Author: Stephen

10-19-25

From the desk of Rich Stephens

News for the week ending October 18, 2025.

Below find the expanded text from tonight’s broadcast. For corrections or additions, contact Rich directly.

Politics

Are Minnesota Elections Secure?

We begin in Minnesota, the Driver’s License for all initiative allows anyone to obtain a state issued, photo ID, regardless of their immigration status. The Minnesota House Fraud Prevention and State Agency oversight policy committee met Tuesday. The question was raised whether a non-citizen could potentially vote in Minnesota elections. Election officials stated that absent a social security number, voter registration would be listed as incomplete. Some lawmakers suggested that non-citizens could vote in Minnesota elections, but election officials insisted that these instances are extremely rare. The full hearing is below, but the details of this story start around minute 29.

Driver’s License For All Program

Full House Hearing

Cody Balmer Guilty Plea

Also Tuesday, Cody Balmer pled guilty to 49 counts related to his firebombing of Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro’s home last April. The charges range from reckless endangerment and arson to terrorism and he will serve 25-50 years. The governor and his family were home at the time, but no one was injured.

Video of Incident

Court Complaint Docs

Docket Sheet

Sentencing Document

NYC Mayoral Race

With just over two weeks remaining before New York City votes to elect their next mayor, democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani spoke with Fox News Wednesday. He declined to give the president credit for the recent peace deal between Israel and Gaza. He also stated that given the warrants issued by the International Criminal Court, he would exhaust all legal options to arrest Netanyahu, or Putin for that matter, if they visit NYC. The latest Quinnipiac Poll from October 9th has Mamdani leading Cuomo 13 points.

Video of Mamdani Rally

Fox News Mamdani Interview

Quinnipiac Poll Data

Charlie Kirk Medal of Freedom

Tuesday, President Trump posthumously awarded Charlie Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom, America’s highest civilian honor. October fourteenth would have been Charlie’s 32nd birthday, and his wife Erika accepted the award on his behalf.

Video of Award Ceremony

TrumpRx EMD Serono Lowering IVF Costs

Donald Trump then spoke Thursday, announcing an agreement with a third pharmaceutical company to give US patients Most Favored Nation status. This deal aims to lower the cost of IVF treatments. The manufacturer, EMD Serono will offer their treatments on TrumpRx.gov and has also agreed to move some of their manufacturing to the US for the first time.

White House Fact Sheet

Announcement Video

CalRx California To Manufacture Cheaper Insulin

The same day, in California, Gavin Newsom announced that insulin pens will soon be available to Californians for just $11. CalRx was created to allow the state to develop, produce and distribute generic pharmaceuticals. The goal is to lower prescription costs and insulin will be the first drug manufactured under this program.

Governor Newsom Press Release

CalRx Details

World

Israel Gaza Ongoing Conflict

In World News, Israel Defense Forces announced Tuesday that they had fired on Gazans who were attempting to cross the yellow line. US Central command urged Hamas to suspend violence against Gazan civilians. Recovery efforts for bodies of remaining hostages are ongoing, but Israel says that at least one returned body was not a match to any hostage.

IDF On Yellow Line Shooting

IDF On Unknown Body

US Centcom On Conflict

US Centcom On Ongoing Violence

Current Events

Firearms Now Legal in the Post Office?

Back to the US, a court ruling that I missed from September 30th came across my desk this week. A Fort Worth Texas judge ruled that the government’s prohibition on firearms in an ordinary post office is a violation of the second amendment. Further, he issued a permanent injunction against the federal government.

Judge’s Ruling

Operation Summer Heat

The FBI released the results of an operation dubbed ‘Summer Heat’ this week. The national effort to reduce violent crime resulted in over 8600 arrests. They also seized 2200 weapons, 44 thousand kilograms of cocaine, and over 400 kilograms of fentanyl. The FBI arrested 4 of their top 10 most wanted and identified or located over 1000 child victims.

FBI Press Release

President / FBI Joint Statement

Milwaukee Officer Involved Shooting

An off-duty police officer in Milwaukee was involved in a shooting last week. Another driver, 26 year old Elijah Wilks cut off the officer, causing a minor collision. Both drivers stopped and after a brief exchange of words, Wilks pulled a gun and hit the officer with it. The officer pulled his own firearm and shot Wilks, who was pronounced dead at the scene. After viewing the dash camera footage, the attorney for the Wilks family acknowledged that the officer’s actions were justified.

Dash Camera Video

MPD Press Release

Family Attorney Statement (part 1)

Family Attorney Statement (part 2)

Kilauea Eruption

The US Geological Survey issued an orange watch Thursday for Kilauea in Hawaii. Cameras caught video of the lava flows and eruption Friday morning. 

US Geological Survey Notice

Video 1

Video 2

Ace Frehley

American singer, songwriter and guitarist Paul Daniel “Ace” Frehley died this week. Frehley played lead guitar for KISS from 1973 until 1982 when he embarked on a solo career. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll hall of fame in 2014 with the other three founding members of KISS. Ace Frehley was 74 years old.

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

DOJ Seizes $15B in Bitcoin

In Finance the Department of Justice announced the civil forfeiture of more than 127,000 bitcoin valued at over fifteen billion dollars on Tuesday. This action was part of the indictment of Prince Group CEO Chen Zhi. He could face up to 40 years in prison for running forced labor camps and phone farms in Cambodia, targeting victims in the United States and abroad. He ran various scams and used crypto currency to launder the proceeds for nearly a decade.

Justice Department Release

Markets

The Dow Jones recovered partially from last week’s losses, adding 770 points to close at 46,249. That’s two points north of the last Friday in September. Nasdaq posted modest gains, ending the week at 22,679. The S&P 500 followed the Dow, closing at 6664. Gold continues to climb, ending the week at 4213.

Sports

MLB

In Major League Baseball, the dodgers swept the brewers to advance to the World Series and attempt a repeat world championship. Shohei ohtani pitched 6 innings Friday night, striking out 10 while hitting three home runs in the 5-1 win. Seattle will try to close out the blue jays tonight. They head into game 6 of the 7 game set with a 3-2 lead.

Formula 1

In Austin, the Formula 1 American Grand Prix saw max Verstappen take pole for the sprint race and never relinquish the lead. A turn 1 incident took out both McLaren cars and George Russel finished second, ahead of Carlos Sainz in the Williams. Verstappen will start on pole again for Sunday’s main event, with Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc following.

NCAA Football

Finally, in college football, number 9 Georgia held off undefeated, number 5 ole miss in a 43-35 home victory. Number 17 Vanderbilt knocked off number 10 LSU. Number 2 Miami was exposed in a home loss to conference rival Louisville. Number 13 notre dame beat number 20 USC 34-24 and 6th ranked Alabama defeated number 11 Tennessee 37-20. 21st ranked Texas needed overtime to get past Kentucky in a 16-13 game and 16th ranked Missouri needed two overtime’s to get the best of Auburn. The Florida Gators illustrious duo of Billy Napier and DJ Lagway did all they could to lose but were bailed out by a late interception and handed Mississippi state their 15th consecutive SEC loss.

Rich Stephens

The Cold Take

10-18-25

From the desk of Rich Stephens

Video Explaining the Federal Government Shutdown

Below find the expanded text from tonight’s broadcast. For corrections or additions, contact Rich directly.

We are now nearly three weeks into a shutdown of the federal government.  People I have spoken to don’t know what that means, don’t know why it’s happening, and my own mother didn’t even know that it IS happening.  So tonight we are going to try to bring you some clarity. For nineteen days, Democrats and Republicans have held daily press conferences to place the blame squarely on their opponents.

In our video we parodied legislators on both sides. At the bottom of this article, there are links to some of the real press conferences we used to make these composite characters. Democrats say that Republicans have created a healthcare crisis. Republicans say that Democrats are trying to add a trillion dollars in spending. As they like to say, let me be clear: They are both being deceptive. Democrats passed the Affordable Care Act, the American Rescue Plan and the Inflation Reduction Act. They passed the laws that created the subsidies and the expiration dates are in those laws. So Republicans didn’t create a crisis. But the subsidies are being allowed to expire and not being extended. So Democrats are asking to extend current spending, not add new spending. Following?

Like it or not, that’s what happened.  That’s the foundation of our philosophy of journalism here at The Cold Take. Our goal is to report what happened, as it happened. We try to check our feelings and opinions at the door.  But as you can see, what happened isn’t always the full story.  Republicans control the White House and both chambers of the legislature.  However, while a simple majority is enough for the House to pass a budget bill, the Senate requires 60 votes.  The Continuing Resolution in question, or CR, already passed the house of representatives but Republicans have failed to get more than 55 votes to pass it in the Senate. 

At the heart of the disagreement, the trillion dollars that Democrats say have been eviscerated from the budget and Republicans say is additional spending.  Under the Affordable Care Act, passed in 2010, there is something called the Premium Tax Credit.  This allows households who earn between 100 and 400 percent of the poverty level to sign up for ACA health care plans.  The Federal Government will give them a tax credit in the amount of the benchmark plan in their specific geographic area. 

The government pays this amount directly to the insurance company, who then bills the insured party any additional amount owed.  During Covid, Congress expanded eligibility by removing the 400 percent cap.  That’s right.  They didn’t make it 600% or 800%.  They just removed it. 

The American Rescue Plan was passed by a Democratic majority in the house.  Vice President Kamala Harris broke a 50-50 tie in the senate and President Joe Biden signed it into law. 

The Inflation Reduction Act  of 2022 extended the expansion through 2025, with an expiration date of December 31.  What is expiring is only the removal of the 400% cap on subsidies for ACA plan premiums.

So while Republicans aren’t slashing anything, passing a clean CR without extending this subsidy allows it to expire and excludes anyone earning more than 400% of the poverty level from receiving that benefit.  For a single person in the contiguous states, that’s an annual income of $62,600 and for a family of 4 it is $128,600.

On the other hand, Democrats insist that costs are going up, when what is actually happening is that the government is no longer paying a portion directly to the insurance company.  To the insured, this will look like being charged more for the same thing.

Republicans are firm on allowing these subsidies to expire.  Democrats are firm on extending these subsidies.  Neither side is being honest about what’s in the existing laws, how the subsidies work or who they really impact.  That makes it impossible for me to draw conclusions about motive.

Hakeem Jeffries (D) on the Shutdown

Mike Johnson (R) on the Shutdown

Chuck Schumer (D) on the Shutdown

John Thun (R) on the Shutdown

Affordable Care Act

American Rescue Plan

Inflation Reduction Act

Enhanced Premium Tax Credit Expiration

Premium Tax Credit Portion 1

Premium Tax Credit Portion 2

Federal Poverty Guidelines

Federal Poverty FAQ

Today is day 19 of the Federal Government Shutdown

Rich Stephens

The Cold Take

10-12-25

From the desk of Rich Stephens

News for the week ending October 11, 2025.

Below find the expanded text from tonight’s broadcast. For corrections or additions, contact Rich directly.

Politics

Maine Election Missing Ballot Questions

Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows spoke Monday, announcing that absentee voting had begun, 30 days prior to Election Day, asserting that elections in her state are safe and secure.

After describing the process of printing, packaging and shipping of absentee ballots, she insisted that even if the chain of custody is broken, Maine elections are still secure. She then announced that 250 blank absentee ballots were allegedly delivered to a Maine resident in an amazon shipment with other items. Maine law enforcement is working with the FBI to investigate the claims.

She noted that one town was missing 250 ballots when their shipment arrived, and that the elections division was notified by a private organization from out of state that they believed they were in possession of absentee ballot envelopes.

While admitting that it appears that there may have been attempts to interfere with elections, she was insistent that the election cannot and will not be tampered with.

Shenna Bellows Full Remarks

Chicago Ice Free Zones

Also Monday, Chicago Mayor Johnson signed the “Ice Free Zone” order. It requires all city property to display a sign stating that the property may not be used for ‘civil immigration enforcement, including as a staging area, processing location, or operations base’. He asserted that ICE agents are violating the constitutional rights of Chicago residents and that this order aims to protects residents and immigrants.

The White House called the order a “disgusting betrayal of every law-abiding citizen” with President Trump saying on Truth Social that the mayor should be in jail for failing to protect ICE agents.

Mayor’s Press Office X Post

Mayor’s X Post

Mayor’s Press Conference X video

City of Chicago Official Statement

White House Statement

Trump Truth Social Post

NYC Mayoral Race Event

Wednesday, New York City mayoral candidates participated in a town hall event where each was able to give brief remarks before taking questions. Zohran Mamdani, Curtis Sliwa and Andrew Cuomo took questions about crime, budgets, housing and education. The election will be held on November 4th, just over three weeks from now.

Full video of the event

Letitia James Indictment

New York Attorney General Letitia James was indicted by a federal grand jury in Virginia Thursday on one count of bank fraud and one count of false statements to a financial institution. James made repeated comments about his presidency being illegitimate and vowed to sue him and cause him problems. She did sue Donald Trump in civil court in 2024 during his third presidential campaign and obtained a judgement against him for $500M. A court later upheld his wrongdoing but overturned the judgement. Letitia James has said that her indictment violates selective prosecution protections, accusing the president of weaponizing the justice system. 

Leticia James Indictment

Leticia James Campaign Statements (video 1)

Leticia James Campaign Statements (video 2)

Leticia James X Post ‘no one is above the law’

Leticia James Response to Indictment

Leticia James Trump Lawsuit Judgement

NY Appellate Court Decision

Columbus Day

And Friday, Donald Trump signed a Presidential Proclamation, officially recognizing October 13 as Columbus day.  He expressed gratitude to Italian immigrants and their contribution to the United States and also noted our close national relationship to Italy.

Presidential Proclamation on Columbus Day

Government Shutdown

We have not yet mentioned that this was the first full week of the ongoing government shutdown that began at midnight on Tuesday September 30th.  Today is the twelfth day of the shutdown and we plan to bring you a special edition of the cold take later this week to explain exactly what is happening.  Subscribe on YouTube, Instagram or TikTok to be notified when this video is available.

Current Events

Palisades Fire Suspect Arrested

Wednesday, US Attorney for the central district of California announced the arrest of Johnathon Rinderknecht for starting the fire that ultimately burned down the Palisades, killing 12 people, destroying 6800 structures and damaging 1000 more. He was arrested Tuesday in Florida on the felony charge of destruction of property by means of fire. The suspect allegedly used ChatGPT to generate images of people running from wildfire months before. The US Attorney indicated that the fire was started with an open flame, was initially ‘suppressed’ but moved underground before being reignited by wind a week later. He could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

Palisades Fire Suspect Arrest Press Conference

Ghislaine Maxwell Appeal Denied

Ghislaine Maxwell, serving a sentence of 27.5 to 55 years for her role in Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse and exploitation network, had appealed her sentence to the Supreme Court. Her attorneys argued that her prosecution violated a non-prosecution agreement between Epstein and the US Attorney, that the statute of limitations had expired and that her sixth amendment right to a fair trial had been violated. The Supreme Court rejected her request on Wednesday.

Maxwell Sentencing Document

Maxwell Appeals Documents

Supreme Court Denial of Maxwell Case

Tennessee Munitions Facility Explosion

Friday morning, a facility in Hickman County Tennessee that processed ammunition and explosives suffered a catastrophic explosion. Initially authorities believed nineteen people missing or deceased. As of last night, three had been determined to not have been present, but sixteen are now presumed dead and their families have been notified. Due to the volatility of the scene, ATF, FBI and local law enforcement are investigating slowly and carefully. The cause is not yet known.

Initial Coverage

Press Conference 1

Press Conference 2

Diane Keaton

Diane Keaton passed away this week. She appeared in all three godfather films and won the Oscar for best actress in 1978 for her performance in Annie Hall. Diane Keaton was 79 years old.

(No real attribution for this. Her agent spoke to People magazine and they sent it out to everyone else)

Finance

IRS 2026 Tax Brackets and Inflation Adjustments

The IRS Released the tax inflation adjustments for 2026 this week. The standard deduction increased minimally, and the individual tax bracket earning amounts were all increased as well. Estate tax credit amounts went up by $1.5M.

2025 IRS Adjustments

2026 IRS Adjustments

Markets

In Markets, the Dow Jones Industrial Average erased four weeks of gains with a sharp decline Friday to close at 45,479.  The Nasdaq suffered similar losses, closing at 22,204.  The S&P500 dropped to 6552.  Gold meanwhile hit an all time high and closed at 4018 per ounce.  Silver is over $50 for the first time ever.  The previous high was 47.91 in March of 2011.

Sports

MLB Postseason

The MLB divisional playoff round wrapped up Friday night with the brewers taking game 5 from the cubs and moving on to the ALCS where they will face Toronto, who beat the Yankees in 4 games. In the national league, the dodgers will face the Mariners. Seattle needed 15 innings to win game 5 against the tigers on Thursday night.

Mark Sanchez Felony Charges

Former NFL quarterback Mark Sanchez was charged with felony battery resulting in serious bodily injury this week. The charging document alleges that Sanchez was intoxicated, became involved in a dispute over a parking space, and injured the other driver. He could face as much as 6 years in prison if convicted.

Mark Sanchez Original Charging Document

PC Affidavit

Amended Charges

Amended Charge Press Conference

College Football

In college football, number 7 Indiana beat number 3 Oregon 30-20. Number 6 Oklahoma lost the Red River Rivalry with Texas in a 23-6 game. The rest of the top 10 survived with Ohio State beating Illinois, Ole Miss escaping Washington State and number 5 Texas A&M beating Billy Napier’s flailing Gators 34-17.

Rich Stephens

The Cold Take

9-14-25

From the desk of Rich Stephens

News for the week ending October 5, 2025

Below find the expanded text from tonight’s broadcast. For corrections or additions, contact Rich directly.

World News

Peace in Gaza, maybe.

Monday President Trump met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss an end to the war in Gaza. They announced that Israel has agreed to a framework to end the war. The 20 point plan proposed by President Trump includes a cease fire, return of hostages and disarming of Gaza. Saturday Trump indicated that Hamas had responded, that Israel has ceased offensive military operations and that Hamas must move quickly to prevent a resumption of aggression.

Trump Netanyahu Joint Press Conference

Proposed Peace Deal

Trump Statement on Pause

Current Events

Des Moines School District

In US immigration news, we have a pair of ongoing stories.  The Des Moines Iowa school board met Tuesday to discuss district superintendent Ian Roberts. They stated that Roberts had provided a driver license and social security card at the time of his hiring. DHS published additional details Friday saying that Roberts was charged in 1996 for possession of narcotics with intent to sell, possession of a forgery instrument and of a forged instrument in New York. He also had a 2012 reckless driving, unsafe operation and speeding conviction in Maryland and weapons charges in 2020 and 2022. He was issued a final order of removal in May of 2024. Detained by Ice last week, Iowa revoked his educators license and DHS informed the school district that he is not authorized to work in the US. The school board voted 7-0 to accept his resignation.

School Board Voting Meeting

DHS Release on Roberts’ Past

Kilmar Abrego Garcia

Kilmar Abrego Garcia received a pair of rulings this week as well.  One court denied his request to reopen his asylum request, upholding his deportation.  Another court ruled that there is a likelihood that his federal prosecution is vindictive in nature.  We will bring you updates to this case as they are available.

Court Ruling on Federal Prosecution

DHS Statement on Deportation

Michigan Church Shooting and Burning

Last Sunday morning a man drove his truck through the doors of an LDS church in Grand Blanc Michigan and began shooting before setting the building on fire. Four people lost their lives and eight more were wounded. Local law enforcement neutralized the shooter within minutes but the ATF and FBI are both continuing to investigate this crime.

Michigan Press Conference

Bronx Building Collapse

Monday morning a gas explosion at a residential high rise in the Bronx caused a partial collapse of the building. The ventilation shaft for the boiler in the building was destroyed along the full height of the building, but no injuries have been reported.

Eric Adams Press Conference

Politics

Eric Adams Drops out of Mayoral Race

In Politics, incumbent New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced that he will not remain in the race to remain Mayor.  The field is now narrowed to Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa, Democratic candidate Zohran Mandani and former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.

Eric Adams Release Video

TrumpRx Pfizer Deal

Tuesday President trump announced an agreement with Pfizer to bring American drug prices into alignment with the lowest amount paid by other developed countries. Pfizer has also agreed to participate in a direct-to-consumer website where patients can purchase medication at steep discounts. The website trump rx dot com will launch in early 2026.

Pfizer Press Release

Trump Press Conference

White House Fact Sheet on Pfizer deal

Hegseth on Military Standards

War Secretary Pete Hegseth spoke Tuesday morning to a group of generals and staff in Quantico Virginia. The military leadership was gathered from around the world over the last week for this meeting and Secretary Hegseth spoke about ending DEI and improving standards, saying they must be “uniform, gender neutral and high”. He spoke about fitness standards and grooming standards saying that all soldiers will be required to pass PT tests twice a year and to shave every day. His overall goal is to form a “cohesive, formidable and lethal department of war” saying that is his duty, consistent with his constitutional oath.

Hegseth Full Remarks

Federal Government Shutdown

Legislators in Washington failed to pass a spending bill Tuesday, triggering a shutdown of the federal government, effective at midnight. Wednesday both Republican and Democratic representatives held press conferences throughout the day to blame the other side. By Wednesday afternoon they were swapping AI videos of each other.  House Speaker Mike Johnson indicated that the house will not hold additional votes next week, instead waiting on the Senate to pass the House funding bill.

I get that my sources for this story are thin, but there are hours of press conferences where Mike Johnson, Hakeem Jeffries, Chuck Schumer and others are standing up, asserting that their story is fact, their side is right and the other side is to blame. Attempting to unpack that will wade much too far into my opinions, so I’m stopping with the jokes they’re telling.

Trump Twitter Troll

Newsom Twitter Troll

Trump One Dollar Coin

The treasury department announced this week that when the government reopens they intend to mint a 250th American Birthday, one dollar coin featuring President Donald Trump.

Treasury Statement

Markets

Markets rose this week, with the Dow closing up about 1% at 47059.  Nasdaq had similar gains, ending the week at 22780 and the S&P closed at 6715.  Gold continued to rise, gaining 127 dollars and closing at 3887.  For context, The Dow is up about 3% from the first Friday in September while gold is up nearly 9%.

Sports

Formula 1

This week’s Formula 1 race is in Singapore and will feature the Mercedes of George Russel starting from pole, followed by Max Verstappen, Oscar Piastri, Kimi Antonelli and Lando Norris in fifth. The Williams pair who qualified 12th and 13th, were disqualified for a violation of technical regulations and will start in the rear. Spoiler Alert: Russel won, Verstappen finished second, followed by Norris, Piastri and Antonelli.

Race Results

MLB Playoffs

The first round of the MLB postseason wrapped up earlier this week with LA sweeping Cincinnati, Detroit ousting Cleveland, the Cubs getting past the Padres and the New York Yankees defeating Boston after their bullpen collapsed in a game 1 loss. The Yankees traveled to Toronto and one again dropped game 1, giving up ten runs and only plating one. Similarly the Brewers recorded nine runs in their win over the cubs and the Dodgers managed a comeback win over the Phillies. The Tigers needed eleven innings to take their game 1 matchup against the Mariners.

NCAA Football

In college football, number 3 Miami beat in-state rival FSU twenty eight to twenty two. Alabama handed Vanderbilt their first loss of the year in a thirty to fourteen game. Number Seven Penn State fell to three and two in their thirty seven to fourth two loss to unranked UCLA, and the unranked Florida Gators head coach and play caller Billy Napier proved once again that he has no idea how the game clock works but his team managed to beat number nine Texas in a twenty nine to twenty one game.

Rich Stephens

The Cold Take

9-28-25

From the desk of Rich Stephens

News for week ending September 27, 2025 (Video)

Below find the expanded text from tonight’s broadcast. For corrections or additions, contact Rich directly.

UN General Assembly

We begin with world news.  The United Nations met in New York for the 80^th General Assembly. World leaders gave speeches that largely centered on women’s rights, climate change and the wars in Ukraine and Gaza.  Trump spoke Tuesday, noting malfunctioning teleprompters and an escalator before telling the assembly that the UN has tremendous potential but is not living up to it.  He scolded NATO countries for continuing to buy oil and gas from Russia, called for the end of research into biological weapons, and chided the UN for providing support to uncontrolled migration.  He also criticized climate change as being a con and green initiatives as a scam to “redistribute manufacturing and industrial activities from developed countries that follow the insane rules that are put down to polluting countries that break the rules and are making a fortune.”

Trump Full Speech

Escalator Video

Ahead of Trump’s speech Tuesday morning, the Secret Service announced it had found and dismantled a collocated network of 300 SIM servers housing one hundred thousand sim cards in the New York area. The network was capable attacks including denial of service attacks in the area and allowed anonymous, encrypted communication between nefarious actors. Given the proximity and timing, Secret Service is investigating whether this operation was intended to disrupt the UN General Assembly in New York this week.

Secret Service X Post

Secret Service Announcement (video)

Homeland Security X Post

Friday morning Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived to speak at the UN. Video feeds showed Muslim representatives from around the world filing out as he took the podium to cheers and clapping by supporting delegates. He condemned the October 7 attacks by Hamas and read the names of the 20 hostages still believed to be alive. He announced that his speech was being broadcast via loudspeakers across Gaza as well as live streamed to every cell phone in Gaza.  He spoke directly to the hostages, telling them that Israel has not forgotten them and will bring them home.

Netanyahu Full Speech Video

X Post Showing Speaker System

X Post Showing Speaker System (video)

Politics

New York Tax Cuts

New York Governor Kathy Hochul held a press conference Friday announcing proposals for income tax cuts, inflation refund checks and expansion of child tax credits. Tax cuts for the middle class are expected to impact 77 percent of New Yorkers. 

Kathy Hochul Tax Cut Press Conference

New York Tax Cut Info Sheet

James Comey Indicted

On Thursday, Attorney General Pam Bondi announced the indictment of former FBI director James Comey by a federal grand jury. The two charges, stem from Comey’s testimony to the senate in September of 2020 and include giving a false statement to congress and obstruction of a congressional investigation.

Indictment Document

Pam Bondi Statement

Trump on Autism and Acetaminophen

Monday, President Trump spoke alongside RFK Jr and Marty Makary (ma-carey) of the FDA to announce new guidance for infant vaccines and the use of acetaminophen during pregnancy. The FDA is notifying physicians and updating labels to indicate that the drug can increase the risk of autism when taken during pregnancy. Additionally, they are recommending that vaccines be spread out in infants to reduce autism risk.

Trump Autism Press Conference

HHS Tylenol Autism Statement

FDA Tylenol Autism Statement

Government Funding and Maybe Shutdown

Hakeem Jeffries held a press conference Thursday to speak about the potential of a government shutdown if the legislature can’t reach an agreement on a funding bill. He continued to assert that the republican plan constitutes a cut because some Affordable Care Act tax credits will expire in the coming weeks and called their position indefensible.

President Trump called Democrat demands unserious and ridiculous in a post on Truth Social announcing that he was cancelling a meeting with Democratic leadership earlier in the week. Both sides maintain that if a shutdown occurs, it will be the complete fault of the other.

Hakeem Jeffries with 5 days to go (video)

Jeffries with 4 days to go (video)

Trump Truth Social Response to Democrats

Florida Steps to Combat Violent Extremism

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier spoke in Orlando Monday morning to discuss the state’s efforts to combat violent extremism.

In response to the death of Charlie Kirk and other instances of politically motivated violence Florida is launching a portal myfloridalegal.com/cve where citizens can report threats of violence online.

Uthmeier vowed to prosecute speech not considered to be protected by the first amendment, saying that it is not a violation of the first amendment to expect teachers to create a safe learning environment. 

State department of education commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas ‘Stassi’ also spoke, saying that teachers are tasked with protecting the health, safety and welfare of students, but some have celebrated violence and this is unacceptable and will not be tolerated.

He indicated that the state will investigate these instances and revoke licenses of educators who fail to protect the health, safety and welfare of students.  A link to the portal and press releases from state officials are available at the cold take dot com.

Press Conference about Violent Extremism

Attorney General Press Release

Current Events

Jimmy Kimmel

In another story related to free speech, Californians held a rally Monday in la to protest what they called an attack on free speech, accusing the FCC of authoritarian tactics over the removal of Jimmy Kimmel from the late night lineup on ABC. This story has been extremely hard to cover because of the amount of back and forth.

Initially, Nexstar, one of the largest ABC affiliate networks, decided to take the show off the air. After that, ABC suspended the show ‘indefinitely’ which turned out to be only a week. When ABC announced the return of the show, Sinclair joined Nexstar in preempting the broadcast, but both announced Friday that they would put Kimmel back on the air.

Tuesday’s return show drew five times its normal viewership despite being shown in only 77% of markets. Ultimately I don’t feel that this story really rises to the level of news. However, there is a question about whether the FCC statements constitute censorship given their ability to fine ABC or revoke broadcast licenses. Again, I can’t tell you what to think, just what happened and this one had more back and forth than Djokavik and Sinner in the Wimbledon finals…

FCC Chair Statement About Kimmel

ACLU Statement on Censorship

Nexstar Preemption Statement

Sinclair Preemption Statement

ABC Reinstatement Statement

Nexstar Reinstatement Statement

Sinclair Reinstatement Statement

Google Admits Censorship During Biden Admin

Speaking of censorship, in response to a subpoena from the house judiciary committee, Google sent a letter to Representative Jim Jordan stating that during the COVID-19 pandemic, Google was pressured by the Biden administration to censor and remove content that did not violate platform policies. The company stated specifically that YouTube has removed restrictions on COVID-19 and election related integrity content and that channels removed under these restrictions will be given the opportunity for reinstatement. 

Google Letter to Jim Jordan

Judiciary Committee Release

DOT on Unlawful Issuance of CDL’s and Mitigation

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy spoke Friday about unlawful issuance of commercial driver licenses across the country. The DOT has issued an emergency rule preventing non-citizens from acquiring a CDL unless they meet a new, much more strict set of rules.  The order also requires all states to immediately pause issuance of non-domiciled CDL’s until they can come into compliance with the new rules. Additionally, the department of transportation is giving California 30 days to become compliant or lose $160M in transportation funds the first year and $320M in the second year.

Full DOT CDL Press Conference

DOT Statement of Mitigation Plan

Shooting at Dallas Ice Facility

Wednesday morning a person climbed to the roof of a building near an ICE facility in Dallas and shot at the building, vehicles and surrounding area. No law enforcement officers were injured, but three detainees were shot, one of whom did not survive. FBI director Kash Patel posted a picture on X of unused ammunition with the words ‘Anti Ice’ written on one. While the name of the suspect, who took his own life at the scene, has circulated widely in the media, it has not been released in any official capacity, so we cannot bring any additional details at this time.

DHS Statement about ICE Facility Shooting

Kash Patel On Ice Shooting

Kristi Noem on Ice Shooting

Dallas Press Conference

Ryan Routh Convicted in Florida

At the federal courthouse in Fort Pierce Florida on Tuesday Ryan Routh was convicted of attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate, possessing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, assaulting a federal officer, felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number. Routh represented himself during the federal prosecution of his attempted shooting of then-presidential-candidate Donald Trump last September at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach Florida. He could spend the rest of this life in prison.

Ryan Routh Indictment

DOJ Statement on Conviction

SpaceX, NASA, NROL

SpaceX completed several successful Falcon 9 missions this week. In California, Space Force satellites were put into orbit on Monday. In Florida on Wednesday, a payload of three separate NASA vehicles was launched to study space weather closer to the sun. Starlink Satellites were also deployed from both coasts in tandem missions on Thursday. 

Nasa Mission Launch Video

SpaceX X Post IMAP Deployment

SpaceX X Post SWF0-L1 Deployment

SpaceX X Post Carruthers Deployment

NASA Mission Details

Sports

NFL

In Sports, Heading into today, seven NFL teams remain unbeaten while the Dolphins, Titans and Giants have all begun the season oh and three.

NCAA Football

In college football, Friday night the eighth ranked Seminoles suffered a double overtime loss at unranked University of Virginia. 

Ryder Cup

[RYDER CUP WRAPPING UP TODAY – STATUS]

MLB

[MLB – Raleigh – Judge – Playoffs]

Finance and Markets

In Finance and Markets, Fed chair Jerome Powell spoke Tuesday, largely reiterating his comments during last week’s rate cut announcement.  He indicated higher prices in the last month over one year ago, noting that it looks related to tariffs but believes this to be a short term challenge. He also said that the Inflationary impact from tariffs has not had much effect on consumers and that companies are not currently hiring but the fed is working to understand why.

Markets were flat this week, posting modest gains from one week ago.  The Dow fell 68 points, NASDAQ lost 147 points, the S&P 500 dropped 21 points and gold continued to climb, adding 74 dollars this week to close Friday at three thousand, seven hundred sixty dollars per ounce.

The Cold Take

From the desk of Rich Stephens

News for the week ending 9-20-25

Below find the expanded text from tonight’s broadcast. For corrections or additions, contact Rich directly.

Politics

Trump Has a Busy Week

On Monday, President Trump signed an executive memorandum, directing his cabinet to establish a Memphis Safe Task Force with the objective of reducing violent crime in Memphis. According to the FBI, Memphis had the highest per capita rate of violent crime in the country in 2024.  President Trump then traveled to the UK on Tuesday for an official state visit. He met with Prime Minister Kier Starmer and signed a technology agreement aimed at collaboration on AI, quantum computing and nuclear energy. The President and first lady also attended a state banquet hosted by King Charles at Windsor Castle. First Lady Melania Trump also attended events with members of the Royal Family.

On Friday, the president finished a busy week by signing a number of executive orders and proclamations including establishing national POW/MIA recognition day, restricting H1B visas by requiring a payment of one hundred thousand dollars as a condition of approval, and establishing what he is calling a gold card immigration program. The gold card program prioritizes immigrant visa applicants who can pay $1M USD. You can find most of this directly at whitehouse.gov, but specific links are:

Memphis Safe Task Force Press Release

FBI Crime Statistics Database

Press Conference with UK PM Starmer

Technology Prosperity Press Release

First Lady UK Events Press Release

Royal Dinner Video

Gold Card Press Release

H1B Limitation Press Release

Senate Oversight FBI Hearings

FBI Director Kash Patel appeared in front of the Senate oversight committee Tuesday and Wednesday to testify about the work of the FBI. Questions covered a broad array of topics including the Jeffrey Epstein investigation, the manhunt for Charlie Kirk’s killer, immigration enforcement, and White House policy and priorities. Some exchanges became heated, with Senator Corey Booker becoming angry, yelling over the chairman, and accusing director Patel of being rude and disrespectful. The FBI director characterized a number of questions as probing for “a media hit and a fundraising clip and I’m not going to give it to you”.

Kash Patel Testimony

Rashida Tlaib and Byron Donalds

An even more heated exchange occurred Thursday during a House Oversight Committee hearing on policing in Washington DC.  Representatives Tlaib and Donalds engaged in a screaming match. After going over her time, Representative Tlaib asserted that she was not attacking people, but rather being critical of systems. She then referenced a fascist takeover, and representative Donalds asked her to yield for a question. She declined and the hearing devolved into yelling and accusations.

Tlaib Donalds Screaming

Full (5 hours) hearing

California Yes on 50

California Democrats held a live stream fund raising event Tuesday evening. Governor Gavin Newsom, Senator Elizabeth Warren, Robert Beto O’Rourke and others spoke in support of California’s redistricting bill that will be on the ballot in a November 4th special election. They raised nearly seven hundred fifty thousand dollars over the course of the 4 hour online event, hoping to combat national Republican opposition to the bill. Arnold Schwarzenegger has openly opposed the bill, which sidesteps the bipartisan redistricting committee that he supported during his tenure as governor of the state.

Yes on 50 live stream

Arnold Schwarzenegger remarks

California Glock Ban

Also in California this week, Assembly Bill 1127 was passed and sent to the governor’s desk.  The bill makes the sale or transfer of any “semi-automatic machine gun convertible pistol”, and effectively outlaws all modern Glock pistols. 

AB-1127 Text

Pro-Firearms Attorney Breakdown

Florida Officially Open Carry

On the other coast, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier signaled Tuesday that the state will not challenge an appellate court’s decision last week to overturn the state’s ban on open carry of firearms.  Florida is already a constitutional carry state, so citizens may now carry openly and without a license. 

James Uthmeier on Open Carry

Congress Argues Over Government Shutdown

Congressional Republicans and Democrats both held press conferences Friday to plead their respective cases for the pending government spending bills.  Republicans have proposed a short term continuing resolution to fund the government for seven weeks without any additional appropriation of funds.  Democrats however argue that the some Affordable Care Act tax credits will expire during that time and drive up the cost of health care.  Republicans contend that this represents a trillion dollars of additional spending and Democrats claim that millions of Americans will lose health care.  If the two sides can’t reach an agreement by October first, the current federal government spending will expire, triggering a shutdown.

Senate Democrats Press Conference

Congressional Republican Press Conference

Current Events

Pennsylvania Officers Shot, Killed

Accompanied by a deputy sheriff, 5 York County Pennsylvania detectives attempted to serve a warrant on a 24 year old suspect who fired on the officers.  3 detectives were killed and 2 were injured and hospitalized.  Police believe the subject was there to kill the residents.  The press conference explaining the timeline and series of events is below. As this is an ongoing investigation, some details are limited.

PA State Police Press Conference

United CEO Accused Killer Back In Court

The man accused of killing the CEO of United Healthcare last year appeared in court this week.  The judge in the case dismissed terrorism charges, stating that the state had not met their burden.  Crowds gathered outside the courthouse, demanding his release.  He faces additional state and federal charges and could still face the death penalty.

Federal Indictment

Terrorism Charges Dismissal Order

Courthouse Video

Charlie Kirk Assassin Charged

In Utah, the man accused of shooting Charlie Kirk was arraigned after a press conference announcing formal charges.  County Attorney Jeff Gray stated that charges include:

• Aggravated murder (a capitalize offense)
• Felony discharge of a firearm
• Obstruction of justice for moving the rifle
• Obstruction of Justice for disposing his clothes
• Witness tampering for asking his roommate to delete texts.
• Witness tampering again related to roommate
• Commission of a violent offense in the presence of a child.

The state indicated their intent to seek the death penalty. Utah County does not allow downloading or linking to court documents without paying a fee. For that reason, we are linking to other sources who have paid to download the documents.

Probable Cause Doc 1

Probable Cause Doc 2

Charging Document

Arraignment Video

Robert Redford

Robert Redford. passed away this week at his home in Utah.  Known for his roles in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and Jeremiah Johnson, Redford won 5 golden globes and numerous other awards.  Robert Redford was 89 years old.

*Note: We were unable to obtain the original statement from Mr. Redford’s agent. From what we gathered, it was sent directly to the AP. While we generally will not use other news agencies as a source, this was widely reported, consistently by many sources and has not been refuted. If we are able to learn more, we will update or remove this story.

Finance and Markets

Interest Rates

Fed chair Jerome Powell spoke Wednesday following the release of his announcement that the fed will lower the base interest rate by a quarter of a point to 4-4.25%. He also noted that the fed goal is for interest rates to be 3.6% at the end of this year, 3.4% at the end of 2026 and 3.1% at the end of 2027. This does not represent a plan, only a projection.

Fed Press Conference

Fed Printed Statement

Market Data

Markets continued to climb this week with the down adding 481 points to close at 46315.  The NASDAQ added 490 points, a 2% gain, closing at 22631 on Friday.  The S&P closed up 80 points, ending up the week at 6664.  Gold saw similar gains, closing at 3686, a $45 lift.

Sports

In sports, Sunday, Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh hit his 54th home run of the season, tying Mickey Mantle’s 1961 single season record by a switch hitting batter. Tuesday, Raleigh added his fifty fifth and fifty sixth against the Royals to match the Mariners single season record. As of this morning, Raleigh is leading the MLB with fifty seven home runs on the year.

The Phillies clinched the NL East pennant last weekend, but the other five divisions are undecided with seven games remaining in the regular season.

In college football, seventeenth ranked Texas tech scored 24 fourth quarter points to take down number sixteen Utah.

Arkansas lost at Memphis after fumbling in the red zone late in the game with a chance to kick a go ahead field goal.

Number eleven Oklahoma held off Twenty second ranked Auburn to win twenty four to seventeen and the Florida Gators continued their decline, falling to one and three in a twenty six to seven loss at Miami.

Rich Stephens

The Cold Take

9-14-25

From the desk of Rich Stephens

News for the week ending September 13, 2025.

Below find the expanded text from tonight’s broadcast. For corrections or additions, contact Rich directly.

Charlie Kirk Assassination

We begin tonight with the assassination of Charlie Kirk.  The conservative speaker, political activist was also the CEO and founder of turning point USA.  He was holding a speaking event at Utah Valley University.  I mistakenly and falsely reported Thursday that this was Utah State University.  At 12:23, a single shot was fired from a Mauser model 98 .30-06 rifle.  Recovered later, the shell casings still in the magazine were engraved with messages including “If you read this, you are gay LMAO” and “Hey Fascist! Catch! ↑→↓↓↓”. The arrows reference a call code in a video game called Helldivers 2 and is the command to call in a bomb. Condemnation for the killing was swift and came from both supporters and detractors including progressives like AOC and hosts of The View.  Ilhan Omar’s response was somewhat mixed with condemnation of the shooting alongside criticism of Charlie Kirk himself.

The manhunt for the killer took 33 hours and resulted in the suspect being turned in by his father.

Charlie Kirk was 31 years old.

Turning Point Website

Ilhan Omar Full Interview

Full Capture Press Conference

The View Reacts To Charlie Kirk Killing

Current Event

Evergreen High School Shooting

The same day, A 16 year old student at evergreen high school in Colorado shot and wounded two other students before taking his own life. He used a revolver and reloaded several times. Authorities credit lockdown drills and procedures with saving lives. 

Full Press Conference Of Evergreen Shooting

Jerusalem Ramot Junction Shooting

Another shooting this week took place in Jerusalem at the Ramot Junction bus stop Monday morning.  Two men boarded a bus and shot 18 people, killing 6 before an IDF soldier, aided by an armed civilian intervened, killing the terrorists.  Hamas took credit for the shooting.  The following day, Israel conducted air strikes in the Qatari capital of Doha, targeting senior leadership of Hamas.

The White House Statement: White house statement: “this morning, the trump administration was notified by the united states military that Israel was attacking Hamas, which very unfortunately was located in a section of Doha, the capital of Qatar. Unilaterally bombing inside Qatar, a sovereign nation and close ally of the united states that is working very hard and bravely taking risks with us to broker peace does not advance Israel or America’s goals. However, eliminating Hamas who have profited off the misery of those living in Gaza is a worthy goal. President Trump immediately directed special envoy Whitcoff to inform the Qataris of the impending attack, which he did. The president views Qatar as a strong ally and friend of the united states and feels very badly about the location of this attack. President Trump wants all of the hostages in Gaza and the bodies of the dead released and this war to end now. President trump also spoke to prime minister Netanyahu after the attack. The prime minister told president trump that he wants to make peace and quickly. President trump believes this unfortunate incident could serve as an opportunity for peace. The president also spoke to the Amir and prime minister of Qatar and thanked them for their support and friendship to our country. He assured them that such a thing will not happen again on their soil.”

Video of Ramot Junction Shooting (not graphic)

Israel Foreign Ministry Statement

IDF Statement

White House Statements on Doha Attack

DEA Sinaloa Cartel

Monday, the DEA released a statement announcing the results of a recent operation in which 23 domestic field divisions coordinated with seven foreign regions to target the Sinaloa cartel. The one week surge resulted in six hundred seventeen arrests, seizure of four hundred twenty firearms and thousands of pounds of drugs, including four hundred eighty kilos of fentanyl, over seven hundred thousand counterfeit pills and nearly seventy five hundred kilos of cocaine.

DEA Press Release

Florida Open Carry

Wednesday morning, an appellate court in Florida ruled that the state’s ban on open carry of firearms, citing Heller, McDonald and Bruen.  Ultimately they determined that “The Constitution protects the right to carry arms openly and for self defense”.

Florida Open Carry Court Ruling

Florida Attorney General Statement

Florida Second Amendment Tax Holiday

Ron Desantis announced Monday that Florida will hold a sales tax holiday through the end of this year on all camping, fishing and hunting equipment, including firearms and ammunition.  He credited low debt and a budget surplus as the foundation for tax cuts.

He noted that Florida is the number one ranked state economy three years running in a CNBC rating report and has a triple A credit rating from all major ratings agencies. The Florida unemployment rate has been lower than the national average for 57 straight months.

He also mentioned his desire to eliminate property tax on primary residences in Florida, saying that you should be able to own your primary home free and clear, not paying rent indefinitely to the government.

Official State Release on 2A Holiday

Ron Desantis Press Conference On 2A Holiday

Supreme Court On ICE Enforcement In Los Angeles

Monday, the Supreme Court ruled on an injunction request from the Department of Homeland Security. A lower court had issued a temporary restraining order, barring DHS and ICE from considering various criteria when deciding to speak to individuals about their immigration status. In a 6-3 ruling, the Supreme Court granted a stay with Justice Kavanaugh saying officers are authorized to “interrogate any alien or person believed to be an alien as to his right to be or to remain in the United States.” Protesters in LA staged 24 hour protests outside an ICE facility there.  The ACLU also held a press conference to protest what they called unlawful policing by the federal government, DHS and ICE.

Supreme Court Ruling

Supreme Court Case

24 Hour Protest Video

Finance

In financial news, after hitting an all time high in August, lumber futures have fallen to (what After hitting an all time high in August, lumber futures have fallen to five hundred eighty eight dollars at close on Friday. This drop of thirty seven dollars includes a recovery from Thursday’s low of five hundred seventy one dollars and fifty cents.

Home starts were up in July, but permits were down from June. This week, the United States Census Bureau will release the August builder numbers and the Fed will meet to discuss interest rates. We will update this story next week when those numbers are available.

Home Start Data

Financial markets added modest gains after the last two weeks of loss with the Dow closing Friday at fourty five thousand, eight thirty four, a gain of about 1 percent for the week.  The nasdaq gained nearly one and a half percent, closing at twenty two one fourty one and the s&p had similar gains, closing at sixty five eighty four.  Gold meanwhile continued to climb, closing at thirty six fourty one, up three hundred dollars in a month.

In Sports, Carlos Alcaraz defeated Jannik Sinner Sunday in 4 sets to win the US open and take the number one world ranking away from Sinner. Alcaraz commented after the match that he sees jannik more than his own family. The two have combined for the last eight Slam trophies.

At Monza Sunday, Max Verstappen won from pole after setting the formula one track record in qualifying Saturday. The McLaren pair completed the podium with the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc finishing fourth.

President Trump was in attendance for Thursday night’s MLB matchup at Yankee Stadium to commemorate the 24th anniversary of the nine eleven terror attacks.  After meeting briefly with the president before the game, Aaron Judge sent a 3-2 pitch into the bullpen for his 45th home run of the year and 260th of his career.  Leading off in the third, Judge sent another ball to the bullpen to tie Joe Demagio for fourth on the Yankees all time home run list.  Friday he sent a home run over the green monster and out of Fenway to pass Demagio.  Judge is now tied with Bryce Harper for 89th on the MLB career home run list.

In college football yesterday, unranked Georgia tech upset number twelve Clemson 24 to 21 by kicking a 55 yard field goal as time expired. Number 16 Texas A&M beat 8th ranked Notre Dame 41-40 and 6th ranked Georgia escaped number 15 Tennessee in overtime to win 44-41. Miami covered the spread, beating USF 49-12.

Remembering 9/11

Thursday’s special edition was to remember the victims of the World Trade Center attacks 24 years ago today. Richard Cyril Rescorla was born in England in 1939. After serving with the British Army in Cyprus and northern Rhodesia, he moved to Brooklyn and joined the US Army. He became a platoon leader in Hal Moore’s famous air cavalry and fought in the battle of Ia Drang. After Vietnam, he began working in corporate security the World Trade Center. Together with another veteran who specialized in counter terrorism, he accurately predicted the 1993 bombing and helped to identify the perpetrators. Convinced that the building still represented a significant target for terrorism, Rick pushed for and then conducted fire and evacuation drills with all of Morgan Stanley’s employees, spanning 22 floors of the South Tower. On September eleventh, 2001, Rick disregarded Port Authority messages to stay in place and instead calmly evacuated the 2700 Morgan Stanley employees and re entered the building. He was last seen on the tenth floor of the south tower, heading up. His awareness of the risks and preparation saved hundreds of lives on nine eleven.

Rick Rescorla was 62 years old.

Rick Rescorla Wikipedia

AVC Tribute to Rick Rescorla

Rich Stephens

The Cold Take

Current Events

School Shooting

At Annunciation Roman Catholic Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota a gunman approached just before 8:30 Wednesday morning and fired through windows at parishioners and school children.  Two students, ages 8 and 10 were pronounced dead at the scene.  Fifteen other children, ages 6 through 15 were injured as well as three parishioners in their 80’s.  All of the injured are expected to survive.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey spoke saying “There are no words that can capture the horror and the evil of this unspeakable act. Children are dead. There are families that have a deceased child. You cannot put into words the gravity, the tragedy or the absolute pain of this situation.”

Jacob Frey Full Statement

Waymo Coming to NYC

Monday, Waymo and New York City mayor Eric Adams announced that a permit has been issued to allow the autonomous taxi service to begin operating in the city.

Waymo X Post

NYC Official Announcement

El Mayo Pleads Guilty

Monday Attorney General Pam Bondi spoke in New York to announce that Ismael ‘El Mayo’ Zambada Garcia confessed and pled guilty to charges related to drugs, human trafficking and homicide and will spend the rest of of this life in Prison.

Cofounder of the Sinaloa Cartel, partner to El Chapo, the 77 year old pled guilty to only two of 17 charges, one of racketeering conspiracy and one count of running a continual criminal enterprise.

Official Charges against Ismael Zambada Garcia

Department of Justice statement on plea deal

Kilmar Abrigo Garcia

Monday, Kilmar Abrigo Garcia, originally from El Salvador, appeared at the federal building in Baltimore. He spoke through a translator before going inside, expressing gratitude for the support of his wife, family and the community. He was taken into ICE custody while inside. Afterwards, his attorney Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg of Murray Osorio PLLC spoke at length on his behalf:

“Mr Abrego Garcia was taken into custody by ICE this morning. As he was leaving the jail in Tennessee on Friday, he’s been given a notice, requiring him to check in at 8 am this morning. The notice stated that the reason was ‘interview’, clearly that was false. There was no need for them to take him into ICE detention. He was already on electronic monitoring from the us martial service and basically on hours arrest. The only reason that they’ve chosen to take him into detention is to punish him. To punish him for exercising his constitutional rights. His constitutional right to fight back against being illegally deported to El Salvador, his constitutional right to speak up, through his court filings on the torture and treatment that he received in El Salvador at the direct request of our government. His constitutional right not to allow his harm to be twisted to take a guilty plea if he doesn’t want to, his constitutional right to exercise his right to a jury trial on his criminal proceedings if he so chooses, and his constitutional right and his right under the bail reform act to leave the prison and come home to his family. He’s being punished for exercising those rights.

We asked the ICE officer what the reason for his detention was. The ICE officer didn’t answer. The ICE officer stated that he’ll be taken to a detention center. We asked the ICE officer which detention center, the ICE officer said that they weren’t able to say. We asked the ICE officer for a copy of any paperwork that’s being served on him today. The ICE officer wouldn’t even commit to even giving us that paperwork.

In the last 5 minutes, Mr. Abrego Garcia has filed a new lawsuit in the federal court for the federal district of Maryland challenging his current confinement and challenging deportation to Uganda or to any other country unless and until he’s had a fair trial as in an immigration court as well as his full appeal rights.

In 2019 Mr. Abrego Garcia had a full trial. It lasted over two days, in this building behind me. And the result of that trial is that the judge entered an order that he could not be deported to El Salvador. That order was not even appealed by the government. If they want to deport him to any other country, they need to go through that exact same process. Unless and until they have gone through that process, they do not have the right to put him on an airplane, and that’s what we’re going to be asking the district court to insure. That he is not put on any flight to any country whatsoever, whether it’s Uganda, south Sudan, unless and until he has had a full and fair trial in an immigration court as well as his full appeal rights.

So he’s filed a lawsuit, seeking to insure that he is not removed from the united states pending his immigration proceedings. “

Full Video Outside The Federal Building

Homeland Security Statement

Coast Guard Record Drug Seizure

Rear Adm. Adam Chamie of the United States Coast Guard spoke Monday to announce the largest offload of seized drugs in US history.  Coast Guard cutter Hamilton offloaded 76,140lbs of drugs including over 61,000lbs of cocaine and 14,000lbs of marijuana.

Coast Guard Press Release

NYC Deputy Mayor DJ Daniel Sworn In

Tuesday, NYC Mayor Eric Adams held a press conference to swear in DJ Daniel as Deputy Mayor for Public Safety.

DJ has been sworn into over 1350 law enforcement agencies across the United States, including NYC Police Commissioner and honorary member of the US Secret Service.

The 13 year old cancer survivor from Houston, TX has battled brain and spinal cancer since 2018 when he was given just 5 months to live. 7 years and 13 surgeries later, he dreams of becoming a police officer.

Full Press Conference with Eric Adams

DEA Article about swearing in JD in April 2025

Cracker Barrel

Cracker Barrel attempted to remodel their restaurants, revamp their menu and change their logo. Met with relentless online pressure, they announced on Instagram that they will cancel their new logo and indicated they may also halt remodeling of stores.

Cracker Barrel on Instagram

Taylor Swift Engagement

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce announced their engagement this week on Instagram.

Taylor Swift Engagement Post on Instagram

Politics

Harjinder Singh and US DOT

Harjinder Singh, an Indian national who entered the United States illegally was arrested in California for a fatal crash in Florida last week.  Singh, who had been issued commercial driver licenses by both California and Washington state, made an unlawful U turn on Florida’s turnpike and three people were killed when their van struck his trailer.  Singh has been transferred to and charged in Florida.

The United States Department of Transportation secretary Sean Duffy spoke in response Tuesday to explain steps being taken to reduce the number and severity of crashes.  He noted USDOT will begin to remove funding from states that do not adhere to guidance requiring English language proficiency for issuance of driver licenses.

Video of Singh Accident

DOT Statement – English Proficiency Requirement

Desantis On Immigration

Desantis spoke Saturday alongside lieutenant governor Jay Collins and state troopers.

Last week a truck driver from India, in the United States illegally, attempted to make an improper U turn on Florida’s turn pike, killing three people.

In response Desantis announced an immigration enforcement operation led by FHP, but involving other state and federal agencies. It began last week and as of the 23rd nearly 200 arrests had taken place including 37 individuals who had previously received final orders of removal, 8 who had been deported and illegally reentered. One had been deported 4 times previously.

Since march fhp has arrested 3600 individuals following 4700 background checks via federal databases. More than 600 had prior criminal history.

Full Ron Desantis Press Conference

Ron Desantis Statement on X

Trump Executive Orders

On Monday, President Trump signed several executive orders. One takes steps to end cashless bail nationwide while another is specific to cashless bail in Washington D.C. A third directs prosecution of anyone burning an American flag and the last covers additional measures for tackling crime in D.C.

White House Executive Orders Archive

Trump’s Full Remarks from August 25, 2025

NYC Mayoral Race

Staying in New York City, but moving to politics, mayoral candidates Curtis Sliwa and Zohran Mamdani both held press conferences to address crime in the city.  Mamdani spoke about transportation safety and promised to address underfunded and partially complete projects like McGuinness Blvd in Greenpoint.  Sliwa focused on violent crime in the Bronx and signaled his desire to hire an additional 7000 NYPD officers.  He also spoke in support of President Trump, noting executive orders signed Monday to end cashless bail.

I watched Mamdani’s statement live and cannot find the video online now, but here is my transcription:

“…it begs the question of what the safety of New Yorkers is worth. Is it not worth more than $12,500 and a cameo on a TV show? Is it not worth more than crab cakes and clams at Gracy Mansion? I ask you this in sincerity because this fight has been built around the losses of loved ones in this neighborhood and yet we know that it’s a fight to ensure no one else is lost in this neighborhood.

And that decision by the administration, to implement half of this road dyke is a decision that put New Yorker’s lives in danger. And as has been said by the other incredible elected officials around the city, this doesn’t just have meaning here in Greenpoint, it sets a model for the rest of the city. And for too long that has been a model that has said that if you have enough money you could buy your way. But what this model represents is that working people can and must be safe no matter if they drive if they bike, if they walk, if they ride the bus if they take the train they must be safe across the city and we will make decisions with safety as the imperative.”

“that’s why I speak so much about turning the page on the politics of the past. Because corruption isn’t just about what politicians stand to gain. It’s also about what the public loses. And we know that my opponents do not share this commitment…we have spent much of this press conference speaking about Mayor Adams, but Andrew Cuomo is no better.

This is a man who thinks it’s’ right to turn on red here in NYC. This is a man for whom this city is a place to be feared, not a thing to be loved and served. And as mayor, I understand the crisis that we are facing and I understand that the core of the fight to serve this city is a love of this city and a love of the people who call this city home.

So we will make McGuinness safe, we will make New York City safe.”

Curtis Sliwa Press Conference

Curtis Sliwa Campaign Site

McGuinness Blvd

Sports

Little League World Series

On Sunday, Nevada faced off against Chinese Taipei in the 2025 little league World Series. Chinese Taipei hadn’t won the title since 1996 but held Nevada hitless through 4 and one third. They were also able to capitalize on some pitching mistakes to take an early lead. Chinese Taipei ultimately prevailed 7-0 to end a 7 year streak for the United States.

Cadillac F1

Tuesday, the Cadillac F1 team, slated to start in the 2026 season, announced their official driver lineup across their social media platforms. Former Mercedes driver and Lewis Hamilton teammate Valteri Bottas will join ex-Red Bull driver Sergio Perez in Cadillac’s inaugural season.

Cadillac F1 Official Statement

Cadillac X Post

Tennis / US Open

Daniil Medvedev lost the match and his temper in the first round of the US Open Sunday. He played Benjamin Bonzi who is ranked 51. He delayed the match for several minutes to yell at the chair umpire and microphones.  Another outburst happened Wednesday following Taylor Townsend’s defeat of Jelena Ostapenko.  Videos of both events are available at The Cold Take dot com. Carlos Alcaraz, Taylor Fritz, Novak Djokavak (SINNER?) all advanced to the Men’s 4th round.  On the women’s side, Townsend and Coco Gauf join Jessica Pegula and Arnya Sabalenka in the 4th round.  We’ll bring you final tournament results next week.

Medvedev Meltdown

Ostapenko Offense

US Open Bracket

NCAA Football

College Football Gameday celebrated the retirement of 90 year old Lee Corso yesterday.  Famous for dawning the head, and sometimes the entire costume of the team he picks to win, Lee has been a Saturday morning staple since 1987.  Ahead of number 3 Ohio State’s fourteen to seven win over preseason number one university of Texas, Corso donned Brutus Buckey’s head one last time.  Brutus was the first mascot head he tried in 1996.

Florida State upset eighth ranked Alabama in Tallahassee 31-17.

Number 9 LSU defeated 4th ranked Clemson at Clemson 17-10

ESPN Lee Corso Final Episode

ESPN On Final Episode

World

Israel

Tuesday, David Mencer, Israeli Govt. Spokesperson for the national public diplomacy directorate in the prime minister’s office gave a press conference in Tel Aviv. He spoke about the government’s five stated principals for ending the war in Gaza:

1. Disarming Hamas
2. Returning All Hostages, living and dead
3. Demilitarizing Gaza
4. Israeli Security Control Over Gaza
5. Establishment Of Alternative Civilian Administration

He expressed thanks to the Lebanese government for their commitment to disarm Hezbollah and signaled Israel’s readiness to both assist Lebanon and reduce IDF presence at the border saying “If the Lebanese armed forces take the necessary steps to implement the disarmament of Hezbolah, Israel will engage in reciprocal measures, including the phased reduction of the IDF presence in coordination with the US led security mechanism.

Now is the time for both Israel and Lebanon to move forward in a spirit of cooperation, focusing on a shared objective of disarming Hezbolah and promoting the stability and prosperity of both nations.”

He also voiced disagreement and displeasure at the media narrative around aid to Gaza.

Full Israeli Government Statement

Markets

Markets remained flat with the Dow closing down 408 points for the week, a loss of point zero one percent.  Nasdaq similarly dropped 41 points while the S&P fell 6.  Gold closed at 3446 per ounce, a 76 dollar pickup.

Full Cold Take YouTube Video

8-23-25

From the desk of Rich Stephens

News for the week ending August 22, 2025.

Below find the expanded text from tonight’s broadcast. For corrections or additions, contact Rich directly.

Current Events

Second Avenue Subway Extension

New York Governor, Kathy Hochul announced the Second Avenue Subway Extension project during a press conference on Monday, August 18th.

“We wanted to make sure that we could show that we could cut through the bureaucracy and all the red tape and also took significant funding and I congratulate all of you and my partners in state government for helping deliver this very ambitious capital plan. $68.4 billion dollars which is allowing this to happen. And part of the funding does come from congestion pricing. It’s working, we know that. Send our friends in Washington a message. It is working. And we know that traffic is down and business is up and people are happy…”

Governor Hochul expressed optimism in the project, stating, “This project hopefully will restore people’s faith in our capacity and our desire to get the big transformation projects done”.

View her full statement here.

Matthew Perry Death

In Los Angeles, Jasveen Sanga, known as the Ketamine Queen of North Hollywood, agreed to plead guilty to charges related to ketamine distribution, which include one count of causing death. These charges are linked to the October 2023 death of actor Matthew Perry and could lead to a maximum sentence of 65 years.

The complete justice department release.

Operation Heat Wave – Texas Fugitives

In July, several Conroe Police Officers and Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office Deputies worked with U.S. Marshals for Operation Heat Wave. From August 4-8, this operation led to the arrest of 71 individuals and the clearing of 91 felony warrants, including serious offenses such as parole violations, possession of child pornography, assault, family violence, and drug-related charges. Additional warrants were cleared for various crimes including firearm possession by a felon and larceny.

Hurricane Erin

Hurricane Erin is the first Atlantic hurricane and also the first major hurricane of the season. It caused significant damage along the East Coast of the United States, especially in the coastal areas of North Carolina.

The main impact of Hurricane Erin was on the environment, particularly affecting sea turtle populations. It also led to coastal flooding and dangerous surf conditions along the East Coast.

Hurricane history can be viewed at here.

For real-time storm and hurricane coverage, visit the NHC directly, or use Mike’s Weather Page.

U.S. Politics

Florida, Texas and California Redistricting

Wednesday, Florida Governor Ron Desantis announced that state Attorney General James Uthmeier has written a letter to the census bureau and copied the white house, urging a review of the 2020 census data. He said Florida was underrepresented by 3.5% and is attempting to gain additional congressional seats as well as electoral votes for presidential elections. Additional congressional apportionment would necessitate redrawing the district maps for the state.

Democrats returned to Texas Monday after leaving the state for two weeks to deny quorum and prevent a vote on redrawn congressional district maps. After an all-day debate, the maps were passed in an 88-52 vote on the house floor Wednesday. In response, the California legislature passed a measure Thursday that will send their own redrawn district maps to a referendum vote in a November special election.

Noem on the Border

Secretary of homeland security Kristi Noem Spoke Tuesday at the border in Texas. She announced that we will be painting the entire southern border wall black to make it hotter in the heat and discourage illegal border crossings. She also noted that her department is currently constructing almost .5 miles / day of border wall. She noted that work is being done to secure not only the southern border, but the northern and maritime borders as well.

Trump Penalty Overturned

The New York State Supreme Court Appellate Division issued a decision in Donald Trump’s appeal of a 2023 ruling against him. He was initially ordered to pay $464 Million Dollars for fraudulent business practices in New York. The full decision is more than 300 pages and the 5 justice panel voiced deep disagreement between themselves over whether the Attorney General had the authority to bring the case, whether it should be retried, or referred ultimately to a higher court.

World News

Trump Meets Zelenskyy in the Oval Office

Trump spoke Monday ahead of a meeting with Ukranian President (name) as well as 7 other European leaders.

They took questions from the media. Trump expressed optimism ahead of the meeting. “The war’s gonna end. When it ends, I can’t tell you, but the war is going to end and this gentleman wants it to end and Vladamir Putin wants it to end. I think the whole world is tired of it and we’re gonna get it ended.”

When asked about Melania’s letter to Putin, Trump said, “So the first lady felt very strongly, she has watched the same thing that you watch and that I watch. I see things that you don’t get to see and it’s horrible. But she’s got a great love of children. She’s got a wonderful son that she loves, probably more than anyone, including me, I hate to say it, but she love her son. She loves children and she hates to see something like this happening. And that goes for other wars too.”

• Meeting with President Trump and Zelenskyy
• Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte
• UK PM Starma
• President Macron of France
• Prime Minister Meloni of Italy
• Chancellor Merz of Germany
• President of Finland Alexander Stubb
• President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen

Trump: “the Alaska summit reinforced my believe that while difficult, peace is within reach and I believe that in a very significant step, President Putin would accept security guarantees for Ukraine and this is one of the key points that we need to consider and we’re going to be considering that at the table also…I’m optimistic that collectively we can reach an agreement that would deter any future aggression against Ukraine…We also need to discuss the possible exchanges of territory taking into consideration the current line of contact…and negotiating positions.”

Ahead of the meeting, Monday morning UK PM Keir Starmer traveled to Washington DC with other European leaders. ‘…hugely impacted Ukrainians who’ve suffered hugely, but it’s also impacted Europe, it’s impacted every single family and community in the United Kingdom, so everybody wants it to end, not least the Ukrainians. But we’ve got to get this right. We’ve got to make sure there is peace, that it is lasting peace and that it is fair and it is just. That’s why I’m traveling to Washington with other European leaders to discuss this face to face with president trump and president ze because it is in everybody’s interest, it is in the UK’s interest that we get this right’ FULL POST

Sports

The Little League World Series will wrap up tomorrow. Some notable games include the Tuesday night matchup between Sioux Falls South Dakota and Bonney Lake Washington. Led by pitcher Maxen Snoozy who recorded a total of 14 strikeouts, at one point striking out 10 in a row, Sioux Falls defeated Bonney Lake.

The next night, the South Dakota squad took a commanding lead in extra innings. Tied at one, the Sioux Falls squad exploded with 5 runs including an RBI double from, Snoozy. They would watch that lead disappear and lose to Irmo South Carolina in a walk off single to right field.

Tomorrow’s final should be a thriller.

The New York Yankees waited out a 2 hour delay Tuesday in Tampa before Aaron judge recorded his 40th home run of the season. The 13-3 win included 9 total home runs by 6 Yankees to tie a franchise single game record.

And while today is officially the first day of college football, most teams will kick off a week from now. Notable August 30th matchups include Texas at Ohio State, LSU at Clemson, an Alabama at Florida State. Notre Dame will visit Miami a day later.

Markets

In markets news, Fed Chair Jerome Powell signaled Friday the potential of lowering interest rates next month. Noting “the balance of risks appears to be shifting” he also referenced a softening labor market, in which job growth has slowed but unemployment has not increased substantially.

On the back of his comments, markets rebounded from a week of losses.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at 45952, a 1000 point gain over the last week and climbing nearly 900 points on Friday alone.

NASDAQ lost 126 points on the week but erased large losses with a 406 point Friday gain.

The S&P 500 finished 17 points in the black after recovering from a mid week slump with Friday’s gains.

Gold held more or less steady, closing at 3370.

Like it or not, that’s what happened.

And if I misstated or missed something all together, please let me know.

Rich Stephens

The Cold Take