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The Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) have launched an official inquiry into the event ticketing business at the urging of President Donald Trump, the agencies announced Wednesday (May 7).
As part of the inquiry, “the agencies invite members of the public to submit comments and information on harmful practices and on potential regulation or legislation to protect consumers in the industry,” according to a press release. Anyone “impacted by anticompetitive practices in the live concert and entertainment industry” will have 60 days to submit comments to Regulations.gov, with the comment period concluding on July 7.
After the comment period closes, the agencies state they will “use the information in their preparation of the report and recommendations directed by President Trump” in his Executive Order 14254, also known as Combating Unfair Practices in the Live Entertainment Market. Signed by the president during a March 31 meeting in the Oval Office with musician Kid Rock in attendance, the order directed the Attorney General, along with the Secretary of the Treasury and the chairman of the FTC, to submit a report identifying “recommendations for regulations or legislation necessary to protect consumers” in the industry, including by enforcing the Better Online Tickets Sales (BOTS) Act.
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Passed in 2016, the BOTS Act gives both the DOJ and the FTC broad power to crack down on scalpers who illegally use automated technology to skirt the restrictions placed on high-demand ticket sales and prevents scalpers from buying up the best seats to flip for profit. Yet since its passage in 2016, the BOTS Act has only been used once to prosecute scalpers who knowingly break the rules put in place to make ticket buying fairer and more equitable.
“Competitive live entertainment markets should deliver value to artists and fans alike,” said Assistant Attorney General Abigail Slater of the DOJ’s Antitrust Division in a statement. “We will continue to closely examine this market and look for opportunities where vigorous enforcement of the antitrust laws can lead to increased competition that makes tickets more affordable for fans while offering fairer compensation for artists.”
Added FTC Chairman Andrew N. Ferguson, “Many Americans feel like they are being priced out of live entertainment by scalpers, bots, and other unfair and deceptive practices. Now their voices are being heard. President Trump has sent a clear message that bad actors who exploit fans and distort the marketplace will not be tolerated. The FTC is proud to help deliver on that promise and restore fair and competitive markets that benefit ordinary Americans.”
The inquiry comes as several ticketing bills work their way through Congress, most notably the TICKET ACT, which passed the House of Representatives on April 29 and also includes language calling for the enforcement of BOTS Act.
“Illegal bot use runs rampant in the ticketing industry because the FTC has only brought one enforcement action since the use of bots was banned in 2016,” read a statement from Stephen Parker, executive director of National Independent Venue Association (NIVA), shortly after the April 29 passage of the TICKET ACT in the House. He added, “We hope Congress does not miss the opportunity to ensure these laws are actually enforced in the future.”
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Source: Getty Images / Donald Trump / Avengers: Doomsday
Donald Trump’s stupidity continues to hit new highs. For his next ridiculous act, Trump is ordering a 100% tariff on foreign-made films, and according to reporting, it’s all because of one of his loyal Hollywood supporters.
Out of nowhere, Trump, who more than likely was sitting on his gaudy Mar-A-Lago couch, watching TV, instead of doing his job as President of the United States, posted on his trash social media platform his latest dumb a** idea to hit foreign-made films with a 100% tariff, because in his words it’s a “national threat.”
We wished we were making this up, but he is dead serious.
“The Movie Industry in America is DYING a very fast death,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Other Countries are offering all sorts of incentives to draw our filmmakers and studios away from the United States. Hollywood, and many other areas within the U.S.A., are being devastated. This is a concerted effort by other Nations and, therefore, a National Security threat.”
“It is, in addition to everything else, messaging and propaganda! Therefore, I am authorizing the Department of Commerce, and the United States Trade Representative, to immediately begin the process of instituting a 100% Tariff on any and all Movies coming into our Country that are produced in Foreign Lands,” Trump continued. “WE WANT MOVIES MADE IN AMERICA, AGAIN!”
Lol, what?
It’s unclear how Trump plans to implement these latest abuse tariffs. Still, according to The Guardian, he could be trying to target a system of tax subsidies that allows Hollywood producers to receive large sums of money if they shoot movies in studios in approved countries.
So, where did he get this idea from?
According to TNR, he could have gotten the idea from actor Jon Voight, who is a staunch supporter of Felon 47.
Per TNR:
Months later, it appears that Voight—also known as the film industry’s most ardent conservative—spoke with Trump, and Trump listened.
Voight has reportedly spent weeks talking to the Directors Guild of America, Teamsters, and IATSE, Deadline reported Friday. The fruit of those conversations, according to sources with knowledge of them who spoke to the entertainment publication, was supposed to be a tax incentive that Hollywood has been clamoring for.
Instead, Trump went the way of the tariff, which squares into an administration that has aggressively curtailed spending in order to extend extremely expensive tax breaks for billionaires.
Social media had plenty of jokes, including some adding that the next season of The White Lotus could end up in Cleveland.
You can see those reactions in the gallery below.
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Source: The Washington Post / Getty
On Wednesday (April 30), President Donald Trump opined about the stock market’s freefall on his Truth Social media platform, aiming to blame former President Joe Biden. “This is Biden’s Stock Market, not Trump’s,” he posted. “I didn’t take over until January 20th. Tariffs will soon start kicking in, and companies are starting to move into the USA in record numbers.”Trump continued, “Our Country will boom, but we have to get rid of the Biden ‘Overhang. This will take a while, has NOTHING TO DO WITH TARIFFS, only that he left us with bad numbers, but when the boom begins, it will be like no other. BE PATIENT!!!” A report from the Commerce Department on Wednesday showed that the American economy shrunk 0.5% in the first quarter of 2025, with inflation remaining firm. It’s the first such occurrence since 2022, capping off Trump’s first 100 days into his second term with the worst economic showing for the stock market since Richard Nixon was in office.It follows a pattern of Trump to avoid taking responsibility for any consequences for his economic policy decisions. Last January, as the economy was faring well in Biden’s last year in office, Trump tried to claim credit even though he hadn’t been in office for four years. When he took office this January, the market surged in response. “Everyone is calling it the — I don’t want to say this. It’s too braggadocious, but we’ll say it anyway — the Trump effect,” Trump said during a rally in Washington, D.C. before his inaugruation. “It’s you. You’re the effect. Since the election, the stock market has surged, and small-business optimism has soared, a record 41 points to a 39-year high.”But on April 2, Trump declared “Liberation Day”, where he enacted tariffs on every country in the world. The brushback has been swift, and there are growing signs that the effects will be hard on the American public as the summer begins. Observers have been noting the slowdown of cargo ships coming from China, even after Trump enacted a 90-day pause on tariffs while leaving China with a tariff of 145% overall. Polls have shown a downturn in Trump’s approval rates regarding the economy, and former Biden White House staffer Andrew Bates ripped Trump for his remarks, saying “Joe Biden publicly warned Trump against raising the prices he promised to lower with tariffs, which are now the biggest middle-class tax increase in modern history.”
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Source: Andrew Harnik / Getty / Donald Trump
Donald Trump continues to prove how incompetent he truly is. During a recent ABC News interview marking his disastrous 100 days in office, the orange menace touted the authenticity of a clearly photoshopped image of Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s hands with gang tattoos, sparking reactions.
Donald Trump is a moron.
Case in point, the divider-in-chief accused ABC News‘ Terry Moran of “not being very nice” when Moran asked if a photo of Garcia’s hands with MS-13 written across the knuckles was digitally altered.
The interview became contentious when Moran did a rare thing nowadays and challenged Trump’s claims that the photo of the Maryland father, whom the White House has admitted was wrongly deported to an El Salvadorian prison, was real, with the bronzer abuser constantly referring to gang tattoos on Garcia’s hands.
“You think it was photoshopped?” Trump stupidly asked Moran. “Go look at his hand. He had MS-13.”
Moran tried to push back while Trump continued to bloviate, telling the president the “MS-13 tattoos” were not visible in previous images while attempting to move the interview onto the topic of Ukraine.
Trump wouldn’t let it go, even taking a swipe at Moran.
“You know, you’re doing the interview,” Trump said. “I picked you because frankly, I never heard of you – but that’s okay. But you’re not being very nice.”
“This is why people no longer believe the news – because it’s fake news,” Trump continued. “It’s such a disservice. Why don’t you just say, ‘yes,’ he does, and go on to something.”
Lol, bruh.
Social Media Reacts To Donald Trump’s Stupidity
Reactions to the clip consist of people being taken aback that Trump believed the MS-13 above Garcia’s actual tattoos were real, and not being surprised he was dumb enough to think that in the first place.
It’s only been 100 days; we can’t believe we still have four more years of this nonsense to deal with.
You can see more reactions to ridiculousness below.
2. We are laughing to hide our pain at this point
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Source: ANDREW THOMAS/Kathryn Riley / ANDREW THOMAS/Kathryn Riley
After winning the Super Bowl, key Eagles players like Jalen Hurts and A.J. Brown skipped the White House visit with President Trump. If standing on business were a person, it would be Jalen Hurts.
The invite was technically optional, but once fans found out who skipped, the internet lit up fast. Jalen Hurts went viral quick after he gave a weird response when asked about the visit, then his people came out saying he had “scheduling conflicts.” But once NBC and BBC dropped the full list, it was obvious this wasn’t just a calendar mix-up — it was a message.
A lot of folks online saw it as a quiet protest and showed love to the players who stood on their beliefs. “You dropped your crown, kings,” one fan tweeted. Another said, “Huge props to them for standing up for themselves and their beliefs, go Eagles!” At the same time, people weren’t shy about calling out the players who did show up. Some fans were disappointed that none of the white teammates stood in solidarity. And Saquon Barkley caught some heat too — he’s Black and still went, which had people confused and even a little hurt. “Disappointing,” one person wrote, “but proud of the ones who took a stand regardless.”
What was supposed to be a simple celebration turned into a bigger conversation. It wasn’t just about football anymore — it was about who’s really riding for what they believe in. The whole situation put a spotlight on race, unity, and the role athletes play in standing up — or not — when it really counts.
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Source: ANDREW THOMAS / Getty
On Monday (April 28), President Donald Trump issued an attack via his Truth Social media platform. This time, it was directed at polls from The New York Times, ABC News/The Washington Post, and Fox News who reported underwater approval ratings for him. “They are negative criminals who apologize to their subscribers and readers after I win elections big, much bigger than their polls showed I would win, loose a lot of credibility, and then go on cheating and lying for the next cycle, only worse,” he wrote.The approval numbers were at 42 percent, 39 percent, and 44 percent respectively. The data comes as Trump is close to marking 100 days in office for his second term. In a poll by CNN, his approval rating was at 41%. The decline is historic – Trump’s current numbers are the worst for any president at the end of their first 100 days, even beating his own numbers in his first term.“They suffer from Trump Derangement Syndrome, and there is nothing that anyone, or anything, can do about it,” Trump concluded. “THEY ARE SICK, almost only write negative stories about me no matter how well I am doing (99.9 percent at the Border, BEST NUMBER EVER!), AND ARE TRULY THE ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE! I wish them well, but will continue to fight to, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”Trump’s allegations come in the face of striking data from all the polls. In the ABC News poll, 6 percent of Trump’s own voters stated their regrets in voting for him. Concerning political independents, his approval rate has dropped to 31%, matching the low set in January 2021. Those polled also were disapproving of his handling of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and even disagreeing with his handling of immigration, with 45% approving now, down 6 points from March.“It’s not only that he’s in the short term in bad shape, there’s also evidence in the poll that…even if he gets his way on certain things like tariffs, that he’s not good in the long run,” said conservative pundit and former Trump adviser Karl Rove in an interview with The Independent. Rove also declared that “Trump fatigue” has set in among the public in a recent op-ed with The Wall Street Journal.
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Source: Pacific Press / Getty / Candace Owens
Donald Trump must be doing something wrong when his biggest fans are now regretting their support for him following his administration’s attack on Harvard University.
Speaking on a recent episode of her podcast, Candace, the far-right conservative, expressed her distaste for Trump and his administration’s attacks on colleges and universities as part of their ongoing campaign to get rid of DEI, calling it a blatant attack on free speech.
“I never thought that I would see a day where I would be rooting for a university above Donald J. Trump and his administration,” Owens said. “But I don’t recognize this administration right now. I don’t recognize what’s happening. I have a theory. I do.”
Hell, we never thought we would see the day either, mainly because Owens has been a staunch supporter of Trump and attacked other organizations like Black Lives Matter, other civil rights movements, plus other liberal ideologies.
Owens also called out people in Trump’s inner circle for continuing to suck up to Felon 47 because they are “are still trying to grift.”
“Which is ridiculous, because when you are out of office, we are going to have to live with these consequences,” Owens said, adding, “Our children are going to have to grow up in this America.”
Ownes Has Her Theories
The edgless conservative feels these attacks are “not worth it” and are only being implemented to make Trump and his supporters feel like they are accomplishing something.
She also feels loudmouths like herself and Tucker Carlson could face serious consequences for the things they say. “Everyone can see what’s happening left and right,” she continued.
Her comments come after Trump’s battle with Harvard, in which the university stood up to his administration, telling them it would not comply with Trump administration’s demands.
The historic institution filed a lawsuit last week after the administration’s threat to freeze research unless they comply.
Social Media Is Not Buying Candace Owens Flipping On Trump
Despite Owens turning on Trump, social media is giving her and those who happily pulled the lever for Trump the ultimate side eye.
“Candace Owens and Joe Rogan spent years hyping up Trump, and now that they’re criticizing him, suddenly they’re the voices of reason? They’re not principled, they’re just riding the wave. They see that Trump’s loyalists aren’t trending anymore, so they’re pivoting,” one person on X, formerly Twitter, wrote.
Another user on X wrote, “Maaan, don’t let Candace Owens rebrand herself to ingratiate a black audience and be anti-Trump, saying she didn’t know he would be like this. She was throwing us and our “culture” under the bus for years. Leave her where she at – let MAGA care for her lol.”
Beware of the jig.
You can see more reactions in the gallery below.
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Source: MANDEL NGAN / Getty
It was all good for Saquon Barkley after the Super Bowl. But after being spotted golfing with Donald Trump over the weekend, the star NFL running back is getting cooked on social media after he defended kicking it with the alleged racist in chief.
If you didn’t know, Barkley was photographed sitting to the left of Trump at his Bedminster golf course, which FOX News of course happily bigged up. Turns out he was hanging with the convicted felon, and he sees no issue with it.
Barkley might have initially looked like a hostage, but on Monday morning (April 28), he took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to defend himself, and it didn’t go well.
“lol some people are really upset cause I played golfed and flew to the White House with the PRESIDENT. Maybe I just respect the office, not a hard concept to understand,” wrote Barkley on X. “Just golfed with Obama not too long ago…and look forward to finishing my round with Trump ! Now ya get out my mentions with all this politics and have amazing day.”
Message to Mr. Barkley, it’s always about politics. Particularly if you’re a Black running back being used for photo ops with the same guy who said that NFL players who kneeled during the playing of the National Anthem a la Colin Kaepernick were “sons of b*tches.”
Also, Barkley having the audacity to mention President Barack Obama in the same sentence with Trump is also getting him absolutely fried. But hey, we still got Jalen Hurts avoiding any Sunken Place tendencies.
See the Barkley Backlash unfold in gallery. The Philadelphia Eagles deserve better than this from their star RB, respectfully.
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Source: Piaras Ó Mídheach / Getty
According to reports, the senior producer for the long-running CBS investigative news program 60 Minutes resigned on Tuesday(April 22), citing a loss of journalistic independence. “Over the past months, it has … become clear that I would not be allowed to run the show as I have always run it,” Bill Owens wrote in a memo sent out to staff, adding, “To make independent decisions based on what was right for ‘60 Minutes,’ right for the audience.
“So, having defended this show — and what we stand for — from every angle, over time with everything I could, I am stepping aside so the show can move forward,” Owens concluded. His departure sent shockwaves through the news industry, as he was only the third person to ever hold that position in the show’s history. He maintained that he was not apologizing for the work done on the Harris interview in the memo, nor would he recommend a retraction.Observers quickly noted that the 57-year-old’s reference to losing journalistic control was tied to the show being sued initially for $10 billion recently by President Donald Trump, who took umbrage over the program’s October 2024 interview with Kamala Harris. Trump alleged that the interview was heavily edited to make him look bad. He recently upped the suit’s claims for damages to $20 billion.Another aspect of Owens’ resignation is that it comes at a tense time for CBS’ parent company, Paramount. Shari Redstone, the president, has been currying favor with Trump in order to get approval for the sale of her media conglomerate to Skydance Entertainment. Skydance Entertainment is run by David Ellison, the son of tech magnate Larry Ellison. Paramount reportedly has been in settlement talks with Trump since January. CNN’s Jake Tapper called the network out on Tuesday evening, addressing Redstone directly as he highlighted the severity of Owens’ resignation. “And that is the context of Shari Redstone’s likely bending of the knee. Hope the money’s worth it, Shari,” he said.
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Source: The Washington Post / Getty / Elon Musk
Phony Stark, aka Elon Musk, learned the hard way that it truly doesn’t pay to align yourself with Donald Trump and ruin people’s lives in the process.
Spotted on BBC, word on the street is Elon Musk has had enough of being involved in government because it’s tanking his bottom line. According to the website, Musk will “significantly” scale back his role in the US Government in response to Tesla’s profits sinking, a direct result of his dealings with Trump, and firing thousands of government workers as part of DOGE’s “cost-cutting” measures in an effort to cut government spending.
Per BBC:
Musk has led the newly created advisory body – the Department for Government Efficiency (Doge) – since last year, putting the world’s richest man at the heart of cutting US spending and jobs.
But Musk said his “time allocation to Doge” would “drop significantly” from next month, adding he would spend only one to two days per week on it after accusations he has taken his focus off Tesla.
His political involvement has sparked protests and boycotts of Tesla cars around the world.
Temporary government workers like Musk contracts are allowed to work only 130 days a year, and for those keeping count, since working from the day of Trump’s inauguration, his contract is set to expire.
It’s unclear whether Musk, who donated $250 million to Orange Mussolini’s campaign, will step down completely from his role at DOGE.
Social Media Vows To Not Let Up On Elon Musk
If Elon Musk thinks he can simply walk away as if nothing happened, social media is telling him to think again.
Users on X, formerly Twitter, are vowing to continue making life miserable for Musk due to his actions and the harm he has caused.
“Elon Musk says he is stepping back from DOGE in May, after having destroyed every government agency, the lives of 280,000 Federal workers, the support system for social security, not to mention thousands of lives overseas by the gutting of humanitarian aid. Don’t let the door hit you, dick,” one post on X read.
Another post read, “Boo hoo poor Elon, he really thinks he can just walk away after all the damage he did. The world won’t rest until everything around him crashes and he ends up the poorest man in the world. There will be no forgiveness. Musk should just flee back to South Africa.”
Welp, this is what you get, Elon Musk. Now deal with it.
You can see more reactions in the gallery below.