Your weekly recap for Politics, Entertainment, Business, Sports, National, and Global Events.
Politics
- Impeachment?
Things appear to be heating up, and it is looking increasingly likely that Nancy Pelosi will begin impeachment proceedings. Sunday brought the First Republican Defector.
Soon after, notorious Trump hater, Mitt Romney, backed off the impeachment request from his fellow Republican. He said there is not enough information to move forward.
Then, the subpoenas began to rain down. First, McGhan defied his order to testify with the approval of Trump’s DOJ. Two additional Trump insiders have been hit with subpoenas. Hope Hicks and Annie Donaldson were the next targets. 
Next, Congress wants to see the Trump financial records. Two important events happened this week. First, it appears a judge has paved the way for banks to hand over records at the request of Congress. Second, New York passed a law inching them ever so close to being able to get their hands on Trump’s tax return.
Finally, Trump hosted an impromptu press conference and then took to Twitter to voice his grievances.
Americans simply said, “didn’t we elect representatives to Congress to help fix my rising health care costs?”
- Infrastructure Show
Trump was set to meet with Senator Schumer and Speaker Pelosi to discuss bipartisan efforts to reform America’s aging infrastructure. The two leading Democrats hosted their own meeting regarding impeachment just before meeting with Trump. Well, as you can guess, the ‘bipartisan’ meeting was quickly adjourned and a circus ensued. 
- Trump Fights Back
The Mueller Report showed no collusion. So, why did American investigators have to go down this rabbit hole in the first place? It all stems back to surveillance on the Trump campaign in 2016, and the Steele Dossier. The question has always been, why?
What did officials know to cause them to open this Pandora’s box that was empty. Well, it appears the public is now going to find out. Trump seems ready to play the biggest ace in his hand. He will release the intel the Obama officials used to justify the spying which led to the Mueller Report.
Americans simply said, “didn’t we elect representatives to Congress to help fix my rising health care costs?”
- Healthcare Fixes
Speaking of Healthcare, here is much needed relief. Transparency. Does anyone ever understand their healthcare bills, and why they pay what they pay? No! Well, now we will begin to understand this, and expect the move to peel back the curtain and ultimately result in a reduction in prices. This is a great move in the right direction for American consumers.
- Julian Assange
Things went from bad to worse. The Espionage Act has been put on the table, and subsequently, the death penalty. Will Ecuador or the UK extradite Assange to the US for trial? If so, this will be one of the most important First Amendment cases in American history. A must read below. 
- ESPN Divorced Politics
ESPN realized its viewers do not want to tune in for a political debate. They want to watch sports and check out from the reality of life. 
- Creepy Porn Lawyer … Michael Avenatti
He may have screwed more people than Stormy Daniels. The former Democrat Presidential hopeful is fighting legal battles on multiple fronts. He allegedly stole money from Stormy Daniels. He tried to extort Nike. He also beat up his ex-wife. He now faces centuries of potential prison sentences. 
- Democrat Fraud?
Ranking member Elijah Cummings (D-MD) found himself in hot water this week. An investigative piece highlighted the cozy relationship by companies Cummings presides over with regard to investigations, and his wife’s company. The relationship appears to be a pay for play scheme.
In short, Cummings won’t investigate your company if you donate to his wife’s ‘business.’ Is anyone more corrupt than an American politician?
- Electoral College
What does this mean? Let’s use Nevada as the example.
Say Nevada votes in favor of the Republican candidate for President 500,000 to 475,000 over the Democrat candidate for President. Now, say the Democrat candidate wins the national popular vote by whatever amount. Nevada will not pledge their electoral college votes to the Republican candidate that their state’s voters supported. Instead, they will cast their state’s electoral college votes to the Democrat candidate.
Quick Analysis: Time is always of the essence, and our country poses a large geographic obstacle for campaigns. It is more economical for a campaign to devote precious resources to large city centers, such as LA, NYC, Chicago, and Houston. These cities are overwhelmingly Democrat voters. This undoubtedly lessens the voting block of the Central Plains and smaller states. It simply is not feasible for a campaign to go to Wyoming. Therefore, it doesn’t make sense for said campaign to pander to their needs. Be careful what you wish for.
Oddly enough, Nevada is a small state with niche needs. This seems reckless of state legislators to enact such legislation simply because their elected officials are upset that Trump won in 2016. This is especially true considering the gap between Clinton and Trump in Nevada was a mere 27,202 votes.
Entertainment
- Ken Jennings 2.0
Everyone’s favorite ‘professional gambler’ is back on Jeopardy after a two-week hiatus. And, he’s still winning. The smug nerd continues to steamroll his competition. And, guess what? He is now donating to charity. Well, he is using his tax exemption to offset his nearly $2,000,000 in winnings to avoid paying his astronomical bill to the IRS.
- WTF?
Natalie Portman, Lana Del Rey, and Moby. That’s a trio you never thought you’d hear about. Who knows why all of this gossip was dug up this week, but who cares? Grab the popcorn! First, Moby said he dated Portman. Well, Natalie was not having it. She quickly rebuked the claim. 
Then, Moby described an encounter he had with a significantly younger Lana Del Rey. Moby is clearly too dense to understand Lana was 100% mocking him. 
- Star Wars
A bunch of new photos were released this week in Vogue. The most telling photo is the one seen below. Rey and Kylo fighting … again. Another Skywalker vs. Kenobi battle? Only if Rey is Obi Wan Kenobi’s granddaughter.
- Alabama
Alabama is back in the news. You’ll be stunned to see this one. Last week, the cartoon Arthur included an episode where a character is gay and gets married. Well, Alabama opted out of showing the episode. 
- American Idol
America, you have a new Kelly Clarkson. Meet Laine Hardy. Also, The Voice wrapped up. Then, Adam Levine surprised everyone by abruptly leaving the show. He will be replaced by Gwen Stefani. 
- Game of Thrones … Disappoints
Did anyone appreciate the final season? A petition to rewrite the final season has now eclipsed 1,500,000 people. It is great to see Americans would rather sign a petition about Game of Thrones versus doing literally anything else.
Half-full scenario – times are so prosperous that Americans can devote time and energy to a fantastical show. Half-empty scenario – this is why China is going to pass us as the new world leader.
- John Wick 3
The Keanu Reeves action movie finally moved Avengers out of the number one spot at the box office.
- The Terminator
Arnold Schwarzenegger is hosting an event for his charity in South Africa. Someone comes out of nowhere and tries to drop kick him. Arnold took the high road as you can see below. He was also completely unscathed by the swift kick to the back. Good for him. 
- Quentin Tarantino
He came under fire for these comments. How soft can people on Twitter be?
- Aladdin
It seems that Disney should get another home run at the box office. The early reviews of the film are strong, and the enthusiasm surrounding the movie is high.
Business
- China v. US Trade War
This is hardly a ‘trade war’ anymore. This is quickly developing into an Economic Cold War. Let’s take a trip down this week’s top happenings to catch you up.
Huawei Target: The Chinese telecom giant was blacklisted late last week. American tech companies responded over the weekend and discontinued relations with the company.
American Chip Makers plunged. But, why? These companies receive a lot of revenue from Huawei. Huawei produces mobile phones, like Apple and Samsung. They pay the US Companies you see below for the technology. This ban essentially renders the Huawei phones useless. Best described as ‘paper weights.’ You see, they will be unable to run apps like Gmail, Youtube, and others. American companies rely on this income from Huawei, but can Huawei be trusted? 
The US decided to slow its roll. The ban was tempered. It won’t go into effect for 90 days.
Europe & Japan hit ‘Pause.’ European and Japanese companies are following suit. Why? Well, connect the dots. US companies cannot work with Huawei. Therefore, Japanese and European tech using Huawei’s tech cannot be utilized with American tech! The web grows.
And, some more pause buttons.
Senator Schumer (D-NY) sounds the alarm on additional China tech. See below.
America considers blacklisting other Chinese tech firms. This isn’t about trade anymore, folks. This is about spying and the cyber threat China poses to the US.
And some more as seen here.
China’s response – They appear ready to fight. Here is Emperor Xi saying China is embarking on The Long March.
China plots their next move. They appear ready to temper their purchase of US Natural Gas.
China considers another step to hurt America.
Chinese nationalism has ensued. The nation’s consumers appear ready to chip in and boycott American products.
The propaganda (nationalism) starts – China is pumping out the propaganda for the trade war. Check out these lyrics. “If the perpetrator wants to fight, we will beat him out of his wits.”
Then, this shoe dropped on Friday. China is not messing around. 
This is not about tariffs, anymore. This is undoubtedly turning into a generational fight that was a long time coming. China is the nation’s biggest agitator on a multitude of fronts. They do not play by trade rules in the world’s capitalistic system. They are a tremendous threat to cyber security across the globe. They are a violator of human rights on the grandest scale. The country is now going to be dealt with.
Trump bit off a piece of an apple that may have been too big to swallow. He cannot fight this battle alone. First, he needs a unified front domestically. He needs to tell the American public what China is doing, and must rally Americans around the cause.
More importantly, he needs global allies to help fight this battle. He must get Canada, Mexico, Japan, South Korea, and Europe involved. He also needs to gather Southeast Asian nations, as well as Australia. The wisest in the room had one tremendously large critique when Trump ripped up TPP (Trans-Pacific Partnership). They explained the US didn’t offer the Southeast Asian nations and Australia a new solution. This allowed China to spread their dominance untested over the region.
Trump is big on nationalism, and America first. He cannot use this mindset to defeat China. It cannot happen alone. He needs the rest of our global allies, new trade partnerships, coordinated efforts, and globalism to an extent if he expects to win this.
- Ride Share Price Collusion (Fixing)
Does it seem like Uber and Lyft have the exact same prices sometimes? Well, here’s why. Seems like the drivers are to blame.
- Federal Reserve
The Fed made these notes before the China ‘trade war’ heated up. It appears our nation’s monetary leaders have no intent to raise interest rates. 
- Apple Buys Tesla?!
For those of you not following the stock market daily, Tesla is getting obliterated. The stock has fallen over 30% in 2019, and analysts are beginning to sound the alarm. The word ‘bankruptcy’ has even crept into some recent notes on the company.
Dare we say that Apple will make a hostile move to buy the company?
- Qualcomm Fallout
Qualcomm has been on a wild ride of late. First, they brokered an agreement with Apple. This sent the stock soaring. Then, China + Huawei fallout sends the stock plunging. Now, it seems that their practices have been deemed ‘unfair’ by our Federal Trade Commission, and the stock continues to plunge.
- Seasonal Swoon for Retail
The first quarter of nearly every retail company is always a bummer, but white chicks are still shopping at Target. They truly are the unsung heroes of the American economy.
- National Rents
US rents continue to rise. However, they are beginning to cool to an extent.
- Monsanto Collusion
Who isn’t colluding these days?
- Boeing … Week Eleven
First, some good news? 
But then,
Some more good news. 
Finally, could new planes be coming… with only one pilot? This is a wild move, however, the cost savings could be astronomical. 
- Merger back on?
T-Mobile and Sprint may get to marry after all.
Sports
- Stanley Cup & The Office Mash Up
First, hockey is still going on. Second, the Boston Bruins swept Carolina out of the playoffs with ease. St. Louis clinched their spot earlier this week.
Our favorite on screen love affair is at an impasse. Jim and Pam!
- Durant & FS1 Host Chris Broussard Drama
Always fun to eavesdrop
And then KD responds –
- Esports Drama
This is big business
- NBA Playoffs
The Warriors made Portland look like college kids. The Raptors have stormed back from losing the first two games in Milwaukee to grinding out three straight wins. Who will get the chance to lose to Golden State?
- Cespedes Falls… on his farm. During the season, nonetheless.
This only happens to the Mets
- Brooks Koepka
Making golf look easy. Destroyed the competition at the PGA. Brooks has now won four majors.
- Horse Racing
The Preakness happened without the Kentucky Derby winner, or the other Kentucky Derby winner. Remember, there were two. But, this moment stole the show. 
Sadly, yet another horse has died at Santa Anita.
Oh yeah, a horse named ‘Covfefe’ won. Trump is everywhere.
- Yankees
OK, this is just crazy!
National Events
- Hertz Investiagion
An absolutely crazy story here about folks renting Hertz rental cars and subsequently being arrested. Imagine this happening to you. The reason is blamed on a computer glitch. Multiple people have spent hours, and even days in jail. One person has been battling the case for two years!
- NYC Subway Villain
This is not good. Apparently, this has happened 30 times in recent months. 
- Really?
It appears the state of Washington said whatever. You can now compost your dead grandma. 
- NYC Schools & White Kids
An intriguing story out of America’s largest school district. It appears the pendulum has swung the other way. The lawsuit alleges white kids have been unfairly singled out. 
- Denver Snow
It may be the end of May, but Denver got snow! 
And some fun facts about the recent storm.
- An Amazing Feel Good Story
You have to watch the video. One minute, he is giving your typical commencement address. The next minute, you are debt free. Unbelievable to see the stunned reactions. What a great moment. 
- Crazy Drug Bust
Connecticut was lit!!! Just check out these numbers. 
- NYC Taxi Drivers
Look at medallion costs over time as seen in the chart below. Taxi drivers got conned. Plain and simple. The New York Times published the results of nearly a one-year dive into the NYC taxi industry. They investigated why the price of a medallion rose like this. Why? Wall Street Bankers artificially pumped up the price to generate profits for their hedge funds. Shocked, right? What scum. Check it out here.
- Interesting Story
Look at this out of Virginia. 
Global Events
- Australia Elections
Populism reigns supreme in Britain, America, and Australia. Why? It all boils down to immigration. All three nations have very similar divides. One party values ‘nationalism’ and immigration reform. The other deems their adversaries racist for the viewpoints and has a globalist cosmopolitan view. The two sides both have good points, but still refuse to work together to iron out their differences. The divide is split nearly 50/50.
All three counties also have a distinct variable causing this gap. Education. College-educated individuals overwhelming vote globalism, whereas non-college grads support tighter borders. When will one of these nations take charge and begin mending the bitter feud?
- Brexit
Theresa May is gone. She was brought to tears announcing her resignation Friday. She will formally depart 10 Downing Street on June 7.
Why is she out? She failed countless times to bring the country together to broker a deal for Brexit.
Why a deal? There are two Brexit scenarios. Hard and soft.
A Hard Brexit is not what anyone wants. It would mean the Brits simply walk out of the EU without negotiating new trade deals, agreements, etc. This would be chaotic.
Why has a soft Brexit been so difficult? Well, opponents to Brexit have remained steadfast in their opposition. Also, the EU has made it difficult for the Brits to finalize agreements. Finally, and most importantly, the border/geography around Northern Ireland is extremely difficult to map out where the EU would remain, and where the UK would begin. This was the single-most problematic item.
What now? A new leader will be chosen, and the chaos will continue. Who knows when the stalemate is going to be broken?
Now, take a look at a poll conducted in the UK earlier in the week.
Finally, Brexit leader Nigel Farage took a victory lap Friday morning.
- Blinding Pilots
Look at what happened to a Canadian pilot. 
- Google Privacy Violations
This just isn’t ever going to end, right?
- Iranian War No More?
It appears things have settled down. This is good, as the vast majority of Americans do not favor war with Iran.
- French Protests
Crazy stuff out of Paris. Check out footage here of protesters. They took their protest to the airport.
- Terror Attack
Tourists were targeted in Egypt over the weekend. Thankfully, no one died.
- India Election
Modi won his reelection bid in convincing fashion. India appears to appreciate his leadership. He will continue to do his best to transition India into a more developed economy in the next decade, while hopefully bringing his constituents out of poverty.
‘Entirely Scientific’ Prediction Meter
Because, why not?
1. Chance of Impeachment Proceedings = 10%
Up 9% From Last Week
2. Chance Trump wins reelection in 2020 = 60%
Up 5% From Last Week
3. Most likely Democrat contender = Joe Biden
Unchanged
4. Chance Howard Schultz runs as an Independent? = 75%
Down 15% From Last Week
5. Chance of a US Recession in 2019 = 25%
Up 15% From Last Week
Memorial Day
Phil Your Day 