Joe Rogans Liver King ARREST is CRAZY! Zohran Mamdani HUMILIATED Cuomo & NATO Calls Trump Daddy
PDS Published 06/25/2025
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The Liver King has been charged with making terroristic threats against Joe Rogan.
If you don’t know who the Liver King is, he’s a social media personality known for selling supplements, promoting an “ancestral lifestyle,” eating raw meat and having a very big, body-builder kind of physique.
And while he’s repeatedly denied using steroids, it did eventually come out that he was in fact spending tons of money on steroids to achieve his figure, prompting him to face tons of criticism and backlash. []
And he is making headlines right now because he has been posting an incredibly bizarre series of videos promising to pick a fight with Joe Rogan:
“Joe Rogan, I am calling you out. My name is Liver King. Man to man, I am picking a fight with you. I have zero training in juijitsu, you’re a black belt, you should dismantle me.” [--]
“But I will force and demand a response from Joe Rogan and I’m coming to Joe Rogans’s town, Austin, I was here before you, Joe Rogan. Texas, that’s my home.” [---]
“This week you probably might need to worry about me, probably you need to worry about Joe Rogan more.” [---]
“You’ve never come across something like this, willing to die, hoping that you’ll choke me out.” [----]
“All week Joe Rogan, so when I’m like, ‘Hey, anybody know my name?’ Liver King! ‘Who am I fighting?’ Joe Rogan! ‘When?’ This week! We’re going to have free Wifi everywhere we are we are going to have free Wifi, and the password for this week, only one week, is Fuck You Joe Rogan.” [----]
And this is just a really quick sampling of some of what he has said in the past few days, there is a lot of rambling and scattered messaging.
He has also made some jabs at Netflix, which notably recently released a documentary about his supplement empire.
And in a few videos he showed a box that has Joe’s face and said he has a “present” for him and that he has beef with Joe.
He has not gone into the details as to what the source of the beef is, but Joe has discussed Liver King on his podcast before and suggested that his steroid use was pretty obvious.
The Hollywood Reporter saying that the Liver King might even partly blame Joe for his steroid scandal and its impact on his career. []
But whatever the motive, as Liver King posted that he had traveled to Austin to meet Joe, you saw a lot of concerns in his comment section with people worried about his mental health and wellbeing.[][]
And those concerns got louder when he posted a series of videos showing him getting arrested, including one where he learned cops were outside, with him putting on a shirt referencing his fight with Rogan and also asking:
“What did I do that’s illegal?” [--]
There is then another where he hugs his family goodbye, and one where he is cuffed and put into an officer’s vehicle.
And now, multiple outlets have reported that he was charged with a Class B misdemeanor of making a terroristic threat. []
With The Austin Police Department giving a statement to Rolling Stone this morning saying:
“On Tuesday, June 24, 2025, at approximately 9:30 a.m., Austin Police Department (APD) detectives were notified that a subject identified as Brian Johnson, known online as ‘Liver King’, had made threats against Joe Rogan on his Instagram profile. Detectives reviewed the posts and observed that Johnson was traveling to Austin while continuing to make threatening statements. Detectives contacted Mr. Rogan, who stated he had never had any interaction with Johnson and considered the posts to be threatening. Based on this information, detectives obtained an arrest warrant for Johnson on a charge of Terroristic Threat.”[]
And so he was taken into custody from the Four Seasons Hotel and the investigation remains ongoing.
But you do have some people reacting here, mostly to Liver King’s videos and speculating on his mental state.
The likes of Alex Jones sharing a video of him and writing:[]
“Mental illness is no joke.”
With him then discussing Liver King’s arrest during his show and saying:
“Just shows how crazy society is going. In the videos he looks extremely deranged with dilated pupils, and so we hope the Liver King gets better. But this is what is happening in America.” (0:37-0:49)
And he is not alone in pointing out Liver King’s pupils, for a while now, people in his comments have been concerned he might be using drugs. [][]
People Twitter claiming he is “going through a psychotic episode while pounding methylene blue.”[]
Others pointing to a post from last year where he says he found ayahuasca or tying it to his steroid use. [][]
But obviously, we don’t know what prompted him to kind of spiral and go after Joe Rogan, this is all just speculation and reactions to his posts.
But he also has been facing sort of increased scrutiny since the Netflix doc on him was released last month and people responded by calling him nuts and a grifter.[][]
And so now we will have to see what else comes of this situation, but I would love to know your thoughts on anything happening here in the meantime.
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New York City may be about to get its first Muslim socialist mayor.
Because last night, the first round of ballots for the mayoral Democratic primary came rolling in, and the results were clear.
Right, with 93% of votes in, far-left insurgent Zohran Mamdani [Zore-on Mom-donny] came out clearly on top with 43.5% to former governor Andrew Cuomo’s 36.4%. [Show results]
And then Brad Lander, another left-wing candidate who cross-endorsed Mamdani, coming in third with 11.3%. [Same asset]
Now technically, the final tally won’t be finished until next week, but the winner has already been declared.
With Andrew Cuomo conceding the race last night to Zohran Mamdani. [Lead B roll into clip]
[Clip, 00:50 - 00:56] Caption: “Tonight is his night. He deserved it. He won.”
With Mamdani taking the stage at his watch party in a Long Island City beer garden and celebrating. [Lead B roll into clip]
[Clip, 00:54 - 01:04, 01:06 - 01:10, 01:15 - 01:22; Clip, 03:05 - 03:10, 03:12 - 03:18, 03:20 - 03:24] Caption: [Zohran Mamdani:] “In the words of Nelson Mandela, it always seems impossible until it is done.” [Crowd:] *Cheers* [Zohran Mamdani:] “My friends, we have done it. I will be your Democratic nominee for the mayor of New York City.” [Crowd:] *Cheers* [Zohran Mamdani:] “We have won from Harlem to Bay Ridge!” [Crowd:] *Cheers* [Zohran Mamdani:] “We have won from Jackson Heights to Port Richmond!” [Crowd:] *Cheers* [Zohran Mamdani:] “We have won from Maspeth to Chinatown!” [Crowd:] *Cheers*
And whatever you think of him, his boasting right there is completely warranted.
Right, eight months ago, when he launched his campaign, virtually no one seriously thought he could win. [B roll]
I mean, he was just a little-known state assemblyman who immigrated here from Uganda with his family when he was seven. [Same B roll]
Whereas right from the start, Cuomo enjoyed pretty much every advantage he could hope for. [B roll]
A double-digit lead in the polls for most of the race, a 25 million dollar super PAC, and far more name recognition, having governed the state through the terrifying first months of the pandemic. [Same B roll]
Which is why, as many have commented, his campaign had an air of inevitability, as if he didn’t even need to try.
But 67-year-old Cuomo, in the words of The New York Times, “ran a campaign that appeared largely devoid of authentic moments of him connecting with everyday New Yorkers.” [Quote]
Meanwhile, Mamdani ran a campaign fueled by young, grassroots support, with him saying nearly 50,000 unpaid volunteers knocked on more than 1 million doors. [Image]
And he also pulled off a masterful thrust into social media, with him going on dozens of podcasts and posting many relatable, viral videos.
Including some that spoke directly to New York’s huge immigrant population, like one explaining how ranked choice voting works entirely in Urdu [Pronounce 00:11] and Hindi [Hin-dee] while splicing in Bollywood film clips. [Lead B roll into clip]
[Clip, 00:08 - 00:14]
… As well as Bangla [Bon-gla] …
[Clip, 00:02 - 00:05]
… And Spanish …
[Clip, 00:00 - 00:03]
But he also reached out to people who had voted for Trump in November, doing man-on-the-street interviews that grabbed a lot of attention. [Lead B roll into clip]
[Clip, 01:47 - 01:55] Caption: [Zohran Mamdani:] “And what would it take for you to vote for a Democrat in the future?” [Man:] “Being able to pay attention to the regular Americans and their economic needs.”
Then, last Friday, he marched from the uppermost tip of Manhattan all the way down to its base, braving the summer heat for a 13-mile trek that slowly gathered a larger and larger crowd behind him like Forrest Gump. [Lead B roll into clip]
[Clip, 00:09 - 00:14]
And it was hard to forget his proposal for a rent freeze when he jumped into the icy waters off Coney Island for the sake of it. [Lead B roll into clip]
[Clip, 00:08 - 00:15, 00:18 - 00:22, 00:30 - 00:36] Caption: “More than two million New Yorkers live in rent-stabilized units, and their rents are set by the rent guidelines board. … Eric Adams’ board has raised the rent every year he’s been in office. … Rent freezes have happened before. De Blasio’s board did it three times. I would do the same every year.”
Speaking of which, we should talk about his policies.
Because as a proud member of the Democratic Socialists of America, Mamdani quickly distinguished himself as the furthest left candidate in the 11-person race.
With him proposing a tax increase for the wealthy, free childcare, free public buses, city-run grocery stores, new affordable housing, more mental health workers, and a 30-dollar minimum wage.
He’s also a vocal critic of Israel, having championed state-level legislation to end the tax-exempt status of charities with ties to West Bank settlements that violate international law. [Quote, find “settlements”]
Though that ended up being a wedge issue during this race, with his opponents calling him anti-Semitic.
An accusation which he’s forcefully denied, promising to govern for Jewish New Yorkers and increase funding to combat hate.
But then another allegation commonly thrown his way is that he’s not an effective politician.
With critics pointing out that of the 20-odd bills he’s introduced over more than four years as a state lawmaker, just three became law, and they were relatively minor. [Quote, find “20-odd”]
But Mamdani’s supporters argue that he successfully pushed the state assembly’s center to the left, and that he can do the same for New York City.
With him keeping that ambition high last night as he laid out what kind of New York he wants to create. [Lead B roll into clip]
[Clip, 03:53 - 04:39, 04:49 - 04:54] Caption: [Zohran Mamdani:] “Where eight hours on the factory floor or behind the wheel of a cab is enough to pay the mortgage.” [Crowd:] *Cheers* [Zohran Mamdani:] “It is enough to keep the lights on. It is enough to send your kids to school.” [Crowd:] *Cheers* [Zohran Mamdani:] “Where rent stabilized apartments are actually stabilized!” [Crowd:] *Cheers* [Zohran Mamdani:] “Where buses are fast and free!” [Crowd:] *Cheers* [Zohran Mamdani:] “Where childcare doesn’t cost more than CUNY!” [Crowd:] *Cheers* [Zohran Mamdani:] “And where public safety keeps us truly safe.” [Crowd:] *Cheers* [Zohran Mamdani:] “And it’s where the mayor will use their power to reject Donald Trump’s fascism.” [Crowd:] *Cheers* [Zohran Mamdani:] “And to govern our city as a model for the Democratic Party.”
And that last remark is really important, because he’s not the only one taking this election as a lesson for the Democratic Party as a whole. [Continue B roll]
Right, if you looked at the reactions this morning in the press and on social media, there’s a ton of chatter about how Mamdani represents a younger, more progressive path forward for Democrats.
With AOC, for example, writing on X:
“Billionaires and lobbyists poured millions against you and our public finance system. And you won.”
And Hasan Piker saying:
“they dumped 30 million in ads to a dynastic name in ny politics with a sea of institutional democrat endorsements to get clobbered by a real progressive dynamic people backed candidacy.”
“its clear that lots of americans wants change to the system that isn't benefiting them.” []
Which gets at the crucial question dividing the party right now: how should it reform itself to come back from the humiliating defeat to Trump in November?
And if this mayoral race is any sign, the message seems pretty clear.
Right, on one side, you had an old, white, dynastic establishment moderate backed by wealthy donors who resigned from office after being accused of sexual misconduct.
And on the other side, you had a young, brown, democratic socialist backed by a grassroots campaign and running on a populist economic platform.
Right, Cuomo was endorsed by the likes of Bill Clinton and Mike Bloomberg; Mamdani was endorsed by Bernie Sanders and AOC.
And while Cuomo called Mamdani inexperienced, Mamdani called Cuomo corrupt.
So over the course of several months, while Cuomo’s support stagnated, Mamdani’s inched up and up from basically nothing to second place.
But then again, this is New York City, one of the most liberal municipalities in the country, so it’s debatable whether this type of campaign can work elsewhere.
And I mean, even in New York, being Muslim and a socialist hasn’t exactly been easy.
And now, after his win, you had the likes of Charlie Kirk ripping into him in one racist post after another, calling him in one:
“The muslim socialist candidate for resentful immigrants who hate the West” []
Also saying:
“24 years ago a group of Muslims killed 2,753 people on 9/11”
“Now a Muslim Socialist is on pace to run New York City.” []
And even sharing a picture of some Zohran supporters who I guess Charlie assumed were Muslim, and saying:
We imported this.
Now we must wake up, or else.” []
And with all that, keep in mind, the race in New York isn’t over.
Right, Mamdani’s only won the primary; there’s still the general election.
And although usually the Democratic nominee is all but guaranteed the win, this race is a little unique.
Because not only is Andrew Cuomo still considering whether to run as an independent, the incumbent mayor, Eric Adams, already is.
With him criticizing Mamdani on Fox & Friends this morning. [Lead B roll into clip]
[Clip, 02:07 - 02:14, 02:18 - 02:29] Caption: “He’s a snake oil salesman. He will say and do anything to get elected. He wants to raise taxes on the one percent of New Yorkers high-income earners. As the mayor, you don’t have the authority to do that. You know who has the authority to do that? An assemblyman, which he is.”
But even before he was indicted on corruption charges in the fall, then had those charges dropped this year in exchange for licking Donald Trump’s feet, Adams’ polling numbers were terrible.
Still, it’ll be interesting to see if he manages to capitalize on support from older middle-class black folks and Orthodox Jews, as well as maybe peeling off some Republicans.
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The head of NATO called Donald Trump daddy.
And it's just one reason we need to talk about this huge NATO summit that just happened in the Netherlands.
Right, the aim of the summit was seemingly keeping Trump happy – including by giving him something he’s been demanding for years: a commitment by members to increase defense spending.
And not just by a little, right, they’re saying the goal is 5% of GDP by 2035 – whereas up until now it’s been 2%, which several countries still haven’t even reached.
And beyond that, we’ve seen Ukrainian president Zelenskyy getting sidelined to avoid angering Trump.
And yes, we’ve seen Mark Rutte (LISTEN), NATO’s Secretary-General, showing he has no qualms about sucking up to Trump if it keeps the alliance on his good side.
Right, because the key bit of context here is that Trump has a long history of expressing disdain for the organization.
Way back in 2016, for example, he suggested he wouldn’t necessarily heed the mutual defense guarantees outlined in Article 5 of the founding treaty – which says an armed attack on one member is an attack on all.
And fast forward to this week, literally on the plane to the summit, you had him telling reporters that whether he is committed to Article 5 “depends on your definition.”
“There’s numerous definitions of Article 5. You know that, right?” (BYTE: 0:52-0:56)
Plus, on top of all that, the administration is reportedly considering reducing troop levels in Europe – which has just added to worries across the pond.
And so, Rutte? He’s been laying it on thick.
Right, with Trump sharing a private message he got from the NATO chief yesterday praising him for his strikes on Iran –
And also saying: “You will achieve something NO American president in decades could get done.”
And: “Europe is going to pay in a BIG way, as they should, and it will be your win.”
Also, notably, you also had Trump and Rutte sitting down in front of the cameras today, where someone asked about Trump’s outburst yesterday over the near-collapse of the Israel-Iran ceasefire:
“We basically have two countries that have been fighting so long and so hard that they don’t know what the fuck they’re doing.You understand that?” (BYTE: 5:26-5:33)
Right, so today, Trump compared fighting between Iran and Israel to kids fighting in a schoolyard, saying you have to let them fight for a few minutes, and “then it's easy to stop them."
And Rutte? He said this:
“Daddy sometimes has to use strong language.” (BYTE: 18:04-18:07)
And with all that, Trump has apparently come out a changed man, saying:
“I came here because it was something I'm supposed to be doing but I left here a little bit different – differently. I watched the heads of these countries get up, and the love and the passion that they showed for their country was unbelievable. I've never seen quite anything like it. They want to protect their country, and they need the United States, and without the United States, it’s not gonna be the same.” (28:14-28:42)
“They love their country, they were so respectful of me because I’m the head of the United States.” (28:48-28:53)
“These people really love their countries. It’s not a ripoff, and we’re here to help them protect their country.” (30:22-30:28)
And when asked again whether he fully supported Article 5, Trump said “We’re with them all the way.”
Although notably there, in 2017, at his first NATO summit, Trump avoided committing to Article 5.
But a month later, he reversed himself, saying he would absolutely be “committed.” []
And as we know, he’s backtracked on that multiple times since then.
So who knows how long this will last.
But either way, what’s happening is really significant on its own.
Right, like I said, Nato allies have agreed to increase defense spending to 5% of GDP by 2035.
And back in 2018, you had Trump floating the idea of a 4% defense target – and that seemed kind of insane at the time.
Though, notably, with that, there’s a bit more to the picture.
Right, one, only 3.5% of GDP is supposed to be spent on “pure” defense – so things like tanks, warplanes and air defense.
And the other 1.5%? It’s meant to go to security and defense-related “critical infrastructure” – which might include things like adapting roads and bridges for use by military vehicles, cyber-security, and the protection of energy systems. []
But then, secondly, the statement that NATO issued after the end of the summit says that “allies” — not “all allies” — had agreed to the 5 percent figure. []
With that language reportedly being the result of a compromise with the Spanish prime minister, who said his country would only spend 2.1 percent of its G.D.P. on defense, “no more, no less.” x[]
And so you had the Spanish government saying in a statement:
“This key change reflects our position: not all allies are bound to the 5 percent target.” []
With the Belgian prime minister adding in response:
“There are no special treatments for any member state — it is the same text, and if the interpretation of Spain is correct, anybody can interpret the text in the same way.” []
But while some may opt for that interpretation, many are also not, including the UK, for example, where Prime Minister Keir Starmer has pledged that his country will meet the 5% target.
With the government also announcing that it will buy 12 F-35A stealth fighter-bombers – enabling the country’s military to deliver nuclear weapons from the air.
And with that, the jets will be deployed as part of NATO’s nuclear mission, meaning they would be using weapons over which the US ultimately has control. []
Though, notably, while all this is happening to get ready for a potential future conflict with Russia, the war in Ukraine – the reason all this got started – it’s still going on.
In fact, just over the past few days, Russian attacks have killed dozens of Ukrainian civilians.
But while that was happening you had NATO officials reportedly making an effort to keep Trump and Zelensky apart as much as possible at the summit —
Knowing how Trump sometimes becomes inexplicably furious with the Ukrainian leader. []
With the chairperson for the Ukrainian parliament committee on foreign policy saying:
“Our friends among NATO countries understand the delicacy of the situation and are trying to do everything possible to ensure Ukraine is present at the summit, while at the same time avoiding antagonizing Trump.” []
That said, Trump and Zelensky did reportedly meet privately at the summit, although we don’t have a clear idea of what was said.
And otherwise, leaders have sought to reassure Ukraine that they still have its back.
With Rutte noting that billions more in aid are on the way and saying:
“Our aim is to keep Ukraine in the fight today so that it can enjoy a lasting peace in the future.”
“We stand by Ukraine in its pursuit of peace, and will continue to support Ukraine on its irreversible path to NATO membership.”
But while European support is locked in, US aid is not, with officials reportedly expecting Biden-era deliveries to Ukraine to end later this summer. []
And the U.S. Ambassador to NATO said this month that the administration had yet to make any decision about new aid to Ukraine because Trump “remains laser-focused on negotiations” to end the war. []
That said, NATO officials think Ukrainians could hold out for at least another year as things stand.
But an end to U.S. military aid would make it really hard to make any gains on the battlefield, which just incentivizes Putin to wait it out. []
With one senior NATO official saying:
“They would be fighting from a defensive situation almost all the time.”
“We’d be looking at shortages in air defense, in tank brigades and missile stocks, so you could see more rationing of munitions.” []
Right, so ultimately, big news today, but we’ll have to wait to really see where this all leads.
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He spent 15 years in prison for a murder he didn’t commit - now he owns the coffee shop that’s become a staple of his community.
Right, we’re talking about Eugene Gilyard (Gill-yurd) and in order to get the whole story, we’ve got to go back to 1995.
When a man named Thomas Keal was robbed, shot, and killed outside the seafood shop he owned in downtown Philly at roughly 2 am. []
At the time, Keal’s daughter, who saw the whole thing happen as well as two men running away from the scene, couldn’t identify anyone in the photo array she was presented with. []
And for two years, the case went untouched.
Then in 1997, Philly PD’s Special Investigations Unit picked up the case again and began re-interviewing everyone involved. []
Including Eugene - who was one of the people from the neighborhood who police interviewed back in 1995 and he told them that he hadn’t seen anything. []
And in the renewed investigation, Keal's daughter picked Eugene out of the photo array and he was arrested and charged with first-degree murder, robbery, conspiracy, and commission of a crime with a gun. []
So in December of 1998, at just 18 years old, Eugene was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison. []
Throughout his time in prison, Eugene maintained his innocence - with his legal team repeatedly saying there was no physical evidence linking him to the crime.
Then, in 2010, Eugene got word that another man - who was also incarcerated on other charges - admitted to the murder of Thomas Keal and pointedly said that Eugene wasn’t involved. []
So he hired a private investigator who talked to the guy, got him to agree to come forward, and that’s when Eugene reached out to the Pennsylvania Innocence Project.
According to the Project, they got a sworn statement from the guy who confessed and found 3 other eyewitnesses who corroborated that confession. []
And Keal’s daughter even reportedly requested a re-examination of the case. []
Then, after jumping through some hoops in the legal system for a couple of years, Eugene’s conviction was overturned.
And he walked away a free man. [B Roll 1:51-1:57]
With his wife Najwa saying that every minute of the last 10 years has been a gift, adding,
["I can't find enough words. No restrictions, no time limits." 2:03-2:06]
Now, after spending 15 years locked up, he gets to unlock the door to his dream every morning.
Because earlier this year, Eugene and Najwa opened a coffee shop in Philadelphia called “Freedom Coffee House.”
With Eugene saying,
[“It's something that I always wanted and hoped for - to be able to have my freedom, have my family, be able to go to my business." 0:28-0:36]
And Freedom Coffee has quickly become a community favorite - with regular customers saying things like,
"It is inspirational to the community and to many people around here. I think the average human being should strive to be someone like him." []
"I think it shows in every aspect when you walk into this atmosphere … individually and as a couple and how they run their business. I think it's important for this community to see that." []
For Eugene, this little coffee shop is everything, saying,
[“Freedom Coffee House represents more than a dream fulfilled. It's a reminder that no matter how dark the past, by the permission of God, the future is ours to reclaim." 2:38-2:46]
