“F*cking smug a**holes.” Those are the words Bill Maher chose to describe Hollywood’s “glaring” omission of The Joe Rogan Experience from the “Best Podcast” category.
Rogan has been the world’s leading podcaster for over 15 years. The Golden Globes, meanwhile, snubbed him from even being mentioned in one of their six nominee slots, causing Maher to get visibly angry.
We’re covering that story and nine more. Let’s get to today’s top headlines.
#10 - Bill Maher SNAPS at the Golden Globes for snubbing Joe Rogan from “Best Podcast.”
While hosting comedians Dana Carvey and David Spade, Maher had a conversation that went like this on his latest episode of Club Random:
MAHER: “It was glaring that Joe Rogan was not nominated.”
DANA CARVEY: “For best podcast?”
MAHER: “Yeah, I mean, it is kind of popular. It is known.”
CARVEY: “He’s absolutely brilliant at what he does.”
MAHER: “Exactly. You’re gonna have an inaugural podcast category, and you don’t have [Joe Rogan]? Maybe it just speaks to living in the Bluesky bubble. Like, get out of your f*cking bubble. I want to be one of you. I am one of you. But you’re just so hard to defend because you’re just such f*cking smug a**holes. And this town is the epicenter of the problem. It really is.”
These were the Golden Globe nominees for “Best Podcast”:
• Good Hang (Amy Poehler) - Winner
• Armchair Expert (Dax Shepard)
• Call Her Daddy (Alex Cooper)
• The Mel Robbins Podcast (Mel Robbins)
• SmartLess (Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, Will Arnett)
• Up First (NPR)
Not nominated:
• Joe Rogan
#9 - DOJ Announces Intention to Charge Don Lemon under the Ku Klux Klan Act.
This news comes after Lemon went viral for harassing a Christian pastor in Minnesota after protesters stormed his church.
“This is unacceptable. It’s shameful to interrupt a public gathering of Christians in worship,” the pastor said.
The KKK Act makes it illegal to threaten, hurt, or intimidate people to prevent them from exercising their God-given rights.
HARMEET DHILLON: “The Klan Act is one of the most important federal civil rights statutes. Its a law that makes it illegal to terrorize and violate the civil rights of citizens. Whenever people conspire this, the Klan Act can be used.”
“Everyone in the protest community needs to know that the fullest force of the federal government is going to come down and prevent this from happening and put people away for a long time.”
Credit: @bennyjohnson
#8 - Irish teacher arrested again after refusing to use “they” pronoun for student
Back in cuffs again. Enoch Burke, the Irish teacher who’s already spent over 560 days in jail, was arrested again this morning outside Wilson’s Hospital School.
Why? He wouldn’t call a male student “they,” as demanded by the school principal.
“This is all about transgender ideology, forcing it upon every school in the country.
They want silence, not debate. But my conscience will bring me back to this gate.
I was never told I had to renounce my Christian beliefs to do this job.
They can throw me in a prison cell, but they can’t force me to lie.”
Credit: @MarioNawfal
#7 - CIA whistleblower says he is “confident” Jeffrey Epstein worked “for the Israelis.”
DIARY OF A CEO: “Do you think Jeffrey Epstein was a spy?”
CIA WHISTLEBLOWER: “I believe very strongly he was a spy, yes.”
DIARY OF A CEO: “And who do you think he was working for?”
CIA WHISTLEBLOWER: “The Israelis. I’m confident it was the Israelis.”
DIARY OF A CEO: “Why?”
JOHN KIRIAKOU (CIA whistleblower): “Jeffrey Epstein is kind of the stereotypical example that they give you in training for what’s called an ‘access agent.’ This is a different kind of recruit.
“So, for example, if you’re a foreign intelligence service and you want information, like close-in information from a former president, from the CEO of the biggest company in the world, from a member of the British royal family, you’re not going to recruit these guys.
“You’re not going to recruit Bill Clinton or Bill Gates or Prince Andrew. So you do the next best thing. You recruit somebody who has regular access to them. And that person that you recruit is going to need to make these people feel comfortable and appreciated.
“And so you give him plenty of money. So he has this house on an island, or he has the whole island. And maybe you bring in young girls, you get them in compromising positions, just in case you need to use what’s called ‘kompromat,’ compromising pictures.
“We know now that Jeffrey Epstein’s house on the island had video cameras hidden, video cameras in literally every room, including the bathrooms. Why? Why would he care what was going on unless it was to use that information against people?
“As I said, only the Israelis and the Russians use extortion as a motivator.”
DIARY OF A CEO: “So would they have made Jeffrey Epstein rich in order to give him that access?”
JOHN KIRIAKOU: “Yeah.”
DIARY OF A CEO: “How could they have done that?”
JOHN KIRIAKOU: “Oh, that’s easy. I mean, governments are the only ones really that can launder money unfettered. And you can also do it through real estate, through fine art, and through horses. Those are the three easiest ways to launder money today: fine art, real estate, and racehorses.”
DIARY OF A CEO: “But presumably he would have spoken out at some point. No? He would have said something, or?”
JOHN KIRIAKOU: “No. But it would explain why he got a sweetheart deal in 2006. I mean, this is a guy that’s been convicted of child sex crimes, and he gets six months of house arrest with an ankle bracelet? We have mandatory minimums in this country. That’s a five-year mandatory minimum, first offense.”
DIARY OF A CEO: “He definitely had some interesting power, didn’t he?”
#6 - Jennifer Welch now argues that promoting masculinity is part of “fascism.”
“We have to go after these MAGA men. One example would be Jesse Watters. This man talks incessantly about masculinity … and that’s a part of fascism, propelling this form of toxic masculinity.”
Credit: @TheChiefNerd
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#5 - Elon Musk endorses Speaker Johnson and Steve Scalise passing an improved version of the SAVE Act that requires PHOTO VOTER ID, on top of citizenship to vote.
Credit: @EricLDaugh
#4 - Trump to Norway: No Nobel, No Greenland? The Letter That Has Shocked Europe
In the letter addressed to Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store, Trump explained that he no longer feels obligated to focus exclusively on peace, while repeating his intent for US control over Greenland. In essence he lays out that no Nobel might turn into no Greenland for Europe (as Denmark exercises control over the resource-rich autonomous territory).
#3 - Nick Sortor Dragged Down Minneapolis Street After Somalis Allegedly Steal His Camera
Independent journalist Nick Sortor’s $1,000 camera was abuptly stolen Sunday as he was reporting on riots by protesters opposed to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations in Minneapolis, according to video taken by another independent journalist, Cam Higby.
#2 - Teachers Film Themselves ‘Crossing Fingers’ For Trump To Be Assassinated
The footage, captured in what appears to be a classroom setting, shows the pair smiling, crossing their fingers, and cheering while displaying a news headline about the Iranian regime’s menacing vow.
#1 - Don Lemon Loses It After Smarter Man Shuts Down His Gaslighting at Minnesota Church Stormed by Anti-ICE Mob
Instead of condemning the mob’s conduct or defending the constitutional right to religious assembly, Lemon inserted himself into the chaos—live-streaming the scene and aggressively confronting congregants who were already shaken by the intrusion.
One churchgoer delivered a sober assessment:
“These people have come into our house, and they’ve interrupted our worship. This is a house of peace, and we try to proclaim that. This stirs division and rancor. In the end, it’s not helpful. Ultimately, I believe they’ve lost.
They’ve emptied a house of worship. Everybody’s gone home. Their point has been proven worthless. In the end, I think they lose. But more importantly, if I were to walk into any of their houses uninvited and cause derision and upset according to their values, I would ultimately be kicked out. It’s not a good way. I feel violated. I feel interrupted. I feel angry.”
I have listened to Joe Rogan, but not to ONE of those nominated. Time is too precious.
I'm liking Bill Maher more and more each day, whereas I used to think he was an ahole. He's woken up to the wokeness.