Barstool "F*** The Jews" Situation is Crazy, Chris Murphy Torches Trump, Newark Airport Meltdown
PDS Published 05/06/2025
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Dave Portnoy was ready to send 2 people on a tour of Auschwitz to learn a lesson about antisemitism but had to take it back!
Right, this whole messy situation starts at Barstool Sansom Street in Center City Philadelphia.
Where, notably, you can order a customizable sign to be carried to your table along with bottle service.
Saturday, a video was posted online of a server carrying a sign saying “Fuck the Jews” on it.
Obviously, this quickly sparked a lot of reactions - with people demanding to know how this happened, why the server agreed to this, why the managers allowed it.
And many people wanted a response to this situation from Dave Portnoy, the founder of Barstool Sports and who is, notably, Jewish.
And respond he did - posting a video on X saying,
“There was a sign yesterday that said ‘fuck the jews.’ I’ve been shaking, I have been so fucking mad for the last two hours.” 0:19-0:27
He went on to say that he was working on tracking down everyone involved and that the 2 waitresses responsible for the table had already been fired.
And that he talked to both of the guys who ordered the sign - saying,
“I talked to one of the two guys who did it, he’s like, ‘I’m not antisemetic,’ he’s basically crying to me, and I just don’t fucking buy it for a second. Who the fuck would do that sign in my fucking bar? Do you think I’m just going to sit here? I’m going to make it my mission to put you in lights, my fucking mission. Kid is crying, I hung up on his ass, I’m like, I’m giving you one fucking hour. The two kids go to Temple. Tell me how do I make this right before I go apeshit. You want to take antisemitism classes or whatever, you make it feel right. I don’t need your tears.” 1:39--2:22
Then, in an update later on Sunday, Dave posted another video - a bit calmer this time, saying,
“My initial reaction was like, I’m gonna fucking burn these people to the ground, their families, and it’s like, you know what, maybe it’s not the best course of action? Maybe I can use this as a teaching moment.” 0:54-1:08
And he went on to say that he’s going to send these kids on a tour of Auschwitz in Poland.
“They’re going to do a tour of the concentration camps in Germany and hopefully learn something. And maybe their lives aren't ruined and they think twice about what other people see, it’s not words you are throwing around. So to me, that’s a fair outcome of this event.” 1:40-2:03
He also confirmed that the waitresses were fired and that they acted alone - in fact, he said that one of the girls pressured the other into it and neither of them went to discuss it with a manager.
With the bar saying in a statement that they are, quote, “saddened, embarrassed, and frustrated by the deplorable actions of a customer and misguided staff.”[]
Adding that the staff in question went against their training and that their establishment has a zero tolerance policy for hate and discrimination.
And the closed by saying,
“We deeply apologize for the role we played in allowing hate speech to transpire.”
“This unfortunate incident is the opposite of what we stand for and we will be doubling down on efforts to prevent such actions in the future.”
We also saw that the police are investigating the incident and the two students of Temple University who were involved are also under investigation - an unnamed one of whom has been suspended.
And the school promised that anyone else found to be involved, quote, "will face strict disciplinary action,” including possible expulsion. []
With the university president saying,
“In the strongest terms possible, let me be clear: antisemitism is abhorrent. It has no place at Temple and acts of hatred and discrimination against any person or persons are not tolerated at this university."
But not everyone was on board with Dave’s decision here - many were saying that Dave sending these kids on an all-expenses paid trip to Poland isn’t an adequate punishment.
And then there were people criticizing Barstool sports itself - saying things like,
“A fuck the Jews sign is obvious hate speech but you won't get me to look past the fact that BARSTOOL SPORTS has spent like a decade spreading dumbass middle school SEC style racism, sexism, transphobia etc all over the internet only to draw the line at antisemitism. Great stuff.” []
And notably, it isn’t just randos online with that opinion - in another update posted on X, Dave was railing against a reporter who had asked him questions along that same line
“She starts okay, fine enough, asking questions about the bar, what happened, responsibility, blah blah, and then she shifts and does what a media scumbag does and is like, she pulls a quote out of her ass from like some made up journal, the professor of some Sportocratic university, they say Barstool creates a culture of harassment and that I am responsible for this happening at the bar.” 0:39-1:10
He also included footage of him getting heated with the reporter. [B Roll]
But that’s not where this story ends because yesterday, Dave posted another video saying that one of the people who was involved here completely changed his tune and is no longer taking accountability for his actions.
With Dave saying he saw a now-deleted post from one of the people that completely clashed with his prior attitude when accepting responsibility and deciding to go to Auschwitz.
With Dave saying that he called the kid and on that call, the kid claimed that he didn’t have anything to do with it and that he felt pressured into admitting that he did.
And so Dave decided to rescind his offer to send him on a trip to Poland - saying,
“Buddy, what are you doing? I’m like trying to make this a teachable moment, throw a lifeline to a kid and he’s like ‘Well, I already got suspended from Temple.’ Because you got a ‘Fuck the Jews’ sign at a bar and posted it on social media. What don’t you get about that? Maybe if you actually learn a life lesson - maybe if people actually watch you go to Poland and seem like you’ve changed, this gets behind you. But now, no. I’m not going to send him now.” 2:36-3:03
As of now, we don’t know what the status is for the other person Dave offered to send to Poland.
So we’re going to have to keep our eyes on that.
In the meantime, this story has absolutely captured the attention of countless media outlets and the internet at large.
And I would love to know your thoughts about it - whether you’re a fan of Barstool sports in any capacity or otherwise.
Let me know in those comments down below.
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We’ve gotta talk about the mayhem happening over at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey.
Because as you may have heard, or experienced if you had a flight recently, there’s been hundreds of delays and cancellations affecting thousands of customers for the past two weeks. [B roll, 00:23 - 00:36]
With inbound flights Tuesday morning getting delayed by over two and a half hours on average, and up to five hours, though previous days have seen as high as 10 hours. [Same B roll and Quote, find “161”]
And there are several reasons for the chaos, but we’ve just learned what for many is the most shocking one.
Namely that on Monday, April 28, sources say the screens in the air traffic control tower literally went dark. [Headline and B roll, 00:47 - 00:54]
Like I mean controllers could not see, hear or talk to the incoming planes, reportedly for about 60 to 90 seconds. [Same B roll]
With them reportedly controlling about 15 to 20 flights at the moment everything shut down. [Quote, find “20 flights”]
And as pilots repeatedly asked “approach, are you there?” you could hear the controllers struggling to reestablish contact. [Same B roll]
Now as for what went wrong, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy told Fox News that controllers had lost the primary communication, and the backup line didn’t immediately take over. [Quote, find “backup”]
With other reports saying that a piece of copper wire fried, leading Chuck Schumer to ask: [Lead B roll into clip]
[Clip, 01:35 - 01:40] Caption: “Did they ever hear of fiber optics over there at the FAA?”
So in the wake of this incident, CNN reports that at least five controllers took 45 days of medical leave because the experience was traumatic. [Quote, find “45”]
With the FAA confirming this and adding:
“While we cannot quickly replace them due to this highly specialized profession, we continue to train controllers who will eventually be assigned to this busy airspace.” [Post]
Now five people may not sound like a lot, but according to United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby, that’s over 20% of the controllers at Newark. [Quote, find “20%”]
With him saying, “Keep in mind, this particular air traffic control facility has been chronically understaffed for years and without these controllers, it’s now clear – and the FAA tells us – that Newark airport cannot handle the number of planes that are scheduled to operate there in the weeks and months ahead.” [Same quote]
And he characterized the workers taking leave as them “walking off the job,” something the controller’s union bristled at.
With one source telling CNN:
“The controllers didn’t just walk off the job, they were traumatized, their equipment failed. It’s written in the regulations if they experience a traumatic event, they can take time off to go see a psychiatrist…the people working that day did that.” [Quote]
Either way, this only worsens an already dire situation for the FAA. [B roll, 01:16]
Because the union points out that the nationwide shortage of controllers is nearly the worst in 30 years. [Same B roll]
With the controllers who remain describing how they’re stressed, burnt out, frequently taking overtime — hell, one Newark employee even told NBC flatly, “It is not safe.” [Quote]
With reporter Tom Costello adding, “Really an incredible statement, unsolicited. He just said that to me, and separately, ‘Don’t fly into Newark. Avoid Newark at all costs.’” [Same quote]
And as if the air traffic control trouble wasn’t enough, construction work is currently being done on one of the runways, closing it down until mid June. [Image]
Which leaves only two runways operational, but even those aren’t guaranteed, because severe weather was expected to hit the tri-state area Tuesday. [Quote, find “gusty”]
With the airport saying that could limit use of those runways, potentially making this whole mess even worse. [Same quote]
So you had Chuck Schumer taking the opportunity to call out the White House and demand accountability. [Lead B roll into clip]
[Clip, 00:25 - 00:47] Caption: “Keeping the flying public safe and our national airspace efficient is the responsibility of Donald Trump’s FAA. They’re failing spectacularly. So today, I am demanding a full inspector general office investigation into what happened at Newark so these problems do not get worse or spread to other airports around the nation.”
But to his credit, Sean Duffy agrees that the system is broken and needs massive reform.
[Clip, 01:21 - 01:33; Clip, 11:13 - 11:17] Caption: “The system that we’re using in air traffic control, it’s incredibly old. This system is 25, 30 years old. We use floppy disks. We use copper wires. … We’re about 3,000 air traffic controllers short right now.”
With him saying that back in March, his department bumped academy student pay by 30%, streamlined the hiring process, and prioritized applicants who score highest on the entrance exam. [Continue B roll]
As well as now announcing plans to give all new graduates from the academy a 5,000 dollar bonus, give bonuses to controllers willing to work at harder-to-fill locations, and give bonuses to controllers who work past their retirement age. [Same B roll]
And then, on top of all that, his department will announce a plan to modernize the air traffic control system this Thursday.
Though Duffy said the rollout might take three or four years to complete.
But hey, maybe Schumer’s gonna get the fiber optic he mentioned.
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Sen. Murphy has some great, quick explainers on exactly what’s going on with the Trump meme coin situation, which he has called“a backdoor bribery scheme” that is “the biggest scandal in the history of the Presidency.”
Here is a ~3-minute video of him explaining the grift and a short/consumable Substack article he wrote that is very similar to the video explainer.
He also talked about the scheme in a much longer speech (nearly 30 minutes) about corruption in the administration that went viral, getting nearly 5 million views on YouTube alone.
You’ve said Trump’s crypto coin is “the biggest scandal in the history of the Presidency.” That’s a pretty bold claim. Help walk us through this like you’re explaining it to someone who isn’t fluent in crypto: how does this coin work?
Senator Murphy you’ve said Trump’s meme coin is “the biggest scandal in the history of the Presidency.” which is a pretty bold claim. Can you walk us through what has happened, how it works, and why its a problem or ripe for abuse? Right because defenders of Trump coin have argued its just the newest wave of marketing and building community, a way to show support like political expression, and some have even argued its Transparency in Fundraising?
Your big concern with this coin is that oligarchs, foreign interests, billionaires, or other bad actors are mass-purchasing the coin to increase demand and curry favor from Trump. I know all the transactions are secret, so it's hard to say, but have you seen any indication of that?
Trump said in his interview with “Meet the Press” this weekend that he wasn’t “profiting from anything” when asked about the memecoin. Though when pressed, he did admit that he hadn’t “even looked” into his profits from crypto. How do you respond to that rebuttal? Do we know for certain that Trump is personally profiting from this, or is it impossible to tell from the complicated web of holding companies?
Let’s talk about the legislation you just introduced: what exactly will it do?
Would the bill force Trump and his family to give up the already existent meme coin? How would that work?
Do you actually think this bill has a shot of being enacted? I think it’s safe to assume Trump would veto it, and I’d also imagine that Republicans might be scared to back a plan that would deny Trump big buckets of money. Do you think you can get enough bipartisan support from your Republican colleagues to override a veto?
I’ve seen some experts saying that Trump’s meme coin scheme could be grounds for impeachment — particularly because it may go against the emoluments clauses of the Constitution, which ban the president from accepting gifts or financial compensation from state actors. What do you think about that?
I want to shift focus a little and talk about the broader efforts to fight Trump and the future of the Democratic Party. Post-2024, we’re starting to see competing engagement strategies emerge — you have people like Gavin Newsom starting a podcast, moving more toward the right. But then you also have left-leaning leaders AOC and Bernie Sanders getting a ton of traction with their “Fighting Oligarchy Tour” and populist messages. As someone in the thick of all this, what do you make of these efforts? What do you think will be the most effective way for Democrats to recover from this election?
Do you think Democratic leadership will actually do the work to understand what went wrong in 2024 and make a good faith effort to fix it?Senator Murphy you’ve said Trump’s meme coin is “the biggest scandal in the history of the Presidency.” which is a pretty bold claim. Can you walk us through what has happened, how it works, and why its a problem or ripe for abuse? Right because defenders of Trump coin have argued its just the newest wave of marketing, a way to show support like political expression, and some have even argued its Transparency in Fundraising?
You've said its likely illegal and you probably wouldn't have to scratch very deep to find an instance where the President has recieved an enormous infusion of cash to his crypto coin from a ceo or oligarch who is then asking for a favor from Donald Trump. Do you have any specific instances of that?
Do you know for certain that Trump is personally profiting from this, or is it impossible to tell from the complicated web of holding companies? Reports have noted 80% of the coin is held by “Trump-linked” entities.AND Trump said in his interview with “Meet the Press” this weekend that he wasn’t “profiting from anything” when asked about the memecoin. Though when pressed, he did admit that he hadn’t “even looked” into his profits from crypto.So getting to your bill, right what exactly will it do? Would the bill force Trump and his family to give up the already existent meme coin? How would that work?
Do you know if any of your colleagues in the Senate or anyone in the house that holds TrumpCoin?
Do you actually think this bill has a shot of being enacted? I think it’s safe to assume Trump would veto it, and I’d also imagine that Republicans might be scared to back a plan that would deny Trump big buckets of money. Do you think you can get enough bipartisan support from your Republican colleagues to override a veto?
I want to shift focus a little and talk about the broader efforts to fight Trump and the future of the Democratic Party. Post-2024, we’re starting to see competing engagement strategies emerge — you have people like Gavin Newsom starting a podcast, and not exclusively, but bringing on big right wing and Trump voices to seemingly more hear out rather than debate, then you also have left-leaning leaders AOC and Bernie Sanders getting a ton of traction with their “Fighting Oligarchy Tour” and populist messages. And Pete Buttigeug hopping on podcasts to better communicate the moment, dem messaging, and the future. As someone in the thick of all this, what do you make of these efforts? What do you think will be the most effective way for Democrats to recover from this election?
Do you think Democratic leadership will actually do the work to understand what went wrong in 2024 and make a good faith effort to fix it? Right because you have folks like David Hogg out there, the DNC Vice Chair, seemingly trying to shake things up internally and arguing “We Can’t Just Be The Party That is Against Donald Trump” which many would say is valid because as poor as Donald Trump’s favorables are the Dem Establishment's polling right now is abysmal.
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We knew the IRS was getting gutted, but now we have an idea how much.
Because a little while back, Congressional Democrats asked the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration to examine the Trump-DOGE cuts to the agency, and it just released its findings. [Headline and B roll]
With it stating that through March, the IRS lost about 11% of its total workforce. [Quote, find “11”]
But when it comes to specific types of workers, the numbers are much higher.
So most notably, 31% of all its auditors, or some 3,600 people, have reportedly resigned or been fired. [Quote same link, find “31”]
And that’s still far below what the Trump administration’s aiming for, since a recent memo outlined plans to cut as much as 40% of all staff, not just auditors. [Headline]
With a Treasury spokesperson telling CBS News:
“The Biden Administration grew the IRS from 79,431 to 102,309 personnel. Under new leadership, approximately the same number of employees have left the IRS, with a vast majority leaving voluntarily through the Deferred Resignation Program. The roll back of wasteful Biden-era hiring surges, and consolidation of critical support functions are vital to improve both efficiency and quality of service.” [Quote]
But as critics counter, the idea that of all the agencies, the IRS is wasteful or inefficient is Ludacris.
Right, according to the advocacy group Better IRS, every dollar spent on auditing the top 0.1% of earners returns about 26 dollars to the federal government. [Quote, find “26”]
Which is why in early 2024, the IRS said it expected to collect over half a trillion dollars more by 2034 thanks to increased funding from the Inflation Reduction Act. [Quote, find “561”]
But now, thanks to the DOGE cuts, the agency could collect 423 billion dollars less in revenue over the coming decade, according to the Yale Budget Lab. [Quote, find “423”]
Which, critics argue, is exactly the point.
Right, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities recently wrote:
The “haphazard, slapdash nature of the layoffs does not reflect an effort to deliver services more efficiently or perform government functions more effectively. Instead, it appears to be a means of preventing those services or functions from being provided in the first place.” [Quote]
And you have Emily DiVito [Duh-veedo], a former Treasury advisor and now senior adviser on economic policy at Groundwork Collaborative, telling CBS that’s exactly what’ll happen:
With her saying, “You lose the very staff trained to keep high-end taxpayers and corporate tax payers in compliance.” [Quote]
And adding, “You can see some behavioral effects when taxpayers, especially those that really don't want to pay their bills, come to accept there is very little risk to not paying at all, or even filing.”
So now that tax filing season is over, analysts say we can expect to see more cuts soon.
Though recent polling on the popularity of the DOGE cuts has been less than favorable for the Trump administration.
With the Partnership for Public Service surveying Americans a couple of weeks ago and finding that nearly two-thirds are concerned about the loss of “experience and knowledge” from the workforce. [Quote]
That including 85% of Democrats, 63% of independents and 44% of Republicans. [Same quote]
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We gotta talk about the absolutely unprecedented events we saw taking place in Germany today.
And that’s that for the first time in modern Germany’s 76-year history, the candidate for chancellor has failed to win a majority in the first parliamentary vote.
And while Friedrich Merz (Freed-rich Merts – the “er” like “air”) eventually got the votes, he’s now starting his term weakened –
All while the far-right extremist party opposing him seemingly has the backing of the country that has long been Germany’s most important ally: the U.S.
And with that, it’s not just today that’s been crazy, it’s been a turbulent few months in German politics.
In February, national elections took place seven months ahead of schedule due to the 2024 collapse of the previous governing coalition.
Merz’s center-right Christian Democratic Union, along with its sister party, the CSU, came out on top with around 29 percent of the vote.
And since then, he has been trying to cobble together a coalition with the center-left Social Democratic Party –
Which, notably, led the previous governing coalition before its collapse, and then turned in its worst election performance in more than a century, taking third place with just over 16 percent of the vote. []
And then the far-right, anti-immigrant party Alternative for Germany, or AfD? It came in second with almost 21% of the vote – notably after being publicly endorsed by Elon Musk.
And since February, its poll numbers have risen as some voters take issue with the CDU and SDP compromising and working together.
In fact, in April, AfD topped a major poll for the first time ever.
And then last week, the country’s domestic intelligence agency designated the party as a “confirmed rightwing extremist” force – meaning officials can now use informants and other tools such as audio and video recordings to monitor its activities nationwide.
And beyond that, the designation is fueling a long-running debate on whether to ban the AfD under German laws intended to prevent a repeat of the country’s Nazi past.
Members of the Trump administration, however, also weighed in.
With Secretary of State Marco Rubio saying in a post on X:
“That’s not democracy—it’s tyranny in disguise.
What is truly extremist is not the popular AfD…but rather the establishment’s deadly open border immigration policies that the AfD opposes.” []
And with that, you also had Vice President JD Vance sharing the post and echoing the sentiment, while on the other side, the German foreign office actually replied to Rubio, saying:
“This is democracy.”
“This decision is the result of a thorough & independent investigation to protect our Constitution & the rule of law.”
And continuing: “It is independent courts that will have the final say. We have learnt from our history that rightwing extremism needs to be stopped.” []
And with that, this week, Merz’s CDU/CSU union and the SPD finally got around to setting aside their differences, largely to counter AfD, with them signing a coalition deal –
Hypothetically giving Merz 328 votes to back him as chancellor – well over the 316 needed in Germany’s 630-seat parliament. []
But when the vote took place this morning, he only ended up with 310.
Nine of the 630 MPs were absent, three abstained and another ballot paper was declared invalid.[]
But that still means at least a few members of his own coalition outright voted against him.
And since the vote is by secret ballot, it could’ve been anyone.
Right, reportedly, not everyone in the SPD was happy with the decision to form a coalition, but party officials were adamant their members were fully committed to it. []
The party’s co-leader, for example, telling MPs that he had “not the slightest indication that the SPD was not completely behind” Merz –
Adding: “We can be counted on.”[]
The AfD, of course, was gleeful, calling for new elections, with the party’s leader writing on social media:
“This demonstrates the weak foundation on which the small coalition between the CDU/CSU and the SPD…is built.” []
But with that, under Germany's constitution, there is no limit to how many votes can be held.
And within a few hours, a second vote had already been lined up, and this time around Merz won with 325 votes.
But at the same time, the AfD leader isn’t totally wrong.
Right, the new coalition appears to be extremely fragile, and Merz? He is reportedly starting with one of the lowest approval ratings of any German leader in the modern era. []
So we’ll have to wait and see what happens, but the chaos could very well continue.
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This bodega owner is giving kids free food and even cash for good grades!
Right, this is Wally and he’s the manager of Zack’s Finest Deli & Grocery in Staten Island.
And 2 years ago, he made a bet with one of his regular customers Zamier - who was 12 at the time.
Saying that if he came in with good grades on his report card, Wally would give him something from the store for free.
With Wally saying,
“I wanted to help motivate him.” []
A few days later, Zamier came in with an 88 percent average and asked for an Oreo milkshake.
With permission from Zamier’s parents, Wally shared the video on TikTok and then a bunch of neighborhood kids started coming in. [B Roll 0:28-0:38]
With Wally saying,
“I couldn’t just deny the rest of the kids. I started doing it for all the kids in the neighborhood.” []
And he set up a system:
Students with an average between 70 and 80% get $10 worth of free items and those with 80% of higher get anything they want.
And those with 90% or better also get $100 and a free t-shirt. []
But Wally also rewards kids for bringing in improved grades and perfect attendance records.
And then, with their parents’ permission, Wally posts these videos of these kids and their rewards on TikTok - with some of his videos going viral.
One of the kids visiting Wally is 11-year-old Russell Vinson - he recently came in with a 92.67% average and picked up a carton of eggs for his mom and a bunch of sweets for himself to celebrate. [B Roll 0:25-0:35]
And Russell has been bringing his report cards in since the beginning of the school year - with his mother saying that while he’s always been a good student, Wally’s encouragement has pushed Russell even higher.
Adding,
“I love it. I definitely think it’s a good thing that he’s doing.” []
And other parents have echoed that sentiment - with the mom of an 8 year old saying,
At first, Wally was paying for this project out of his own pocket.
But as he gained traction online, he made a website selling merch to help fund the effort and eventually, a GoFundMe that has raised nearly $30,000.
Saying,
“Now I can accept more kids. That’s a very big help.” []
And he added that he’s got no intention of stopping or slowing down and he hopes that other people will do something similar in their own communities - saying,
“I see the progress the kids make. … It pushes them toward greatness. It makes me feel really, really happy.” []
For that, Wally is absolutely our BAMF of the Day.
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