Your weekly recap for Politics, Entertainment, Business, Sports and Global Events.
Politics
- The Mueller Report
The Mueller Report was released. Well, not exactly. The key findings were made public on Sunday. The result is no collusion. Democrats have pounced on one line, which they feel keeps the door open for possible obstruction of justice. Some leaders, such as Pelosi, again said impeachment is off the table.
- Mueller Report Fallout
The Mueller Report will be delivered to Congress for review in the coming weeks. Attorney General William Barr expressed his desire to deliver the report as soon as possible, however, some details will have to be redacted due to laws already on the books. For example, testimony from a grand jury. Also, he has said he will testify before Congress.
- Michael Avenatti
Michael Avenatti allegedly tried to extort Nike out of $20 million. The supposed co-conspirator was celebrity attorney Mark Geragos. The reason all of this is relevant is Geragos just helped broker a settlement deal for ex-NFL players Colin Kaepernick and Ed Reed. Colin is sponsored by Nike. Someone has explaining to do.
- Department of Education
Education Secretary Betsy Davos came under heavy fire for cutting the budget associated with the Special Olympics. She claims it is fake news and released a poignant statement denying the controversy. Trump has since corrected the error, and the organization will face zero budget cuts.
- Facebook Lawsuit
Facebook is back in the news, and again for all the wrong reasons. The company settled a discrimination suit with the ACLU last week, and now Trump’s Department of Justice is going after the company. The allegations stem from a practice Facebook implemented with landlords to help them discriminate against prospective tenants based on race and income. This is illegal and falls under HUD (Housing and Urban Development) violations.
- The Green New Fail
Deal
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell put the Green New Deal to a vote. It failed 0-57. 43 ‘present’ votes, no votes ‘for,’ and four Democrats voted against the move.
- First Lady Barbara Bush
Barbara Bush will have a posthumous autobiography published. The most clickable story so far was her comments on Trump. It’s not surprising that she did not like him. What is surprising is the claim that she considered herself no longer a Republican. She supposedly kept a countdown clock near her bed as to when his term would be up.
Entertainment
- Apple TV Big Reveal
Apple unveiled their highly anticipated entertainment reboot with Apple TV, as well as their subscription model news service. The debut was flashy and uncharacteristic of the company. Also, the move provided us with minimal details. Patience is key. Here’s what Oprah has to say regarding her newly announced partnership with Apple.
- Dr. Dre’s Big Fail
Dr Dre faced a flood of criticism when he publicly boasted that his daughter was admitted to USC on her merit, and not corruption. This was an intentional jab at the recent cheating scandal. The problem? Dre has donated $70 million to the school and has a building named after him. He has since deleted the notorious post.
- The Empire Strikes Back
The saga never ends. Now, Jussie Smollett miraculously had the charges dropped. All sixteen felonies, even after a grand jury saw the evidence and moved the case forward. The lead detective, police superintendent, and city mayor were all livid about the corruption and did not hold back in their dismay. The FBI is now investigating what happened.
- Cardi B……. WTF?!?!?! Seriously
A video surfaced that shows Cardi B explaining how she got by back in the day. She claims she would meet guys at local spots in NYC, get them drunk, convince them to go back to her room, drug them, and rob them. She stated she “isn’t proud” of the behavior.
- A
StarMeme Is Born
Megan McCain was in the news for a plethora of comments about her dad, but the most popular moment blossomed from a comment she made on Twitter. A new meme was born.
Business
- Boeing …Week Three
Boeing remains in the news.
Another MAX model made an emergency landing. This model is separate from the two that were recently grounded because of the crashes. The Southwest Airlines plane took off from Orlando and quickly turned back for engine problems.
An investigation showed strong ties between Boeing and the FAA. The cozy relationship may have resulted in the approval of the current models.
Finally, Boeing did announce their plans to improve the model, solve the problems, and get the planes flying again. The stock rose 4% for the week.
- Get High …At Walgreen’s
Walgreens announced that over 1,500 of their stores will now offer consumers CBD oil. The drug has rocketed in popularity as of late.
- Salesforce & Prostitutes
Salesforce is caught up in a very bad scandal involving the now-defunct prostitution site Backpage.com. According to the lawsuit, Salesforce aided and abetted a ring that resulted in human trafficking.
- Well, Well, Wells Fargo
Wells Fargo’s embattled CEO has retired. This is two years too late, however, a good move for the company. The scandal-ridden bank has announced they will hire an external replacement.
- Lyft Goes Public!
Lyft went public. The stock debuted at the high end of their range, $72/share. They closed the day up, however, well off the high. Expect for Wall Street to fall in love quickly, and then fall out of love when they realize they cannot turn a profit. The company will come to regret this move.
- Midwest Flooding
Dow DuPont has become the first major American company to fault the Midwest flooding on future earnings. The company warned investors that the flooding would decrease production and hurt their bottom line. The Midwest is expected to face heavy flooding for at least two additional months as snow melts and rain falls.
- Is a RECESSION Imminent?
The yield curve inverted! Don’t know what that means? That’s OK. It is traditionally a tell- tale sign of a looming recession. Add this to no 2019 rate hikes and the market has come to fear a potential global slowdown.
- United Airlines doesn’t care about your gender
United Airlines became the first major American carrier to offer individuals the ability to choose a gender besides male and female. The Internet won this one, like it often does.
Sports
- Instant Reply
The NFL is acting on the disastrous no-call from last year’s NFC Championship game and allowing coaches to challenge a pass interference penalty, or lack there of.
- Baseball is BACK!
The Major League Baseball season kicked off this week to lovely weather across most of the US. Join us in November when we crown a champ.
Global Events
- Brexit Saga
Theresa May has failed eight times to broker a successful Brexit deal. She has now thrown out a sweetener. She will allegedly resign if the deal is brokered and open the door for a new coalition to take power in the UK.
- Italian Silk
Italy has officially moved forward with a reboot of the Silk Road. For those of you who forgot, the original Silk Road was what connected Europe with China for trade. Think Marco Polo. This is against the wishes of the US and even parts of the EU. It is a monumental move that directly links the third largest economy in Europe with China as a trade ally.
Honorable Mentions
- Seasick
The week started with a ton of viral videos showing a Viking cruise ship stranded at sea. The ship’s engine failed in the rough seas and required all passengers to be airlifted via helicopter. Incredibly no one was hurt and the ship was successfully returned to port.
Check some videos out here, or here, or even here.
- Fly, fly away
A Turkish man went full on Mary Poppins / Wizard of Oz and took flight. You have to watch this amazing video here. He has yet to be found 🙂
‘Entirely Scientific’ Prediction Meter
Because, why not?
1. Chance of Impeachment = 0%
Unchanged
2. Chance Trump wins reelection in 2020 = 54%
Up 3% from last week
3. Most likely Democrat contender = Kamala Harris
Change from Biden last week
4. Chance Howard Schultz runs as an Independent? = 99%
Unchanged
5. Chance the Golden State Warriors repeat = 20%
Up 5% from last week
6. Chance the Washington Capitals Repeat = 5%
Up 2% from last week
7. NCAA March Madness Champ = Duke
Unchanged
8. Chance that Captain America dies in Avengers: Endgame = 99%
Unchanged
9. Chance of a US Recession in 2019 = 20%
Up 5% from last week
Phil Your Day 