State Champ Radio politics
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Source: Kayla Bartkowski / Getty
Democratic Senator Charles Schumer declared that he would vote with Republicans to avoid a federal shutdown, drawing anger from the public.
As the federal government is on the brink of a shutdown, Senate Minority Leader Charles “Chuck” Schumer is facing serious backlash from the public and fellow Democrats for declaring he’d vote for a GOP spending bill to keep the government open. In an op-ed for The New York Times, the New York senator explained that his decision didn’t come lightly as he sees a shutdown as a way for President Donald Trump and his ally, tech billionaire Elon Musk to use DOGE to effectively get more control.
“For sure, the Republican bill is a terrible option,” Schumer wrote. “It is deeply partisan. It doesn’t address this country’s needs. But even if the White House says differently, Mr. Trump and Elon Musk want a shutdown. We should not give them one. The risk of allowing the president to take even more power via a government shutdown is a much worse path.” The spending bill to avert a federal shutdown needs 60 votes. The Republicans currently have the majority in both the Senate and the House of Representatives, but all Democrats except one – Representative Jared Golden of Maine – voted against the bill. Presently, Schumer and Pennslyvania Senator John Fetterman have openly declared their support for the continuing resolution, while several other Democrats have declared their opposition. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez told the press that she was mobilizing other members to push Schumer to change his vote. Other Democrats have also begun to push her to primary Schumer, to which she offered no comment. Nancy Pelosi spoke out against Schumer without naming him in a statement, saying “Democratic senators should listen to the women.”
Schumer’s choice has incurred ire from many on social media who are calling for him to step down from his post as Senate Minority Leader. Columnist Max Kennerly wrote online, They’re not ‘taking one for the team,’ they’re giving up leverage against Republicans so they can give Republicans a blank check to continue doing everything they’ve been doing — including wrecking the country illegally shutting down every part of the federal gov’t they don’t like.”
Vice President JD Vance was greeted with a loud round of boos when attendees spotted him at a performance of Stavinsky’s Petrushka at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. on Thursday night (March 13). Video of the incident appeared to show other attendees expressing their displeasure with the veep as he took a seat in a box next to wife Usha Vance and sipped on a beverage before the start of the performance.
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Seemingly not reacting to the nearly 30 seconds of boo birds, Vance was seen waving and smiling during the VP’s first appearance at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts since Donald Trump appointed himself chairman of the Kennedy Center and controversially filled its board with MAGAloyalist last month.
According to the New York Times, the concert started nearly 20 minutes late because of added security measures related to the VP’s attendance. The Trump takeover of the Kennedy Center leadership featured a purge of the previously bipartisan board, with appointments that included other Trump loyalists appointees, including his chief of staff, Susie Wiles, Fox News host Laura Ingraham and attorney general Pam Bondi.
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After the Trump purge of the board at the Center, the backlash from performers and former supporters was swift. Among those resigning from the Center were Ben Folds, soprano Renée Fleming and producer Shonda Rhimes, with actress Issa Rae, singers Rhiannon Giddens and Peter Wolf and a production of Hamilton all calling off previously scheduled performances in protest.
J. Geils Band singer Wolf said he’d decided to pull his planned March 21 stop at the Center due to the “egregious firing of staff by the new administration,” while Gidden explained her decision by saying, “I cannot in good conscience play at The Kennedy Center with the change in programming direction forced on the institution by this new board.”
In addition, the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington cancelled a planned Pride Month performance and Philly band Low Cut Connie canceled a booked February show.
Posting about the board putsch on his social media feed last month, Trump promised that the new bookings at the Center would be free of “ANTI-AMERICAN PROPAGANDA.” In his first term as president, Trump broke with precedent by not attending the annual Kennedy Center Honors, something all previous presidents had done since the honors program began in 1978, with the exception of a few cases when they were called away by urgent events.
At the time of the board re-shuffle, Trump — who has never attended a show at the Kennedy Center in either one of his terms to date — added, “Just last year, the Kennedy Center featured Drag Shows specifically targeting our youth — THIS WILL STOP. The Kennedy Center is an American Jewel, and must reflect the brightest STARS on its stage from all across our Nation. For the Kennedy Center, THE BEST IS YET TO COME!”
In addition to the board shake-up, like many parts of the government, the Center scrubbed its site of any references to diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. To date, nearly two dozen performances have been cancelled or postponed at the Center.
Thursday’s boos were not the first time this week that Vance has faced a hostile audience. While visiting his Cincinnati home last weekend, the Ohio-bred VP was greeted with protesters outside his $1.4 million East Walnut Hills home, where a group of pro-Ukrainian demonstrators waved signs reading “JD Vance: Ukraine’s kids aer way more scared than yours” and “JD Vance: Have you no shame?”
The protest came in the wake of a tense Oval Office meeting last month with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in which Vance berated the wartime Ukrainian leader for what he perceived as a lack of gratitude for U.S. support in the unprovoked war against his country launched by Russia in 2022.
Shyne has lost his bid for re-election in Belize. The former Bad Boy conceded defeat in a press conference on Wednesday night (March 12).
According to Channel 5 Belize, Shyne (born Moses Barrow) was unseated by fellow United Democratic Party member and businessman Lee Mark Chang in the general election.
Shyne was elected to the Mesopotamia seat in Belize City for the House of Representatives in 2020, and he eventually served as the Leader of the Opposition in the House of Representatives and the leader of the Belize United Democratic Party.
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According to Channel 5 Belize, Shyne secured only 318 votes in the constituency of Mesopotamia, while Chang earned 601.
“The people have spoken. Congratulations to Lee Mark Chang — he’s now the new area representative of Mesopotamia, and I wish him well,” Shyne said, according to the local news outlet. “I was confident; that was the interaction I was having with the people, but they made a decision to go in another direction, and I respect that.”
With Shyne losing his House of Representatives seat, he’s planning to resign as the leader of the Belize UDP once a new official is elected.
“I certainly will resign effective once we have a national convention to elect a new leader,” he added. “Obviously you can’t be a leader of the United Democratic Party once you’re not a member of the House, and I would not want to be appointed as a senator or anything to hold on to the leadership.”
Chang was very critical of Shyne leading up to the election, reportedly referring to him as a “cancer” in the government. “The people are realizing they have been bamboozled,” he reportedly said on national TV in Belize.
It’s unclear if the loss marks the end of Shyne’s run in Belizean politics.
Shyne rose to fame in the late ’90s as a rapper under Diddy’s Bad Boy Records label. He was sentenced to 10 years behind bars in 2001 on assault, gun possession and reckless endangerment charges for his role in a 1999 NYC nightclub shooting that left two people wounded. He was released in 2009 after eight years behind bars and deported to Belize.
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Source: Win McNamee / Getty
The U.S. Department of Education announced that it was firing nearly half of its workforce, preparing for a move by President Donald Trump to shut it down entirely.
On Tuesday (March 11), the U.S. Department of Education announced that it was firing 1,315 of its employees, thoroughly impacting the agency responsible for tracking student achievement and managing federal loans for college, in addition to enforcing civil rights in scholastic institutions. It is a significant move toward the goal of shutting down the agency completely (coinciding with another express goal of the conservative group behind Project 2025), although President Donald Trump cannot do that without the approval of Congress.
“Today’s reduction in force reflects the Department of Education’s commitment to efficiency, accountability, and ensuring that resources are directed where they matter most: to students, parents, and teachers,” Education Secretary Linda McMahon said in a statement. “I appreciate the work of the dedicated public servants and their contributions to the Department.”
In addition to those fired, 63 probationary employees were let go last month and 572 employees accepted buyout packages with 300 receiving severance packages worth $25,000. Security guards were seen locking the doors of the Department Of Education’s Washington, D.C., headquarters at the end of the day, as the building would be closed on Wednesday (March 12). The Department of Education will also close regional offices for its Office of Civil Rights in New York City, San Francisco, Dallas and Boston.
McMahon had expressed that other federal departments would be responsible for the handling of areas under the Department of Education—for example, student loans would be handled by the Treasury Department, while civil rights cases (including the backlog of cases related to collegiate protesters under the Biden administration) would be referred to the Department of Justice and cases involving disabled students would be under the purview of the Health and Human Services Department.
“What is clear from the past weeks of mass firings, chaos, and unchecked unprofessionalism is that this regime has no respect for the thousands of workers who have dedicated their careers to serve their fellow Americans,” American Federation of Government Employees Local 252 president Sheria Smith said in a statement about the firings. “We will not stand idly by while this regime pulls the wool over the eyes of the American people.” Other education professionals and advocates noted that the move would increase the costs of higher education.
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Source: Andrew Harnik / Getty / Donald Trump
Are y’all tired of all the winning yet? As the stockmarket continued to tank, Donald Trump and the proxy POTUS, Elon Musk took the White House lawn to sell Tesla vehicles and it was an absolute sh*t show.
Donald Trump is an absolute embarrassment, and girfter that has no shame. The so-called President of The United States decided to help his MAGA benefactor, Elon Musk, whose companies have taken a hit after hitching his battery-powered wagon to the MAGA express, which is one stop straight to recession hell.
During the disastrous pitch, which many believe violated the Hatch Act, Trump was reduced to a car salesman—a terrible one at that.
Photographers who were at the corrupt commercial caught Trump orange-handed reading from a literal sales pitch full of talking points about Musk’s crappy electric vehicles.
On the note, you can see talking points like “Tesla Pricing” for the different vehicles and the “Full Self Driving” feature, as well as noting that the vehicles “can be purchased as low as $299/month or “$35k.”
Bruh.
Trump’s apparent lifeline to Tesla came after the stock market nosedived in response to his stupid tariffs and boycotts held around the globe at Tesla dealerships in response to Musk’s affiliation with Trump and ruining people’s lives as a result of the massive layoffs conducted by DOGE.
Donald Trump & Elon Musk Get Clowned On X
X, formerly Twitter, has been trolling Trump, who overnight became a fan of electric vehicles after being one of their staunchest critics.
“I don’t know how one can be an American citizen and not be deeply embarrassed by this. The leader of the free world reduced to reading ad copy for a car salesman,” a post on X read.
Even Whoopi Goldberg and The View got in on the act, calling Trump a used car salesman and creating a jingle.
https://x.com/DEADLINE/status/1899857122281804220
The corruption is very loud with this administration. We don’t want to hear a peep out of the GOP about Biden or Hillary Clinton ever again. You can see more reactions in the gallery below.
On The Tonight Show Tuesday (March 11), Sting and Shaggy explained the current tumultuous state of the United States economy the best way they know how: through song. In a hilarious segment on the episode, the duo answered host Jimmy Fallon’s questions about the Donald Trump administration’s financial policies with lyrics from their own songs. […]
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Source: Kevin Dietsch / Getty
Republicans in the House of Representatives voted on Thursday (March 6), to censure Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, for protesting during President Donald Trump’s address to Congress.
The congressman, who has long opposed Trump, responded to the president’s claim that his election was a “a mandate, like has not been seen in many decades.” Per Blavity, Green stood up, pointed his cane at the president and said, “You have no mandate.”
https://x.com/RepAlGreen/status/1897448534821019858
As previously reported by HipHopWired, the 77-year-old Congressman was chastised by House Speaker Mike Johnson who had him escorted out of the chamber by the Sergeant-at-Arms.
Nearly all Republicans voted to censure Green, one of the strongest forms of disapproval in Congress. Two Republicans voted present and, surprisingly, 10 Democrats sided with Republicans to censure the Texas democrat.
Per Blavity, the defectors were Ami Bera of California, Ed Case of Hawaii, Jim Costa of California, Laura Gillen of New York, Jim Himes of Connecticut, Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania, Marcy Kaptur of Ohio, Jared Moskowitz of Florida, Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington and Tom Suozzi of New York.
Green remains unapologetic. He told the media, “It’s worth it to let people know that there are some of us that are going to stand up against this president’s desire to cut Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security,” he said, per the Washington Post.
https://x.com/ArtCandee/status/1897674378898244031
Numerous pundits and social media users have noted that House Democrats missed an opportunity when they didn’t all walk out of the address after Green was escorted out.
https://x.com/iamchanteezy/status/1897322562235105537
https://x.com/Tanishaevonne/status/1897860057297047576
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Source: Win McNamee / Getty / Mike Johnson
Like many Americans, MAGA Speaker of the House Mike Johnson’s chief of staff got drunk during Donald Trump’s meandering/lie-filled joint address to the nation to get through it, but he made the stupid mistake of getting behind the wheel and getting pinched for drunk driving.
NBC News reports that Hayden Haynes, Speaker Mike Johnson’s chief of staff and one of the most powerful aides on Capitol Hill was arrested for driving under the influence after crashing into a Capitol vehicle.
If you thought Mike Johnson would reprimand or fire Haynes for his dangerous behavior, spoiler alert: of course he’s not.
Per NBC News:
One of the sources told NBC News that a police report indicated that Haynes hit a Capitol vehicle around midnight and was arrested and released with a citation to appear in court. The arrest came after Trump’s speech Tuesday night, when Johnson presided over the House floor and sat just behind the president’s left shoulder.
“A driver backed into a parked vehicle last night around 11:40 p.m.,” the U.S. Capitol Police said in a statement to NBC News. “We responded and arrested them for DUI.”
He has served as chief of staff in the speaker’s office since Johnson won the top job in the House in October 2023. Before that, Haynes served as chief of staff to Johnson in his personal office from 2017 to 2023. He also had worked in various roles for former Sen. David Vitter, another Louisiana Republican, from 2009 to 2016.
Asked by NBC News Wednesday whether Johnson was standing by Haynes, he said, “I am. I am.”
We Don’t Expect Haynes To Face Any Serious Consequences Or Lose His Job
According to Crooks & Liars, a first offense for drunk driving in DC “gets an individual up to 180 days in jail, a fine of up to $1,000, driver’s license suspension, enrollment in an alcohol intervention program, and community service.”
We don’t expect Haynes to suffer any consequences for his dangerous behavior because nowadays these people get away with anything, unless you’re a Democrat, then all bets are off.
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Source: The Washington Post / Getty / Hamilton
Donald Trump and his fellow MAGA Republicans are BIG MAD they won’t get to enjoy the hit musical Hamilton after the folks behind it said it wants nothing to do with the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts after Felon 47 named himself chairman.
The musical Hamilton telling the Kennedy Center to kick rocks is the latest punch to the gut since Trump decided to take over. The show was supposed to run from March 3 and April 26, 2026, to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
Things have been going downhill for the once prestigious institution after the mass firings rocked the Kennedy Center. Artists like Issa Rae canceled her upcoming sold-out show, and other notable names like screenwriter Shonda Rhimes cut ties with the Kennedy Center to protest Trump.
Trump’s reasoning for the takeover, he doesn’t want “NO MORE DRAG SHOWS, OR OTHER ANTI-AMERICAN PROPAGANDA.”
Riiiigggghhhttt.
Hamilton’s Creator & Producer Respond To Trump’s Takeover of The Kennedy Center
Regarding the decision, Hamilton’s creator Lin-Manuel Miranda and producer Jeffrey Seller didn’t mince their words and kept it real.
In an interview with the New York Times, Miranda said Hamilton won’t be coming to the Kennedy Center because he didn’t want anything to do with the “Trump Kennedy Center.”
“This latest action by Trump means it’s not the Kennedy Center as we knew it. The Kennedy Center was not created in this spirit, and we’re not going to be a part of it while it is the Trump Kennedy Center. We’re just not going to be part of it,” Miranda said.
In a statement, Steller added that the show will not be coming to the Kennedy Center because of the “purge” of the cultural center’s staff, adding that it wasn’t an action against the current Trump administration, but against “partisan policies” following the MAGA takeover.
“The recent purge by the Trump administration of both professional staff and performing arts events at or originally produced by the Kennedy Center flies in the face of everything this national cultural center represents. Given these recent actions, our show simply cannot, in good conscience, participate and be a part of this new culture that is being imposed on the Kennedy Center,” Steller said.
The Trumpers Are MAD
As expected, Donald Trump’s supporters, including, Richard Grenell, the interim executive director of the Kennedy Center are S A L T Y about Lin-Manuel and co saying no Hamilton for you.
Using his angry MAGA fingers, the Trumper wrote on X: “Let’s be clear on the facts. Seller and Lin-Manuel Miranda first went to The New York Times before they came to the Kennedy Center with their announcement that they can’t be in the same room with Republicans. This is a publicity stunt that will backfire. The arts are for everyone—not just for the people who Lin likes and agrees with. The American people need to know that Lin-Manuel Miranda is intolerant of people who don’t agree with him politically. It’s clear he and Seller don’t want Republicans going to their shows. Americans see you, Lin.”
Awwwww, you mad Grenell?
You can see more reactions below while enjoying a big cup of MAGA tears to sip on.
4. LOL, now it’s “woke”
8. Awwww, you mad?
Hamilton is taking a stand.
The beloved musical was scheduled to perform at the Kennedy Center for the third time in March and April of 2026, but have since canceled the run due to President Donald Trump‘s recent takeover of the performing arts institution. “Political disagreement and debate are vital expressions of democracy,” lead producer Jeffrey Seller said in a statement, shared to the official Hamilton X page. “These basic concepts of freedom are at the very heart of Hamilton. However, some institutions are sacred and should be protected from politics. The Kennedy Center is one such institution.”
He continued, “The Kennedy Center was founded over 50 years ago with a sincere bipartisan spirit. Indeed, it was founded during the administration of President Dwight Eisenhower, named after President John F. Kennedy, and opened in 1971 under the administration of Richard M. Nixon. The Kennedy Center was meant to be for all Americans, a place where we could all come together in celebration of the arts. Politics have never affected the presentation of thousands of shows and the display of extraordinary visual arts.”
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However, Seller noted that, “Given the recent actions, our show simply cannot, in good conscience, participate and be a part of this new culture that is being imposed on the Kennedy Center.”
In the first month of his second term, Trump fired the Kennedy Center’s leadership and replaced the board of trustees with his supporters, ultimately announcing he had been “unanimously” elected the board’s chair. “At my direction, we are going to make the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., GREAT AGAIN,” he wrote on his social media website at the time, according to the Associated Press. “I have decided to immediately terminate multiple individuals from the Board of Trustees, including the Chairman, who do not share our Vision for a Golden Age in Arts and Culture.”
Several other famous names associated with the Kennedy Center resigned following the news, including Ben Folds, Renée Fleming and Shonda Rhimes. Like the Hamilton production, Issa Rae is also among those who cancelled shows at the Kennedy Center.
