Your weekly recap for Sports, Entertainment, Politics, Business, and Global Events.

Sports

• Los Angeles Lakers
  • The headline of the week is ‘The Lakers have the same chance to make the playoffs as they do to win the number one pick in the lottery.” LeBron passed MJ in career points, but that is hardly the takeaway from another disastrous week that all but ended the worst season in LeBron’s career. The offseason will prove most interesting as the Lakers search for new talent to join James and get back to the playoffs to compete for a ring.

• Pat McAfee
  • Ever hear of him? He is famous for a variety of things, and he used his social media presence to campaign for the now vacant seat on ESPN’s Monday Night Football. He nearly rose to number one on Twitters top trends until news broke of Luke Perry’s passing.
• NFL Quarterbacks
  • It appears there won’t be drama surrounding two famous NFL QBs. First, Super Bowl LII MVP Nick Foles will not be franchise tagged by the Philadelphia Eagles allowing him to walk away a free agent. It seems likely the Jacksonville Jaguars will sign him. Why? A market never developed for him, leaving the Eagles no choice but to let him leave.
  • Heisman winner Kyler Murray seems headed to the Arizona Cardinals. The Cardinals hold the number one pick, and despite picking UCLA QB Josh Rosen tenth in last year’s draft, it seems the Cards are already giving up on Rosen and moving on to Murray.
• Kansas Basketball
  • The Jayhawks finally had their streak of fourteen straight Big 12 Titles broken. This is quite historic. The same way Tom Brady and the Patriots have dominated the AFC East, the Kansas Jayhawks and coach Bill Self have ran the Big 12.
• Santa Anita Horse Track
  • Twenty-one horses have died from injuries related to the Santa Anita Horse Track in Southern California in the past two-months. This forced the people in charge to suspend racing on the track and investigate what is happening. ESPN drafted an incredibly well-written piece breaking down the situation.
• Antonio Brown
  • Antonio Brown took it upon himself to announce he is heading the Raiders. Neither the Raiders nor the Steelers broke news of the trade, furthering the legend that is Antonio Brown. Friday, it was rumored he was heading to the Bills.

Entertainment

• Luke Perry
  • The star of Beverly Hills 90210, and cast member of today’s teen drama, Riverdale passed away at the young age of fifty-two due to complications from a massive stroke. At this time, it is unsure as to what caused the stroke at this time.
• Pete Davidson
  • The SNL star known for his engagement, and subsequent breakup with Ariana Grande appears to have moved on. He was seen at Madison Square Garden with 45-year old girlfriend Kate Beckinsale, and also provided everyone with an awkward kiss for the camera.
• Michael Jackson
  • HBO aired their two-part series, Finding Neverland, highlighting two men who claim the King of Pop molested them when they were young boys. The series provides graphic details that seem difficult to make up. The boys come off as believable, but it hasn’t prevented a wave of Michael Jackson fans to smear the documentary and defend their idol. On the other side, radio stations have begun making the choice to remove Jackson from their lineup. It has rapidly turned into a mess, and even in death, Michael Jackson has become the biggest person to fall from #MeToo
• Kylie Jenner
  • Kylie Jenner was crowned the ‘Youngest Self-Made Billionaire’ and that sent the Internet into a frenzy. Feel free to check out some of the reactions and decide for yourself how you feel.
• Spielberg and Netflix
  • Steven Spielberg decided to chime in on Netflix almost winning the Best Picture Academy Award for Roma. Spielberg feels a streaming provider, such as Netflix, shouldn’t be entitled to awards from the Academy. It may be too late, considering the massive clout Netflix has with regard to viewership, and projects in the works. Not to mention their cash on hand. Netflix wasn’t shy to address the issue via Twitter.
• Captain Marvel
  • The right wing trolls are out in full force doing their best to smear a movie they deem to be filled with a political agenda pushing feminism down viewer’s throats. They use some comments Brie Larson made concerning ‘SJW” or Social Justice Warrior as their proof. It never ceases to amaze me what the left and right wing trolls spend (waste) their time complaining about. For instance, many on the left argued Will Smith wasn’t black enough to play the father of the Williams sisters in the upcoming film.
  • • Anyways, after Rotten Tomatoes removed nearly 100,000 reviews, the audience score rose from 37% to 55%, so, it seems the movie is not well received.
• Alex Trebek
  • Sadly announced a stage four pancreatic cancer diagnosis, however, he did show amazing strength and humor in his video. “I have to beat it, because I am under contract to host Jeopardy for three more years.” God bless you Alex in your fight.

Business

• General Electric
  • The company is back in the dog house after their CEO announced new problems. He has done an exceptional job trying to maintain confidence in the company, but it is beginning to show cracks. Only time will tell if he can keep GE afloat and make it a successful turnaround story.
• Tesla
  • Tesla disclosed how much their new model would cost, however, not in traditional fashion. Last week, Musk dodged the question on a now infamous earnings call. Crafty ‘investigators’ were able to back into the answer. It now makes sense why Musk dodged the answer, because he is essentially offering the car at zero profit to Tesla.
• FDA
  • The head of the FDA stepped down, and this was seen as an unnerving move for biotech companies. While it is unclear why he stepped away, Trump does agree with Democrats in lowering the cost of prescription drugs, therefore, it is unlikely Wall St will applaud the new head.
• Goldman Sachs
  • The prestigious Wall Street money manager ditched their formal dress code. Goldman expressed to their employees that they are to exercise their best judgement going forward. Basically, if you have a client meeting, look the part, and if you’re sitting around the office on ESPN all day, then don’t wear a suit.
• Huawei
  • Now they have decided to sue the US government. Funny, a corrupt company from a communist nation wants to manipulate their own rules in China, but cry foul when America doesn’t offer them the fair shot we request in their country. Seems a tad petty.
• Facebook
  • Zuck emphasized a need for privacy as he believes communication is consolidating to smaller, private conversations amongst a few. Wait, so you’re telling me it took Zuck over ten years running Facebook to understand that what someone tells their best friend, spouse, or colleague, they don’t want shared with others? Where’s the Winklevoss twins when you need them?
• Unions
  • An interesting stat this week about the further demise of the American union. Thirty-five years ago American union membership was 20.1%, and in 2018 it sat at 10.5%.
• Disney
  • CEO Bob Iger announced the opening dates of their upcoming, highly anticipated Star Wars Land in both parks, as well as his decision to ‘unlock the Disney vault,’ and ensure all the Disney classics are available to stream with their Netflix competitor, Disney+.

Politics

• Democrats 2020
  • Mayor Michael Bloomberg ruled out running in 2020. This is a huge sigh of relief for the Democrats who were undoubtedly worried about a run from Bloomberg. He could potentially run as an Independent, and his massive wealth was going to instantly make him a huge threat. Speaking of the DNC breathing a sigh of relief, Hillary Clinton again ruled out a 2020 run. We are still waiting on word from Biden and Beto. Right now, the number stands at fourteen candidates, and a potential Independent run from Howard Schultz.
• Congresswoman Omar
  • The Democrats intended to publicly call out Omar in an anti-Semitic rebuke on the House floor, but pressure from Junior Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to exclude Omar’s name stalled the move. This shows the clout she has, and the divide between Pelosi and other members. The resolution was ultimately passed, excluding her name, and including references to white supremacy. So, what started as a rebuke of anti-Semitic views because of comments a member in the Democratic Party recently made, evolved into a resolution commenting on Charlottesville.
  • • “A party divided against itself cannot stand” – Abraham Lincoln
  • • • Well, he referenced ‘house,’ however, it is becoming apparent that while all Democrats have a strong desire to oust Trump, there is a growing divide between the ‘far left progressives’ and moderates. It is becoming reminiscent of Republicans heading into 2012. They despised Obama, but sacrificed ‘winnable’ for ‘conservative’ with Mitt Romney. It’s interesting, that in 2008, Republicans chose the anointed one with McCain because ‘it was his turn,’ the same way Democrats selected Hillary in 2016. Dare I say history is repeating itself?
• AOC
  • Speaking of AOC, follow the money. A deeper dive into her campaign finances has shown that her campaign manager, and now boyfriend, likely funneled nearly $1,000,000 in donations to his own companies. Where there is smoke there is fire.
• Democrat Investigations
  • The Democrats in the House issued 81 requests for information from close confidants, family members, and businesses associated with President Trump. The Democrats are desperate to find something, especially since it appears increasingly likely that Robert Mueller didn’t find the golden ticket, or impeachable offense, in his report.
  • • My opinion – the taxes and Deutsche Bank connection is where they can likely find tax evasion, crooked business deals, and potential money laundering. ALL of this is well before his campaign, but enough to prove he is a shady businessman. Would anyone in his base care? Not a chance.
• Paul Manafort
  • Forty-seven month prison sentence, and your #Resist friends can now say, “see, I told you so,” but when you ask them about the crimes he committed, I promise they won’t know. Also, your Pro-Trump friends will say something to the tune of, “well, it isn’t about Trump,” and if you ask them why he was he on trial, they’ll just respond with, “witch hunt.” The beauty of polarization.

Global Events

• Italy
  • Recession-plagued Italy has come out with its own version of Universal Income. The plan failed in Finland, but at least we get another run of it in a different EU nation. Time will be our guide
• North Korea
  • Appears to be up to no good again. After Trump walked away in Hanoi, it appears they are restarting their missile sites. It will be interesting to see how Trump responds, especially considering the goal is for a third Peace Summit.
• Canada
  • Prime Minister Trudeau has been masked in a corruption scandal. He has remained strong, and continues to dodge the headlines. However, one of his top allies resigned this week. It appears unlikely he will resign, but we will keep an eye on our neighbors to the north.

Honorable Mentions

• Lottery
  • Remember the $1.5 billion Mega Millions from October? Well, the winning South Carolina ticket holder never came forward, until now. Don’t worry, even if the winner didn’t come forward, it wouldn’t have mattered to you. The winnings simply wouldn’t have been disbursed. The house always wins!
• HIV
  • London scientists announced they have cured the second patient ever of HIV. Pretty amazing. Now, let’s cure all cancers, too.
• Plane Crashes
  • The last fatal plane crash in America was ten years ago, and it is pretty amazing to know that US airlines have transported 8 billion passengers with no fatalities since that crash. “There’s one dangerous part of the airplane trip, and that’s the drive to the airport,” said John Cox, a retired airline captain and an aviation accident investigator.

‘Entirely Scientific’ Prediction Meter

Because, why not?

1. Chance of Impeachment = 5%
2. Chance the Mueller Report has a damning bombshell = 1%
3. Chance Trump wins reelection in 2020 = 51%
4. Most likely Democratic contender = Kamala Harris
5. Chance Howard Schultz runs as an Independent? = 95%
6. Chance the Golden State Warriors repeat = 15%
7. Chance the Washington Capitals Repeat = 3%
8. NCAA March Madness Champ = Duke
9. Chance that Captain America dies in Avengers: Endgame = 99%
10. Chance of a US Recession in 2019 = 5%