WOW! Elon’s Tesla Problem is Pathetic, Trump Melts Down on Zelensky, & The Truth on RFK & Food Dyes
PDS Published 04/23/2025
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Then I have two pieces of RFK Jr. news you need to know about today.
Starting with the news that you now have CBS reporting that the Health and Human Services secretary is reportedly starting an autism registry to track Americans with the condition.
Right, according to the outlet, this is part of the sweeping study Kennedy announced in his first press conference last week.
And we covered that extensively in last Thursday’s show — which I highly recommend you watch if you haven’t yet because the shit he said is absolutely wild.
But the very top-level TLDR is that you had Kennedy falsely claiming that autism was a “preventable” disease caused by environmental toxins rather than genetics, and declaring that his agency will be launching a series of studies into the causes.
This despite the fact that experts widely agree that 1) autism is not a “preventable” disease but rather a complex neurological condition.
And 2) it likely has a number of different causes, with multiple studies showing that, contrary to RFK’s claims, genetic factors actually do play a significant role.
With Kennedy also attracting widespread criticism for describing autism as this horrible affliction that ruins families and painting autistic people as totally incapable of functioning in society.
Though he did walk back his claims somewhat, clarifying that he was only referring to people on the more severe end of the spectrum.
But, regardless, the whole ordeal sparked a TON of backlash.
And this week, we got a little more insight into what exactly Kennedy’s autism “studies” will look like.
Right, per CBS, to conduct the studies, the National Institutes of Health will be collecting the private medical records of people with autism from numerous existing federal and commercial databases.
With NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya (Bah-Tuh-Char-Ree-Uh) reportedly giving a presentation where he told the agency’s advisors that the new data will let researchers study “comprehensive” patient data with “broad coverage” of the U.S. population for the first time, adding:
“The idea of the platform is that the existing data resources are often fragmented and difficult to obtain. The NIH itself will often pay multiple times for the same data resource. Even data resources that are within the federal government are difficult to obtain.”
With CBS going on to specify that the data collected will include:
“medication records from pharmacy chains, lab testing and genomics data from patients treated by the Department of Veterans Affairs and Indian Health Service, claims from private insurers and data from smartwatches and fitness trackers.”
And going on to note that the NIH is also in talks with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services “to broaden agreements governing access to their data.”
And as for who will be able to see all this data, the NIH director reportedly said that between 10 and 20 outside groups of researchers will be given grant funding and access to the records in order to conduct RFK Jr.’s autism studies.
But he also claimed that the researchers will not be able to download private medical data, promising that there will be “state of the art protections” to ensure confidentiality.
Now, very notably here, CBS did not provide more details about what exactly those protections will look like — and it's unclear if any officials gave more information at the presentation.
What’s more, the outlet also didn’t elaborate further on the so-called autism registry that will track people with the condition.
And while other outlets have been unable to verify the outlet’s reporting there, you did have Snopes explaining that the NIH already keeps a list of registries for numerous different medical diagnoses.
Including various types of cancers, autoimmune disorders, and cerebral palsy.
With the health institute saying that the registries provide researchers with, quote:
“first-hand information about people with certain conditions, both individually and as a group, and over time, to increase our understanding of that condition.”
But, regardless, the CBS report has sparked a lot of concern online about the general privacy violations.[][][]
As well as how RFK Jr. might use the data, given his alarming past comments about autism.
Many people drawing comparisons to Nazi Germany and the euthanasia program where the Nazis rounded up disabled people and murdered them en-mass.[]
With one person writing on X:
“I’m autistic. And when I heard RFK Jr. wants a government registry to track people like me using private medical records I didn’t think ‘safety.’ I thought Nazi Germany. A roundup’s of disabled people. Because I know history. And I know exactly what comes after the list is made.”[]
Adding, “ This isn’t about health. This is about control. It’s about fear. It’s about marking people. People like me. Neurodivergent people. Different people. Don’t dress it up as policy. This is how roundups begin.”
Others also arguing that this will just scare people from wanting to get themselves or their kids tested for autism, which will artificially reduce reported cases.[]
Though, notably, some people also claimed that’s Kennedy’s real intent here — right, decrease the number of reported cases so he can claim his actions have actually reduced autism.[]
But, as far as what happens next, we’ll just have to wait for more information to come out.
And that brings me to the second piece of RFK Jr. news, which is the big announcement he made about food dyes at a press conference yesterday.
But a big part of the reason I want to cover this story is because there has been a TON of misinformation around this whole situation.
Right, when you go on X, the top search results for “food dye” are all posts like:
But those claims are incredibly misleading — if not downright false.
What Kennedy and his team ACTUALLY announced are a handful of different actions — none of which amount to ban on all food dyes, and none of which will be effective immediately.
Right, RFK Jr. did indeed say that his agency will be eliminating eight different dyes that are found in thousands of food products including candy, snacks, soda, and much, much more.
But the methods they are using to actually achieve this goal are highly questionable.
Starting off, of the eight dyes Kennedy claims to be eliminating, only two are actually going to be banned in any real way.
And even that will take some time, with officials saying that in the next few months, they will start the process of revoking authorization for citrus red No. 2 and orange B.
But experts say that this won’t really change the status quo much, which Thomas Galligan, a principal scientist watchdog group Center for Science in the Public Interest, explaining that these two dyes are “very, very rarely used.”
Adding, “They've essentially been abandoned by the food industry."
And as for the other six dyes, Kennedy and his team said they will be phased out by the end of 2026 as food producers reformulate to remove them.
But — and this is a key thing here — when Kennedy was asked how this would be enforced and whether there was an official agreement with the food companies, he responded:
“We don’t have an agreement; we have an understanding.”
With other officials then clarifying that the phase-out of these dyes will actually be entirely voluntary.
Right, while the federal government will provide guidelines, standards, and a timeline, none of this is actually mandatory.
With FDA Commissioner Marty Makary (Muh-Carrie) telling reporters later that he believes this goal can still be achieved even without formal regulations, saying:
"There's no need to have a regulation or a statute when companies are volunteering to do it.”
But right now, it’s totally unclear how many food companies will comply.
Right, according to reports, literally no one from the food industry was even at this event.
And while some trade groups have said they will phase out dyes, there has not been anything close unified industry response saying “yeah, we’re on board.”
In fact, Bloomberg reported today that industry leaders have actually said they did not agree to even the voluntary terms outlined by RFK Jr. and his team.
Additionally, we’ve also seen some groups actively pushing back on the effort, with the International Association of Color Manufacturers, which represents the color additives industry, saying color additives have been “rigorously reviewed” and adding:
“Requiring reformulation by the end of 2026 ignores scientific evidence and underestimates the complexity of food production. This process is neither simple nor immediate, and the resulting supply disruptions will limit access to familiar, affordable grocery items.”
Right, and that comment about scientific evidence is in reference to the fact that RFK Jr. and other administration officials have argued that this push is necessary to protect children from dyes, which they claim cause a host of behavior issues and illnesses.
And, to that point, some studies have linked certain dyes to ADHD and other neurobehavioral problems in some children, but the FDA has long maintained that the color additives are safe, and most children have no adverse effects from them.[][]
But, regardless, many experts have said that RFK’s plan here won’t do shit, with one calling the announcement “less than a nothing burger.” []
Hell, even people who support removing these dyes have criticized the move.
Like Galligan of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, who said he wished that RFK Jr. had actually announced a ban on dyes, not a voluntary phase-out, arguing:
“The FDA has the authority to ban them outright if they wanted to. So it's a bit of a strange announcement.”[]
And adding, “It's worth pointing out that food companies have made promises like this before. They've claimed they're going to get rid of these food dyes or other additives within a certain timeframe, and then they have consistently reneged on those promises.”
But for now, we’ll just have to wait and see what happens here.
And with everything we talked about today, I’d love to know what you think.
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Tim Pool’s appearance in the press pool is facing some backlash in the Twitter pool.
Right, it was first announced he would be added to the White House Press Pool back in March, and yesterday, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt introduced him in a briefing and gave him the first question of the day.
Though, that question had a rather long lead-in:
“Many of the news organizations that are represented in this room have marched in lockstep on false narratives, such as the ‘very fine people’ hoax, the Covington smear, and now what’s being called the ‘Maryland man’ hoax, where an MS-13 gang member—adjudicated by two different judges, I believe—is just simply being referred to as a ‘Maryland man’ over and over again. Now, in an effort from the White House to expand access to new companies, you’ve created this ‘new media’ seat. So, I’m wondering if you can comment on following this expansion, you’ve had numerous outlets disparage the companies that you’ve had sit here, as well as the reporters. I’m wondering if you could comment on that unprofessional behavior as well as elaborate if there’s any plans to expand access to new companies.” (0:43-1:23)
Right, it started by slamming mainstream news outlets and their coverage of Kilmar Abrego Garcia (Kill-mar, mar like far, Uh-bray-go), then teeing Leavitt up to talk about those outlets, that case, and the White House’ future press plans.
And she responded to that question by saying:
“Well we certainly welcome diverse viewpoints in this room, which is one of the reasons we have you in here. There are many new faces in this room compared to the previous administrations.” (8:13-8:21)
“You rightfully pointed out ‘Maryland Man’ story, which I, from this podium, when the Atlantic published it, on that very first day I came to this podium and said this is wrong, the press in this room have this story wrong.” (8:30-8:40)
And this interaction faced some backlash online for a few different reasons.
Some arguing that Tim Pool used his time to just throw Leavitt softballs allowing her to slam the press.
With people writing things like:
“I thought the point of adding new media to the newspool was to ask the questions the msm wouldn't ask. Not a soapbox to pontificate and glaze the current admin with bs puff questions.”[]
The Daily Beast saying he went “full suck-up” in that line of questioning.
But then there were others who were just mad he was there at all, because, as you might remember, Tim Pool was one of the right-wing content creators found to have been receiving money from Russian media executives.
According to the Washington Post, he made $100,000 per episode in this operation, though he and most of the other influencers said they were misled and had no clue this money was coming from Russia.[]
But still, people responded to his presence in the press pool by saying things like:
Some also calling him out for wearing a hoodie and beanie at the briefing instead of suit or other professional attire. [][][]
With Hasan Piker also writing that:
“tim pool gets this access because he’s pro trump and pro israel btw.”[]
With him also on stream mocking his attire and the question he asked:
“I find it so funny that he didn’t dress up for the occasion.” (42:57-43:02)
“He slapped on the ugliest thing you could put together for this moment.” (43:18-43:23)
“Mods! Mods! Can you please yell at big media who have disparaged your beautiful, brave, and dare I say bold initiative to put me here. Mods! CNN is being mean to me!” (43:48-44:09)
And this led to Tim Pool and Hasan duking it out on Twitter for a bit, with Tim also slamming those who generally criticized his presence in the press pool, saying:
“i was in the white house today and the crying libs were not.”][
But this comes as there has been greater criticism of White House Press Briefings under the Trump Administration 2.0.
Right, just last week the New York Times did a piece on how the room is changing with the “new media” seat that the Trump administration introduced, saying:
“In the briefing room, officials have made room for a new cohort of more partisan attendees, like right-wing podcasters, who often ask less-adversarial questions than traditional journalists.”[]
“Longtime White House reporters say the result has been an erosion of their independence. They say the increased attention toward pro-Trump media personalities, who rarely challenge the administration’s talking points, has undercut the briefings as a space to relay accurate information to the American public and hold the president to account.”
And so I would love your thoughts on this, whether it be specifically about the Tim Pool of it all, or this shift in the press pool to turn to podcasters or creators who are not there to challenge the administration the way the journalists in the room are.
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Elon Musk’s political antics have rocked Tesla so badly that he is going to be cutting down his time with the Department of Government Efficiency.
That is at least most people’s big takeaway from Tesla’s quarterly earnings report and investor call.
Right, yesterday, Tesla said its net income fell 71% in its first quarter compared to last year, []
And Musk and other people at Tesla have argued that multiple factors led to this decline, noting it was struggling prior to the DOGE mess as a result of new competition and tariff threats.[]
But the growing backlash against Musk and his role in U.S. politics has gotten the most attention, especially since that backlash comes largely from people on the left, who are more likely to shop for electric cars than those on the right. []
And we talked about this a bit, there have been tons of anti-Elon, and in turn anti-Tesla protests all over the country, as well as cases of vandalism popping up at Tesla centers.
Earlier this month, we also learned Tesla’s global sales were falling.
So news of a profit decline is not too shocking.
And now, Tesla’s quarterly report has sort of acknowledged that these anti-Trump and Musk attitudes could be bad for business,
Saying that uncertainty in the auto industry, rapidly changing trade policy, and:[]
“changing political sentiment could have a meaningful impact on demand for our products in the near-term.”
And Musk did touch on this during an investor call, but he also placed the blame on protestors, not himself, and defended his role in the administration.
“As some people know, there’s been some blowback time that I've been spending in government with the Department of Government Efficiency or DOGE.” (8:07-8:15)
“I believe that the right thing to do is to fight the waste and fraud and get the country back on the right track and working together with President Trump and his administration because if the ship of America goes down we all go down with it.” (9:04-9:22)
But he still said his work with DOGE will be taking a back seat, but he notably did not say it was because the backlash against him was hurting the company.
He instead claimed it was because the bulk of his work there was already done:
“I think starting probably in next month May um my time allocation to DOGE will drop significantly. I'll have to continue doing it for I think the probably the remainder of the president's term just to make sure that the waste and fraud that we stop does not come roaring back.” (10:36-11:06)
Then saying he will scale back to just one or two days a week so long as Trump wants him, but going forward, more of his time will be allocated to Tesla. s
Now, the logistics of him continuing through the whole term are a little wonky because he is classified as a “special government employee,” and that status expires at the end of May as it has a 130-day yearly cap on work people can do in that role. []
So we will have to see how that works out.
But those were not the only comments that Elon made during the call that made headlines.
Because he spent a lot of time calling out the anti-Tesla protestors, claiming with no evidence that they had been paid to participate in these demonstrations.
He also suggested that they were only protesting because they had been the recipients of wasteful government spending.
“They’re going to come up with some other reason, but that is the real reason for the protests. The actual reason is that those receiving the waste and fraud wish to continue receiving it.” (9:53-10:06)
Which, sure Jan, whatever you need to tell yourself.
And that claim actually prompted some pushback from Tesla Takedown, the group behind the protests, which gave a statement to NPR saying:
"Volunteer hosts and participants are stepping forward because they believe in democracy and the rule of law, not because a billionaire is paying them. The irony is rich coming from a man who spent $277 million to get Donald Trump elected."
Musk also faced some heat about Trump’s tariffs.
Because while Tesla is likely going to be the least impacted car company since the vehicles are manufactured stateside, they won’t be fully free from the impacts because its factories import parts from Mexico and China. []
And to this, Musk said:
“I just want to emphasize that the tariff decision is entirely up to the president of the United States.” (17:02-17:07)
And online, you have a ton of people celebrating the news of Tesla’s profits falling and Musk’s decision to spend more time at the company instead of the White House. [][][]
And this news actually comes as the Washington Post already reported this week that Musk might dip out of his current political roles as a result of all the backlash he is getting, with that article saying:
“The billionaire is ready to exit because he is tired of fielding what he views as a slew of nasty and unethical attacks from the political left, according to a person familiar with his thinking.”[]
So we will have to see how all of this shapes Musk’s future role in the government, if this really is the beginning of the end, if he ends up leaving Trump’s circle completely, or if he somehow gets back on the field.
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No-shows by the Trump administration have effectively collapsed the latest Ukraine peace talks in London, and it seems more and more like the U.S. may not have any role in ending this war.
This, of course, as Trump once said he could do so in a single day.
But instead, roughly three months into his second term, the U.S. reportedly presented Ukrainian officials with a one-page document described as Trump’s “final offer.”
This coming last week with Trump then threatening to "take a pass" on further peace talks if Moscow or Kyiv "make it very difficult" to reach a peace deal.
And Secretary of State Marco Rubio similarly warning that the U.S. could walk away “within days” without meaningful progress.
The only problem with that? The deal on the table is widely seen as favoring Russia.
With one source close to the Ukrainian government explaining:
"The proposal says very clearly what tangible gains Russia gets, but only vaguely and generally says what Ukraine is going to get.” []
And that’s not all that surprising given the shift we’ve seen at the White House, but also due to the fact that Trump envoy Steve Witkoff reportedly drafted the proposal after meeting with Putin for more than four hours last week.
With it being reported that Putin offered to pause Russia's invasion along the current front lines as part of a potential deal – which would leave about a fifth of Ukraine's territory in Russian hands.
And that’s pretty much what the Whitkoff proposal says as well.
And with that, let’s just break down the whole thing, or at least everything we know about it so far.
As far as what Russia would get?
One: formal U.S. recognition of Crimea as legally-held Russian territory.
Two: “de-facto recognition" of several Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine.
Three: a promise that Ukraine will not become a member of NATO.
Four: the lifting of sanctions imposed since 2014.
And five: enhanced economic cooperation with the U.S., particularly in the energy and industrial sectors. []
On the flip side, as far as Ukraine?
Well, first off, the proposal does notably call for a “robust security guarantee” involving European and potentially non-European nations.
Though, notably, the document is reportedly vague in terms of how this peacekeeping operation would function and does not mention any U.S. involvement.
Secondly, it calls for the return of the small part of the Kharkiv (Har-keev) region that Russia has occupied.
Third: unimpeded passage of the Dnieper (Knee-pro) River, which runs along the front line in parts of southern Ukraine.
And lastly: compensation and assistance for rebuilding, though the document does not say where the funding will come from. []
And finally, besides all that, there are two more key points.
One, the Zaporizhzhia (Zah-poh-REE-zhyah) nuclear power plant — which is the largest facility of this type in Europe?
It would be considered Ukrainian territory, but it would be operated by the U.S. and supply electricity to both Ukraine and Russia. []
And second, the whole mineral deal we’ve been hearing about for a while? Which would reportedly be worth billions for the US?
It’s apparently mentioned in the proposal as well, and Trump said last week it would be signed tomorrow.
Though we’ll have to wait and see if that actually happens, because mineral deal aside, that whole proposal? It includes at least one nonstarter for Ukraine: the whole Crimea thing.
Right, with Zelensky totally ruling out recognizing Crimea as Russian on Tuesday, telling reporters:
“There is nothing to talk about. This violates our constitution. This is our territory, the territory of the people of Ukraine.” []
And notably, with that, ceding Crimea to Russia would also likely have major implications for international security across the region.
With one expert telling the Post: []
“Crimea, in particular, is so strategically important for European security that there can be absolutely no interest in Europe in Crimea coming under any form of permanent Russian control or being recognized under international law.”
But that said, European leaders have just lost their latest chance to weigh in with the U.S.
Right, because Rubio, as well as Witkoff, have both opted to skip talks in London today involving Ukrainian, French, German and British officials – leaving envoy Keith Kellogg to head up the U.S. delegation instead.
And the whole event essentially getting downgraded from a high-level meeting to more low-level talks.
Though, notably, Witkoff will reportedly travel to Moscow at some point this week for what would be his fourth meeting with Putin. []
And as far as Rubio? A spokesperson claimed his absence “is not a statement regarding the meetings.”
“It’s a statement about logistical issues in his schedule.” []
However, some reporting has begged to differ.
With one official briefed on the situation telling the Washington Post that the decision is the result of anger over Ukraine’s reluctance to accept the controversial peace framework and instead “...discuss a complete ceasefire first and everything else later.” []
And connected to that, you had JD Vance today echoing earlier comments by Trump and Rubio that the U.S. would walk away if a deal isn’t reached soon.
Zelensky, however, hasn’t wavered.
Just today, writing on social media that Ukraine “insist[s] on an immediate, complete and unconditional ceasefire.”
Adding: “That was the proposal put forward by the United States on March 11 of this year — and it was absolutely reasonable.”
“This is absolutely possible – but only if Russia agrees and stops the killing.”
And with that, you also had him reporting that nine civilians were killed by a Russian drone striking a bus earlier in the day. []
Right, just a reminder that as the conservation around Ukraine has moved on to these efforts to reach a deal, the war is still going on.
And so ultimately we’ll have to wait and see what happens next.
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Almost half of Americans are now exposed to unhealthy levels of air pollution.
That’s according to a new report by the American Lung Association.
Notably, with the ALA not just finding that it’s bad, but that the situation has actually gotten way worse,
And more than that, it’s only going to keep getting worse, in part thanks to the Trump administration absolutely taking the axe to major climate, environment, and air pollution policies.
But with that, let’s talk specifics.
According to the ALA, just over 156 million people in the U.S. live in neighborhoods with unhealthy levels of soot or smog.
That’s 16% more than last year and the highest number in a decade. []
And notably, though unsurprisingly, a person of color is more than twice as likely as a white American to live in a neighborhood with unhealthy levels of air pollution.
While Latino Americans actually being most impacted, reportedly three times more likely to be breathing in toxic air pollutants. []
And when I say toxic, I mean they can lead to early death and increase the risk of serious medical issues like asthma attacks, heart attacks, strokes, and preterm births, as well as impair cognitive functioning in later life.
Not to mention up the risk of lung cancer. []
Also, a big key point, the effects of air pollution are only made worse by heat waves and wildfires – both events we’re expecting to see more and more of in the future thanks to human-caused climate change.
I mean, just look at New Jersey of all places, where a wildfire this week has, as of recording, burned 11,000 acres and led to thousands being evacuated (BROLL: 0:23-0:28).
And in fact, with that, talking about the increase from last year?
It reportedly can be attributed at least in part to extreme heat and wildfires that contributed to an increase in ozone levels for many parts of the country, most notably in central states from Minnesota to Texas. []
And overall, only two cities, Bangor, Maine, and San Juan, Puerto Rico, were ranked as clean cities with no spikes in smog or soot. []
But of course, despite all that, the Trump administration has made tearing apart climate and environmental rules a top priority – including those focused on air pollution.
Also notably, environmental justice – which is largely about addressing the disparate impact of pollution on minority groups over decades — has especially come under attack, seemingly being conflated with DEI.
And with all this, you have people like the head of the ALA saying:
“Efforts to slash staff, funding and programs at the [EPA] are leaving families even more vulnerable to harmful air pollution.” []
But ultimately, that’s where we’re at, and I’d love to hear your thoughts about this news and this issue in general down below.
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This year’s Boston Marathon was filled with good news -
We saw a Massachusetts runner who had suffered a brain injury finish the race, a patient with ALS who’d run the race previously being pushed in his wheelchair, and even a 20 year old crawling across the finish l ine. [B Roll 0:00-0:15]
But maybe one of the most heartwarming stories to come from the 2025 Boston Marathon centers around a runner from Brazil.
Right, we’re talking about 34 year old Pedro Arieta - who, along with his wife, were running their hardest on Monday looking to achieve new personal goals.
For Pedro, that was a time of less than 2 hours and 40 minutes. []
And that goal was in sight - he was just short of the finish line with time to spare when he saw 35 year old Shawn Goodwin struggling.
Videos from all angles captured Pedro pulling Shawn up to his feet and helping him across the finish line [B Roll 0:25-0:40] [B Roll] [B Roll 0:00-0:11]
As countless other runners flew by them.
Pedro finished the race just shy of his goal - with a time of 2 hours 41 minutes and 29 seconds. []
But he did end up going viral.
With the videos taken of his selfless act of kindness getting millions and millions of views online.
And he chimed in on Instagram saying,
“It was impossible to run past someone who needed help reaching their dream finish line and not help them complete the Boston Marathon. Thank you Boston thank you god.” []
And Pedro’s wife, who finished the marathon with a time of 2 hours 52 minutes and 36 seconds, commented on his post, saying,
“The essence of sport to me is that right there. You dreamed about a sub 2:40 and when you were ALMOST there, God used you to lose a few minutes and do something with much more meaning to mark you entirely, much more than numbers. I love you! I'm dying of pride.” []
So Pedro, for putting aside your own goal to help out a stranger - not to mention finishing the Boston Marathon which is an insane feat in itself - you are absolutely our BAMF of the Day.
