Month: July 2021

Prior to almost two weeks ago, it’d been two years since Tyler The Creator graced the world with an album. His last effort was 2019’s Igor, a project that saw the rapper take a big step away from his trademark style. This step proved beneficial as it topped the charts and earned him a Grammy award for Best Rap Album. Fast-forward to the present and Tyler is seeing similar success with his sixth album, Call Me If You Get Lost. The project, which the rapper released last month, became his second consecutive chart-topping album after it debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.

The album reached the top of the chart thanks to 169,000 album units sold. This number is comprised of 114,000 streaming equivalent album units, backed by 152.96 million on-demand streams of the project’s songs. It also posted a total of 55,000 pure album sales. It should also be noted that if album sales were deducted from Tyler’s first-week numbers, Call Me If You Get Lost still would have gone No. 1 thanks to a strong streaming week.

Tyler’s album was accompanied by just one other debut within the top 10 positions of the chart this week. That would be Doja Cat’s Planet Her which checked in at No. 2 thanks to 109,000 units sold. Her album was boosted by a five-track deluxe reissue that arrived two days after the standard edition of Planet Her.

Revisit our review of Call Me If You Get Lost here.

July 4 is Christmas for those who love fireworks. (For others, it’s about watching one-term presidents basically admit to committing crimes.) But for people on the beaches of Ocean City, Maryland, the big event came a bit early. Early in the day, fireworks that were supposed to be used later in the day accidentally exploded, surprising beach dwellers but treating them to something few had ever seen before.

According to WTOP News, the company handling the town’s fireworks display were unloading their wares when one of them was “unintentionally discharged.” Not all of the fireworks went off, but enough of them did that it created rounds of explosions that were caught on video by unsuspecting citizens on the beach.

The explosion was such that, as per CNN, first responders initially assumed a car was one fire. There weren’t any injuries involving beachgoers or pedestrians on the town’s boardwalk, but employees of the company responsible for the fireworks did receive minor injuries. However, they refused transport to the hospital.

Ocean City’s fireworks event was supposed to begin around 8pm, with musical acts, ending with the big display at 9:30. But after the freak explosion, they were cancelled out of an abundance of caution. But it’s safe to say that the premature show some got in the morning was more memorable anyway.

You can watch more footage of the explosion in the video above.

(Via WTOP News and CNN)

Chika has faced disrespect one too many times in the music industry and unfortunately for the Grammy-nominated rapper, she was forced to deal with another instance of it over the weekend. In a lengthy string of tweets, Chika shared a recent encounter with a club promoter that she deemed disrespectful for a number of reasons. On Friday June 2, the rapper was asked to host a club event in Los Angeles, but the night turned out to be extremely disappointing and unsatisfying as she revealed through her posts to Twitter.

“This is why I don’t f*ck with the industry,” she wrote. “Keep disrespecting me, it’s gonna get physical. I’m from Alabama, b*tch don’t play with me.” She added, “Offered me 2k, no complimentary bottles, I paid $1600 for the tab, they didn’t play ONE song of mine, but played like 5 of guest’s (kehlani.)”

Chika later clarified that her comments had “nothing to do with lani,” but rather “the n**** running the event.” She also revealed the promoter’s name to be Brandon Anthony before explaining that an incident like the one at the club makes her specifically targeted.

“Let’s not even try to make this a solidarity moment cuz they would never do this to Cardi, Meg, Saweetie, Latto, Lizzo, Coi Leray, Rapsody, etc,” she added. “This is specific to ME. And a lot of those black women actually never say sh*t. We not in this together.” A few moments later, she shared screenshots of a text message exchange with who appeared to be Anthony. In it, the promoter offers $2,000 as well as car and bottle service for Chika and an invited guest, adding that “no speaking” was needed at the event.

A couple of hours later, Anthony arrived on Twitter to defend his side of things, but Chika wasn’t having it. In a tweet, Anthony wrote in part, “I am not going to allow certain individuals tarnish my name because of a simple miscommunication,” and in response, she said, “Miscommunication, boy shut your lying ass up,” with a screenshot of the promoter telling her, “the people was not there to see yo ass anyway. I promise you.”

Chika also revealed accused Anthony of assaulting another woman the same night of the event. “This was in response to me bringing up him putting his hands on Amiyah last night,” she wrote with a screenshot of a message from the promoter. “PLS report his page.” As her lengthy messages slowly came to an end, Chika shared plans to seek legal action against the rapper. “And since I didn’t sign the contract, I can sue,” she tweeted. “And if he wants to say there was a verbal contract, that “verbal contract” included car service & bottle service which I spent $2k+ on. Boy, I’m bout to collect everything you made last night.” She added, “The lord works in mysterious ways.”

You can see additional tweets from Chika about the club event below.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Of the many disturbing things about the pandemic that we’re still living through, this takeaway is among the most upsetting: We now know that in the face of a once-in-a-century public health crisis, about half of Americans won’t take it seriously. So when Henry Winkler, aka the Fonz from Happy Days (and, more recently, the deservingly fêted scene-stealer from Barry), tried to make a well-meaning call for unity, to say it fell flat would be an understatement.

“We are So divided as a country,” Winkler lamented on Twitter. “only a cataclysmic Event , that makes us depend on one another again , can bring us back together [all sic].”

Most ignored the random capitalizations (and lack thereof) and weird spacing. Instead they dwelled on the “cataclysmic event” part. For one thing, it’s never a good idea to wish something terrible upon the world, even if it may end with people putting differences aside and recognizing our shared humanity. For another thing, we’re still going through a “cataclysmic event,” and that somehow made our lack of connection even worse.

And so Winkler’s good intentions backfired, with many pointing out that the pandemic has definitely not brought us back together.

Besides, the pandemic isn’t the only cataclysmic event we’re going through.

Some made jokes.

Eventually Winkler realized his tweet didn’t work the way he intended. So he responded. “To be clear,” he later wrote. “I am not wishing for devastation. My hope is for for our country to re unite again .. I ‘m so sorry for not being clear.”

That said, his tweet did have some fans.

In other news, please get vaccinated, if you haven’t already — if not for your own health but because the vast majority of COVID-19-related deaths involve those who still, madly, haven’t been dosed.

There is a tremendous history of fighting in motorsports, as tempers regularly flare on the track when someone gets wrecked. We have seen plenty of fistfights in the pits, people running out to the track to throw things at the other car who might still be out there, and retaliatory wrecks to return the favor.

However, every once in awhile we get a situation in which one person wants to fight and will got to great lengths to try and coerce the other person into joining the fray. This happened at the Stadium SUPER Trucks Honda 200 this weekend when Bo LeMastus and Bill Hynes got into it after the race, leading to LeMastus getting so mad that he starts ripping off his helmet and protective gear while requesting Hynes do the same, which he refuses to do. From there, things get really weird as LeMastus takes his steering wheel off his truck and chucks it at Hynes before running away.

It’s absolutely hysterical watching this man whip his steering wheel and then run away so it can’t be thrown back at him. As he scurries off the track, Hynes decides to smash his helmet to pieces instead and LeMastus gets stopped trying to run back at him with a fire extinguisher. While all this happened, Robby Gordon decided to stop on the track and watch it all unfold on the giant screen by the track, before peeling away to hit a ramp and drive off on two wheels.

Throwing a steering wheel at someone like a frisbee and then running away is, without a doubt, one of the funniest ways to end a fight, and I’d like to thank the SST for providing us with such a moment.

Once upon a time, Donald J. Trump was going to spend July 4 holding a “Save America” rally in Alabama. After being denied a permit for his hoped-for rally, the former White House resident, who now lives in resorts with strangers, went ahead and held another one, on July 3, in Trump-friendly Florida. But there was one uninvited guest: a plane with a neon sign dubbing the event “Loser-Palooza.”

The aircraft was paid for by MeidasTouch, the political action committee formed last year with the purpose of ensuring Trump was a one-term president. That worked out swimmingly, but they continue to troll him, no less because he keeps threatening to run again — that is, if he’s not busy sitting in a jail cell for the crimes he seemingly keeps admitting to during rallies.

“These are loser rallies where the biggest loser of them all whines, further incriminates himself, and rants and raves like a lunatic,” Brett Meiselas, of MeidasTouch, told The Wrap. “The name ‘loser palooza’ describes it perfectly and we thought it was important to remind all those who attended they do not represent the winning the [sic] spirit of America.”

The stunt earned lots of love on social media, with the hashtag “#LoserPalooza trending on Twitter.

There were plenty of other sights to drink in at the rally, including this curious sign, which pleads with Trump supporters to “NOT commit acts of violence and/or riot — even if instructed by Donald Trump.”

All in all, watching a possible criminal accused of fomenting an insurrection rant about his legal woes seems to be a strange way to spend the patriotic holiday.

(Via The Wrap)

Mixology is truly an art. Understanding the subtleties of how to balance flavors with spirits, sugars, and water to create something that’s greater than the sum of its parts requires a deep knowledge of the tools and ingredients at hand. That’s dope. But let’s face it, when you’re throwing your post-vaccine backyard parties, relaxing by the pool, or grilling up something this Fourth of July weekend, nobody has the time or patience to be standing in the sun, juicing limes, and endlessly mixing up cocktails.

When you’re just chilling, you need something easy to grab (and drink). And while hard seltzers are great, they don’t really compare to a legit cocktail. So for those occasions, nothing is more convenient than a quality canned or bottled cocktail (or an RTD, ready-to-drink — if you want to get all technical about it).

Since we’re talking about one of the biggest party weekends of the summer, we’ve decided to focus on the canned cocktails you need to stock in the cooler at your next summer party. Our drinks writers picked a few of their favorites for a list of bright and fruity beverages that’ll leave you refreshed and get you sufficiently buzzed!

Roseade (Gabrielle Pharms)

ABV: 8%

Average Price: $15 (four-pack)

The Cocktail:

Launched in 2018 in Australia, Roseade is exactly what you think it is, an effervescent blend of rosé wine and fresh-squeezed lemonade. Founder Lee Smallman’s family’s winery produced too much rosé and he needed a creative way to sell the excess wine.

So he came up with the idea of a wine cooler made with fresh juice and added spritz. Then, ta-da! You have Roseade.

Tasting Notes:

The semi-sweet aroma is riddled with the blend of fresh lemonade and rosé preparing your tastebuds for a crisp sip. The palate is every bit of delicious as the scent with the taste of both the rosé and lemonade, finishing on a tart, citrusy note.

Bottom Line:

This is the peanut butter and jelly of libations. Rosé and lemonade just work together. This is my go-to for keeping cool this summer.

DRNYXMYTH’s Eastside (Gabrielle Pharms)

ABV: 16%

Average Price: $11 (one, two-serving bottle)

The Cocktail:

The team of the SoCal-based startup, DRNYXMYTH, are geniuses alongside the bartenders they’ve enlisted to craft the cocktail recipes. Unlike canned cocktails, DRNYXMYTH is in a twist-to-mix bottle where the spirit is at the top and the fresh ingredients are at the bottom. Once you twist and pour (over ice), you have a ready-made cocktail. I’ve tried just about every cocktail in their lineup and the gin-based Eastside was the one that caught my attention.

Tasting Notes:

Catching a whiff of the Eastside, you’ll immediately feel like you’re in a spa thanks to the fresh cucumber notes and mint. The drink itself is a bit of everything you love about summer, refreshing mint juxtaposed to the just-right measure of sweet notes (thanks to cane sugar). The bright beverage has a bittersweet finish that makes you regret only buying one bottle.

Bottom Line:

I typically hate gin because it reminds me of mouthwash. However, the mixologist behind the Eastside, Saeed “Hawk” House, has made me out to be a fraud. I love this product.

Siponey Royale (Gabrielle Pharms)

ABV: 7.25%

Average Price: $40 (four-pack)

The Cocktail:

As a small family-owned and operated business, Siponey is all about two things: New York and quality. Overseen and founded by spirits expert Amanda Victoria and horticulturist Joseph Mintz, Siponey Royale is comprised of ingredients in both of their wheelhouse: Local wildflower honey, four-year-old rye whiskey, fresh lemon juice, and sparkling water.

Tasting Notes:

This sunny yellow cocktail smells like honey and bliss. Unlike many whiskey-based ready-to-drink cocktails, the Royale isn’t syrupy sweet, which is a welcome surprise. Notes of slightly, sweet honey and citrusy lemon shine through despite the inclusion of the spicy rye whiskey. The fizziness reminds me of sipping champagne. The finish is akin to the aftertaste you got as a child (or maybe as an adult for some of us) of eating rock candy.

Bottom Line:

Whiskey lovers, give this bubbly sipper a try. You won’t be disappointed.

Cutwater Three Sheets Rum & Ginger (Dane Rivera)

ABV: 7%

Average Price: $14 (four-pack)

The Cocktail:

Cutwater has over 22 different canned cocktails, offering everything from Spicy Bloody Marys to Horchata Cold Brews to Tiki Rum Mai Tais. For the most part, they’re all pretty solid. I probably could’ve made a list that consists entirely of this brand, but I love the Three Sheets Rum & Ginger above the rest.

A while back, these canned cocktails were under the Ballast Point banner before the San Diego brewery spun its distillery business into Cutwater, which has since been bought up by Anheuser-Busch. To my memory, they’ve always tasted essentially the same, which is delicious.

Tasting Notes:

Made with Cutwater’s Three Sheets White Rum, which is made using cane sugar rather than molasses, Rum & Ginger is light and refreshing with a nice fizzy ginger beer that provides a lingering spiced finish. The ginger flavoring is a bit on the strong side. So if you’re not a fan of ginger, this won’t be for you. But if you’re looking for a ginger beer that offers a little something extra, this will earn its spot in your summer cooler.

Bottom Line:

With just two ingredients, it’s simple, sure. But when it comes to these canned cocktails, simple is often better. Lighter and more refreshing than rum and cola, Cutwater’s Rum & Ginger is crisp, spicy, and perfect for poolside sipping.

Dogfish Head Blueberry Shrub Vodka Soda (Dane Rivera)

ABV: 7%

Average Price: $12 (four-pack)

The Cocktail:

Delaware brewing company Dogfish Head went very old-timey with a shrub base (an old-school vinegar-fruit cocktail base) for their canned cocktail. Which makes a certain sort of sense since pre-made (or ready-to-drink) cocktails have been around since the 1800s. The Blueberry Shrub Vodka soda is the pannacle of their line.

Tasting Notes:

Sweet balsamic and red wine vinegar mingle with blueberry-infused distilled vodka and soda water for a light and fruity drink with a slight sour bite and a rich purple color. With the way the flavors take you on a journey from bright and juicy to sweet to sour and back to a refreshing fruity finish, this really exceeds all expectations of what a canned cocktail can be.

Bottom Line:

If you think that canned cocktails will never compare to the real thing, give this a try. You’ll be pleasantly surprised to find that you’re not just wrong, you’re so wrong that it’s embarrassing. This is leagues better than most amateur, homemade cocktails.

R6 West Coast Mule (Dane Rivera)

ABV: 10.1%

Average Price: $16 (four-pack)

The Cocktail:

Supremely smooth and packing a powerful punch, R6s West Coast Mule is a great summer sipper for fans of a good Moscow Mule.

Tasting Notes:

Batched straight out of R6’s El Segundo California distillery and featuring the brand’s award-winning 20-times distilled vodka, this canned mule has a ginger forward flavor with bursts of sweet lime and a nice fizzy body that is great straight from the can or tempered with some ice in a glass. If you’re going to go the extra mile and pour it over ice, you might as well smash a nice sprig of mint in there to liven up the flavors a bit and give it some refreshing aromatic qualities.

Bottom Line:

Crack open a can of West Coast Mule on the beach and revel in the fact that ginger works so well in canned cocktails. If you’re enjoying this at home, definitely pour it over ice and level it up with some fresh lime, mint, or fresh ginger garnish.

Tip Top Negroni (Christopher Osburn)

ABV: 26%

Average Price: $5 (100ml can)

The Cocktail:

Is there a better summery drink than a Negroni? [editor’s note: Um, no. There’s not.] The combination of gin, Campari, and sweet vermouth is exceptionally refreshing on a hot, humid day. Tip Top makes a version worthy of a day at the beach, by a pool, or sitting in a broken gravity chair with your feet in a kiddie pool.

Tasting Notes:

Tip Top’s version is made with dry gin, red bitters (but not Campari), and sweet vermouth. This is filled with bittersweet flavors next to orange zest, and juniper.

Bottom Line:

While it tastes just like the Negroni you know and love, you only need to crack open a can and pour out this red-colored goodness over ice and enjoy. No mixing is needed. That’s what we call summer relaxation.

The Finnish Long Drink (Christopher Osburn)

ABV: 5.5%

Average Price: $15 (six-pack)

The Cocktail:

It might be new in the U.S., but “Long Drink” is hugely popular in Finland. The traditional long drink is made using gin and grapefruit soda. It’s simple, bright, crisp, and refreshing. It’s the kind of drink that people in Finland drink all summer long. Sure, we can make our own by simply pouring gin and grapefruit juice into an ice-filled glass. But … where’s the fun in that?

Tasting Notes:

This version is an easy-to-swallow 5.5 percent ABV and is made with premium gin and thirst-quenching citrus flavor. There’s also one with cranberry flavor, but we prefer to stick with the original.

Bottom Line:

If you’re more health-conscious, Long Drink comes in a sugar-free, carb-free version guaranteed to quench your thirst while still keeping you safely on your summer diet. Whichever version you choose, this zesty gin and citrus-filled drink will be your new summer accessory.

Campari Soda (Zach Johnston)

ABV: 10%

Average Price: $12 (five-pack)

The Cocktail:

Campari Soda is an OG ready-to-drink cocktail dating all the way back to 1932. It’s also like a transporter that’ll take you straight to a shady street in Milan or Venice on a sunny summer day. The juice in the bottle is a mix of Campari Bitters and fizzy Italian mineral water. It’s easily drunk straight from the bottle or served over ice with a twist of orange. Either way, it’s one of the most refreshing and flavorful bottled cocktails you’ll ever drink.

Tasting Notes:

The harder bitter notes of Campari are dialed back with a softer, almost creamier body of lemon bitters, woody botanicals, and a sweet hard red candy vibe. The fizz is amped up thanks to the minerally water. There’s a hint of robust chinotto bitter orange/lemon that really pops with the carbonation on the end.

Bottom Line:

Again, this is great on its own or over ice. But it really pops if you pour it over ice with an orange twist and then top it up with a little sharp prosecco. But even if you don’t do all of that, knocking one of these back will bring about a moment of pure refreshment that’ll also open up your palate.

Jim Beam Ginger Highball (Zach Johnston)

ABV: 5%

Average Price: $12 (six-pack)

The Cocktail:

Jim Beam makes a lot of canned cocktails. But most of them are on international shelves. Jim Beam Long Black (a mix of Beam Black and an old-school cola recipe) is probably the best one if you’re curious. Finally, Beam is starting to get into the RTD game in the U.S. thanks to the return of the category’s popularity yet again. Their big entry dropped just in time for summer 2021 and is a simple yet refined Beam and ginger highball.

Tasting Notes:

There’s a real sense of a dive bar pour of Beam with bar-gun-poured ginger ale top-up. The sip has real depth while staying very light (think of the mid-point between a very icy highball and hard seltzer) thanks to the addition of fizzy soda water with the Beam White Label and ginger ale. It’s crisp, light, and still feels like a dive bar highball.

Bottom Line:

A dive bar Beam and ginger is pretty much a four-ounce pour of Beam over ice with a shot off the bar gun of ginger for color and a touch of sweetness. This is that poured into a pint glass and topped with sharp soda water, making it a bit less ass-kicking with the ABVs. You still have all the elements of a good Beam and ginger drink without the hefty alcohol burn and more lightness. That’s a win.

Onda Sparkling Tequila Grapefruit (Steve Bramucci)

ABV: 5%

Average Price: $65 (24-pack)

The Cocktail:

Casa Maestri — a well-known, female-owned tequila brand — supplied the booze for this canned cocktail. The rest is just grapefruit and fizz. But while so many fizzy booze brands seem to have no “there” there, this has distinct notes of grapefruit (juice, pulp, and oil), vegetal tequila, and bubbles.

From TV star and mega-influencer Shay Williams, this is a canned highball that refreshes wihout falling into the biggest pre-mix trap: over sugaring.

Tasting Notes:

Lots of grapefruit on the nose but the midpalate is really driven forward by tequila and soda. The grapefruit returns on the finish to take the taste home and mellow the agave green pepper notes.

Bottom Line:

This is cool in every way — refreshing and tasting with an attention grabbing can inspired by ’90s surf culture.

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As a Drizly affiliate, Uproxx may receive a commission pursuant to certain items on this list.

The music world is just a day removed from the one-year anniversary of Pop Smoke’s first posthumous album, Shoot For The Stars, Aim For The Moon. The 19-track effort, which extended to 34 songs after a deluxe reissue, stood as one of last year’s most popular albums. In fact, at this year’s Billboard Music Awards, the project won Top Billboard 200 Album and Top Rap Album. Now, the late rapper’s team is preparing to release a second posthumous album as its impending arrival was confirmed at the end of last month.

At the time of the announcement, a title for the project had not been revealed. That changed when the pre-order for the album went live on streaming services Saturday night. The late rapper’s second posthumous album will be titled Pop Smoke and it will deliver 17 songs to listeners. Fans will have to wait a bit longer to view the album’s official tracklist and possible guest features, but in the meantime, they can press play on the outro for Pop Smoke which finds the Brooklyn native giving a motivational speech to listeners.

Along with the announcement of Pop Smoke, the late rapper’s team shared an album trailer that portrayed interviews and behind-the-scenes footage with the Brooklyn native. “Never let anybody get in between you and your creations,” the rapper says in the trailer. “Why you just trying to be cool? You gotta make history.”

You can listen to the outro from Pop Smoke in the video above.

Pop Smoke is out 7/16 via Victor Victor Worldwide/Republic. Pre-order it here.

A year after setting a new world record with 75 hot dogs and buns in the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest bubble with no fans in attendance, Joey Chestnut was on a mission to top his feat back in front of a packed house at Coney Island.

The hot dog contest has become a staple of the July 4th festivities for many, as people tune in to watch Chestnut and others push the boundaries of intestinal fortitude. However, this year, the ability to enjoy 10 minutes of people shoveling hot dogs and water-soaked buns into their mouths was hampered by frequent broadcast issues for ESPN, as the feed cut out multiple times, forcing them to take two in-competition commercial breaks, and the finish of the competition, with Chestnut chasing history, wasn’t seen due to a frozen screen.

Things started as they often do, with over the top introductions that make you question a lot of things, including possibly the meaning of life.

Then things got going and Chestnut was flying out of the gates, housing 45 dogs in the first five minutes, putting him ahead of pace to break his record from last year. And then, ESPN’s feed started having issues. It appeared fixed once, then cut out again with under three minutes to go and we didn’t return to action until the final minute, when Chestnut was on the precipice of a new high mark. The drama and tension were mounting, the crowd went wild as he hit 74 to cash the Over at all the sportsbooks, and as he neared the new record, ESPN’s problems popped up again.

As the contest entered the final seconds, this is all anyone saw at home.

It was an unfortunate situation for ESPN that they clearly were trying everything they could to get right but just could not fix during the competition. So goes life covering live sports — and yes, hot dog eating is a sport. At least it happened in a year with fans rather than when everyone was watching from home, but for a moment that had such a tremendous build it made it all feel a bit flat.

A week after he made his triumphant (well, not really) return to rallies, Trump celebrated another milestone: his first rally since his organization and its CFO were criminally indicted. On Saturday night, the president-turned-failed blogger held another event, this time in Sarasota, Florida. And not only did he address the giant elephant in the room, he actually all but admitted he was responsible for it being there in the first place.

As is his wont, Trump spent a chunk of his speech ranting to his base about himself and his many woes. That includes a grand jury in New York indicting the Trump Organization and Allen Weisselberg, its chief financial officer, with tax evasion. But, Trump posited, is tax evasion really a crime? What even is a crime?

“They go after good, hard-working people for not paying taxes on a company car,” Trump told the crowd. “You didn’t pay tax on the car or a company apartment. You used an apartment because you need an apartment because you have to travel too far where your house is. You didn’t pay tax. Or education for your grandchildren. I don’t even know. Do you have to? Does anybody know the answer to that stuff?”

Surely many who showed up Saturday could relate to a man who racked up a reported $1.7 million in un-taxed fringe benefits. And, Trump argued, aren’t there worse crimes than that?

“For murder and for selling massive amounts of the worst drugs in the world that kill people left and right, that’s okay,” Trump bellowed. “Think of it, think of how unfair it is. Never before has New York City and their prosecutors or perhaps any prosecutors criminally charged a company or a person for fringe benefits. Fringe benefits. Murders, okay. Human trafficking, no problem — but fringe benefits, you can’t do that.”

As usual, Trump blamed his troubles on “the radical left,” who were out to “get him,” just because he may have committed some crimes — the same crimes, in this case, that once ruined Leona Helmsley in the 1980s.

The rest of the speech was largely a Greatest Hits package. He made false claims about the 2020 election that he very much lost. He slammed Biden. And there was a new one: He demanded the name of the officer who killed Ashli Babbit, the supporter who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6 and who wouldn’t have been there had she not fallen sway to Donald J. Trump.

(Via The Washington Post)