folks who are pundits come up to me. I’ve had folks that got a lot of money, billionaires and others that have talked to me about exploratory committees and things of that nature. I’m not a politician. I’ve never had a desire to be a politician,” Smtih said.
Smith claims that numerous people are, including his pastor, have come up to him, suggesting that he should run.
“Here’s the reality: People, literally people, have walked up to me, including my own pastor, for crying out loud, who has said to me, ‘You don’t know what God has planned for you. At least show the respect to the people who believe in you, who respect you, who believe that you can make a difference in this country, to leave the door open for any possibilities some to three years down the line.’ And that’s what I’ve decided to do.”
https://x.com/RpsAgainstTrump/status/1911443893637230820
Sure Stephen.
Social Media Does Not Want Stephen A. Smith To Run For President
Following the segment, folks have hopped on X, formerly Twitter to ask WHO are these people telling screaming Stephen to run for president and to let the First Take host that no one with an ounce of common sense wants him to run for the highest office in the land.
“I’m at the gym where Fox News is on. The headline says “Stephen A. Smith leaves door open for a 2028 presidential bid.” My first reaction: Who? So I look him up,” one user on X wrote.
Author Dan Winslow wrote, “Dear @stephenasmith This country cannot afford another TV personality. Please save your BS for TV and radio.”
“If you vote for Stephen A Smith in an type of presidential race, somebody gotta shoot you in both hands dawg,” another post read.
Yeah, so basically, no, we don’t need a another loud mouth celebrity to be president.
https://x.com/2Strong2Silence/status/1911782352423911497
You can see more reactions from the gallery below.
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Source: MANDEL NGAN / Getty / Donald Trump / Cheryl Hines / Robert F Kennedy Jr. / UFC
Actress Cheryl Hines, the wife of anti-vax conspiracy theorist quack Robert F. Kennedy Jr., had a moment at a recent UFC event involving Donald Trump that would make her fictional husband on Curb Your Enthusiasm, Larry David, laugh out loud.
Tanking the global economy, wiping away Americans’ 401Ks, “running the FBI,” firing federal employees for no good damn reason, and completely mishandling a measles outbreak is a lot of hard work. So, to blow off some steam and have some fun, Donald Trump and his cronies took a company outing to the one place they knew they would be accepted and applauded for all their hard work: a UFC event.
It’s been a week of so much “winning” going on (we’re being sarcastic, by the way) in the United States, so what better way to celebrate than to watch a bunch of men beat each other brains out?
Donald Trump, flanked by Texas Senator Ted Cruz, the proxy president Elon Musk, and his two highly unqualified picks, FBI Director Kash Patel and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., attended UFC 314 in Miami, Florida.
The action in the octagon isn’t what is currently the talk of social media. It’s a moment that happened in the seats between Trump and Hines.
The aloof orange menace was doling out handshakes before the event kicked off, and he visibly snubbed Hines in what was truly an awkward moment that would have fit perfectly in Curb Your Enthusiasm.
If you look at the video in slow motion, it didn’t look like an accident either.
https://x.com/donwinslow/status/1911287559462027319
X Is Clowning Cheryl Hines For Getting Snubbed
Users on X, formerly Twitter, have been clowning Hines following the snubbing.
“Trump just totally ignored @CherylHines at UFC….love this for her,” one account said on X.
Another user wrote, “Donald Trump snubbing Cheryl Hines is literally a real life Curb Your Enthusiasm moment.”
Indeed it was.
Oh well, this is what you get when you hitch your wagon to an anti-vaxxer and a felon president who is blatantly racist.
You can see more reactions in the gallery below.
2. Howling
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Source: Dave Kotinsky / Getty / Adin Ross
Donald Trump supporters clearly are broken; Adin Ross is a good example of that.
Just days after complaining that Trump and his stupid tariffs cost him “eight figures,” streamer and all-around goofball Adin Ross is still a believer in Orange Mussolini.
During a recent Kick stream, Ross told the losers still watching him to believe in Trump, despite Felon 47 wrecking the global economy by showering the world with tariffs before eventually caving and calling for a 90-day pause on some of them while still keeping a 145% tariff on China.
“The tariff shit is a really good thing. All these other countries got tariffs on us. Be patient. Let [Trump] fix the country. The country’s sick. Let him take his medicine, and the country’s gonna get fixed.”
Adin Ross Doesn’t Seem To Understand What Is Going On
Of course, Ross sounds as idiotic as his MAGA lord and savoir because it’s not as simple as he makes it seem. Also, Trump hit our major trading partners with tariffs using a bullsh*t tariff equation that economists discovered contained an error.
“You guys see the stock market? Boom, green just like that,” he continued. “You understand why he’s a good president? Cause no presidents ever dropped nuts like that. Like, bro, that’s why we’re respected, bro. Motherfuckers can’t bitch us around and punk us. I’m being real. Stop. We all voted for him. Believe in our president, bro.”
“You don’t gotta like me, you don’t even gotta like Trump, but he’s your president. So respect him, bro. He’s in office, alright?” he added.
Ummm, no, we don’t have to respect him, Adin.
Ross refers to the quick rebound the stock market experienced with the pause announcement. Still, things quickly went left, with it dipping back into the red. The dollar’s value recently fell as the markets reacted to China upping its tariffs to 125 percent on US exports, and bond yields rose.
According to Axios, the only reason Trump called for a 90-day pause on his tariffs was pressure from CEOs, Republican allies, and the shaky financial and bonds markets.
Trump’s call for a pause also raised alarm bells, with some Democrats accusing the current president of manipulating the market.
Welp.
Ross is currently getting clowned on social media for being the MAGA simp that he is.
You can see those reactions in the gallery below.
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Source: Anna Rose Layden / Getty / Jahana Hayes
Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) learned the hard way not to interrupt Rep. Jahana Hayes (D-CT) when she is making a point.
During a televised CNN town hall event, things got testy when the topic of discussion shifted to Elon Musk and DOGE’s (Department of Government Efficiency) cuts to federal agencies to stop what they deem as waste and fraud.
Hayes didn’t bite her tongue about Elon Musk after Lawler dared to defend Musk and DOGE’s actions, leading to a tense exchange between the two politicians.
Lawler defended Phony Stark, crediting him with a “turbocharged forensic audit through every department and agency.”
In response to Lawler’s praise of Musk, Hayes had to remind him and the American people how terrible cuts have been and that the American public has a “right to be concerned about Elon Musk because he’s an unelected billionaire who has a tremendous amount of influence.”
She continued, “This is not normal. All of this waste, fraud, and abuse we don’t want that either, but what we’re talking about is burning down the house…”
Lawler couldn’t stand for Hayes clowning of Musk and tried to interrupt her, but she quickly shut him down telling him to his face, “”I’m still talking, please!” He responded by asking her, “Is there one thing you agree with?”
Hayes Patience With Lawler Ran Out
He didn’t stop as he sat back down, continuing to interrupt Hayes as she addressed attendees until she stopped and asked, “Mr. Lawler, can you please let me finish my conversation?” as he continued to ask his question, forcing her to confront him once again, “What is your question?”
“Can you identify one thing of waste that they have found that you actually agree with that should be eliminated?” Lawler asked.
Hayes responded by calling out fraud in the unemployment system, adding “And we have processes and policies to do that, but for one person to make those decisions, everyone should have a level of concern by that.”
She wasn’t done. When Lawler mentioned that there were “career employees” in DOGE going over our data, Hayes asked the million-dollar question, “Who are they?” over and over.
Spoiler alert: Lawler didn’t answer her question.
Welp.
You can see social media reactions to the town hall in the gallery below.
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Sony Classical / Sony Masterworks / Sinners
One thing you can always count on with a Ryan Coogler film is a fire soundtrack, and it looks like that streak will continue with the official soundtrack for his upcoming vampire flick, Sinners, starring Michael B. Jordan.
While the blood will be spilling, the toes will be tapping. The highly anticipated horror flick’s official soundtrack will feature some big names while sticking to the film’s core theme.
Coogler loves to collaborate with those he is familiar with, which is why he and Michael B. Jordan have become one of Hollywood’s most successful duos. So it should come as no surprise that he is working once again with Ludwig Görranson.
Ludwig Görranson has provided exceptional soundtracks for Coogler’s other successful movie franchises like Creed and Black Panther, so it’s not a stretch of any kind to think that won’t be the case for Sinners.
Ludwig Görranson Reveals Working On Sinners‘ Score & Soundtrack Was Personal To Him
Coogler’s vampire movie takes place in the Jim Crow era South, so you can expect Görranson’s production to reflect that in the songs on the soundtrack, which he revealed working on was very personal to him.
“I never imagined I’d score a film about a guitar player — it hits close to home,” said Göransson. “My dad, a guitar teacher at the local school and a die-hard blues fanatic, put a guitar in my hands when I was six. If it were up to him, I’d be named Albert for Albert King, the legendary guitarist. The ore I composed for Sinners is the most personal of my career. It’s reflection of my own musical journey, told through the voice of the instrument that means the most to me. I per orm it on a 1932 Dobro Cyclops resonator—the very same guitar that Preacherboy Sammie carries throughout the film.”
The soundtrack features songs from Rod Wave, James Blake, Don Toliver, Brittany Howard, Raphael Saadiq, Buddy Guy, Rhiannon Giddens, Cedric Burnside, Eric Gales, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, Iarla Ó Lionáird, Jerry Cantrell, Lola Kirke, Peter Dreams, Bobby Rush, OG DAYV, Jack O’Connell, Sharde Thomas-Mallory and more.
You can listen to “Why You Here / Before the Sun Went Down,” the score’s lead single featuring Miles Caton, who also stars in the film above, and check out the entire tracklist from the soundtrack and its lead single, “Sinners,” from Rod Wave below.
This Little Light of Mine – Miles Caton, DC6 Singers Collective, and Pleasant Valley Youth Choir of New Orleans
Flames of Fortune – Ludwig Göransson and Don Toliver
Wang Dang Doodle – Cedric Burnside, Sharde Thomas-Mallory and Tierinii Jackson
Travelin’ – Miles Caton
Juke – Bobby Rush and Miles Caton
Séance – James Blake and Ludwig Göransson
coming soon
I Lied To You – Miles Caton
Pick Poor Robin Clean – Jack O’Connell, Lola Kirke and Peter Dreams
Can’t Win for Losin’ – Cedric Burnside and Tierinii Jackson
Old Corn Liquor – Rhiannon Giddens and Justin Robinson
Will Ye Go, Lassie Go? – Lola Kirke, Peter Dreams, Brian Dunphy, Darren Holden and Jack O’Connell
Pale, Pale Moon – Jayme Lawson
Rocky Road to Dublin – Jack O’Connell, Brian Dunphy and Darren Holden
In Moonlight – Jerry Cantrell and Ludwig Göransson
Travelin’ – Buddy Guy
Last Time (I Seen the Sun) – Alice Smith and Miles Caton
Sinners – Rod Wave
Troubled Waters – OG DAYV and Uncle James
Pale, Pale Moon – Brittany Howard
I Lied To You (Radio Edit) – Miles Caton
Pick Poor Robin Clean – Geechie Wiley
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Source: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI / Getty
Congressional Democrats are calling out the Trump administration for what they claim is insider trading after his abrupt walkback of global tariffs. On Wednesday morning (April 9), President Donald Trump posted to his Truth Social media network shortly after the stock market opened in the United States: “THIS IS A GREAT TIME TO BUY!!! DJT.” Hours later, he announced that he was pausing his wide-sweeping tariffs on other countries except China – he held firm on keeping tariffs on imports from that country at 125%. The markets rose after the news, after having fallen dramatically since his “Liberation Day” declaration of the global tariffs on April 2, with the S&P 500 up 9.5% at closing.
What raised red flags with Democrats was Trump’s signoff on Truth Social with his initials. It’s not a normal practice of his to do so, and the initials also stand for the Trump Media & Technology Group on the stock market ticker. The group’s stock value rose 22%. California Representative Adam Schiff highlighted the issue in a post on X, formerly Twitter, saying: “So the question is between that tweet and Donald Trump’s announcement that he was reducing the tariffs on most other nations apart from China, the question is who knew what the President was gonna do and did people around the president trade stock knowing the incredible gyration the market was about to go through?”
Other Democratic lawmakers echoed Schiff’s outrage. Representative Steven Horsford challenged U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer during a hearing when Greer claimed he had no idea of Trump’s motives. “This is amateur hour, and it needs to stop. What does this even mean for your negotiating strategy? How are you in charge of negotiation if the president is tweeting about this from wherever the hell he is?” he asked. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez also voiced her concerns in a post on X, writing: “I’ve been hearing some interesting chatter on the floor. Disclosure deadline is May 15th. We’re about to learn a few things. It’s time to ban insider trading in Congress.”When questioned by reporters about when he decided to make the pause, Trump replied, “For a period of a time. I would say this morning. Over the last few days, I’ve been thinking about it.” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt defended Trump’s decision, sarcastically telling reporters that it was his “art of the deal” at play.
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Allen Berezovsky
Despite being left off Thierry Frémaux’s list of Official Selection titles Thursday morning, Spike Lee’s latest film, Highest 2 Lowest, will debut Out of Competition at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.
Taking to Instagram, Lee announced the good news, writing in the caption of a photo featuring production merch from the upcoming film “Bon Jour. Good Morning. Whaddup❓Da New SPIKE LEE JOINT-HIGHEST 2 LOWEST Starring My Brother DENZEL WASHINGTON Has Been Invited To Da 2025 CANNES INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (In The Out Of Competition Category). AND DAT’S DA BOTTLES OF 🍾 🥂TRUTH, RUTH. YA-DIG❓SHO-NUFF.”
Following Spike’s announcement, the film festival confirmed the film’s addition and also revealed why it was left off the list.
“The film was not announced this morning due to one final piece of information we were awaiting — the confirmation of Denzel Washington’s presence at Cannes. Highest 2 Lowest, directed by Spike Lee, will indeed be presented as part of the Official Selection, Out of Competition, and will be screened, in the presence of Denzel Washington, on Monday, May 19, 2025,” the statement read.
Spike Lee Kurosawa’s 2 Lowest Is A Reimiganing of The Original Film
As for the film, Lee confirmed while speaking at the Red Sea Film Festival that his film is not a remake of AkiraKurosawa’s 1963 crime thriller High and Low but a “reinterpretation.”
The film will reunite longtime collaborators Lee and Washington for a fifth time. The duo previously worked on Malcolm X, Mo’Better Blues, He Got Game, and Inside Man.
While Kurosawa’s film followed an executive at a Yokohama shoe company who gets extorted after his chauffeur’s son is kidnapped by mistake and held for ransom.
In Lee’s reimagining of the original, Washington plays a music mogul who runs a music label.
Per Deadline:
“In Kurosawa’s film, Toshiro Mifune is a shoemaker,” said Lee. “In our film, Denzel Washington is a music mogul with his own label and his reputation as the best ears in the business. So, this is the fifth film with the dynamic duo.”
Apple Original Films and A24 will partner on Lee’s nexrt joint. A24 will handle the film’s theatrical release before its launch on launch on AppleTV+.
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Eugene “Big U” Henley Jr. made headlines after a sweeping 43-count indictment was levied upon the longtime music executive and alleged gang leader. Big U has entered a not guilty plea over racketeering and fraud, among other charges.
Local outlet Fox 11 reports that Eugene “Big U” Henley Jr., 58, pleaded not guilty ahead of a detention hearing set to take place on Thursday (April 10). Henley is accused of being a leading figure in the Rollin’ 60s Crips gang collective and using his “OG” status to extort entertainers and celebrities who visited Los Angeles.
Henley is also accused of running high-stakes and illegal gambling sessions, and is accused of doling out violence, including the alleged murder of an up-and-coming rapper in Las Vegas. Henley’s ties to music were notable, and he is credited with helping jumpstart the career of the late Nipsey Hussle.
Big U turned himself in to the authorities but made an impassioned set of videos explaining how much he’s done for the community and that he’s done work to end the gang violence that grips Southern California.
If convicted, Big U could face hundreds of years behind bars.
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Photo: Leon Bennett / Getty
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Eugene “Big U” Henley Jr. made headlines after a sweeping 43-count indictment was levied upon the longtime music executive and alleged gang leader. Big U has entered a not guilty plea over racketeering and fraud, among other charges.
Local outlet Fox 11 reports that Eugene “Big U” Henley Jr., 58, pleaded not guilty ahead of a detention hearing set to take place on Thursday (April 10). Henley is accused of being a leading figure in the Rollin’ 60s Crips gang collective and using his “OG” status to extort entertainers and celebrities who visited Los Angeles.
Henley is also accused of running high-stakes and illegal gambling sessions, and is accused of doling out violence, including the alleged murder of an up-and-coming rapper in Las Vegas. Henley’s ties to music were notable, and he is credited with helping jumpstart the career of the late Nipsey Hussle.
Big U turned himself in to the authorities but made an impassioned set of videos explaining how much he’s done for the community and that he’s done work to end the gang violence that grips Southern California.
If convicted, Big U could face hundreds of years behind bars.
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Photo: Leon Bennett / Getty