GoneTrending

For weeks, the “Freedom Convoy” truckers have attempted to ape the protests that took over parts of Canada earlier this year. They haven’t had much success. They promise massive turnout, then few show up. Their demands are vague. One of their grievances, mask and vaccine mandates, have by now been eased or lifted. They’ve had to hang with Ted Cruz. And now they’ve been humiliated by a lone cyclist.

On Saturday, hundreds of truckers and other motorists, some definitely not in trucks, made their way to the nation’s capital, where they largely inconvenienced and annoyed locals. But at one point they were themselves inconvenienced and annoyed by some guy riding a bicycle. Video shared on social media showed the man riding in front of a line of trucks. He takes his sweet time, a David enraging an army of Goliaths.

One video showed people trying to get his attention. When they do, the cyclist either can’t hear the person asking him questions or pretends not to hear. Either way, truckers were honking like mad, creating a din of noise.

The convoy, which spends their nights camping out on a speedway in nearby-ish Hagerstown, Maryland, had stuck to circling the D.C. beltway. Last Monday they stepped things up, descending into the city itself, disrupting traffic, causing delays, and generally irritating residents trying to get on with their lives. But at least they met their match.

(Via Newsweek)

Donald Trump has spent his life gleefully evading comeuppance. Six bankruptcies, and a possible loss of almost all his income, haven’t ruined his public image as a rich guy. He’s bragged about not paying his taxes, during a presidential debate. He’s lied about election fraud (while his own cronies possibly commit it) and encouraged his violent supporters to attack the Capitol, and yet he could get re-elected. Speaking of, a his 2024 run seems to already be “marked by corruption,” and it hasn’t even officially started yet.

In a new column for MSNBC, political analyst Zasheem Aleem points to a recent complaint filed with the Federal Elections Commission that alleges Trump has been illegally spending fundraising dollars on a campaign that has yet to file the official paperwork.

“The argument behind the complaint is that Trump is using rhetoric that signals that he is, in fact, running already but declining to formally declare his candidacy to avoid the restrictions and regulations on his fundraising capacity that would kick in if he did,” Aleem writes. “Trump’s rhetorical sleights of hand raise the possibility that his de facto third presidential campaign is already marked by corruption before it even formally kicks off.”

Trump has been fundraising ever since losing re-election in 2020, though that money doesn’t always go where he claims it will. After exiting office in disgrace, he raised funds to, he claimed, fight election fraud. Instead that money lined his own pockets. Now he’s allegedly raising money to keep his presidential brand front and center, but since he’s not officially running for office, he doesn’t have to disclose his donors, as any candidate would be required to do. He would also have a limit on how much he can raise. But since his campaign has not formally begun he doesn’t have to do anything.

And yet it’s clear he’s running, Lisa Gilbert, executive vice president of Public Citizen, told Aleem. “On its face,” she says, “the combination of Trump’s own statements about 2024 and his aggressive fundraising certainly could be enough evidence to trigger the standard for becoming a candidate for president under federal law.”

In other words, it appears Trump is once again breaking the law then laughing at anyone who tries to stop him.

You can read Aleem’s full column at MSNBC.

Nicki Minaj has made it known that she feels like a groundbreaking force when it comes to women in rap. Truly, for so many years, Minaj was one of the few women in hip-hop enjoying commercial success, so she does have a bit of a point. But her opinion of younger female rappers coming up behind her hasn’t always been the the highest. A recent collaboration with Coi Leray on the song “Blick Blick” led to a conversation between the two, where Nicki asserts back in her day, she experienced a level of hate that younger artists have never seen or felt.

“Can you girls stop talking about hate?” Nicki said during a recent Instagram Live conversation with Coi. “Y’all have never experienced hate the way I have experienced. What y’all have experienced is nothing. Y’all have just experienced some of the growing pains of artistry and of social media. Y’all be thinking y’all have experienced hate and trust me, you ain’t experienced it yet. A lot of y’all have gotten, not coddled, people have been nice. People have been gentle with y’all.”

Now that she’s back to releasing new music in 2022, though, Nicki might be feeling the heat of the current era herself. We’ll see if she decides now is tougher than the early 2000s were or not after the next album drops.

A 15-seed is once again headed to the Sweet 16. One year after Oral Roberts stunned the college basketball world to make it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, Saint Peter’s earned a ticket to the Sweet 16 by going wire-to-wire against Murray State en route to a 70-60 win on Saturday night.

The Peacocks were led by a stellar effort from senior big man KC Ndefo, who was a menace on both ends of the floor. The New York native led the team with 17 points, 10 rebounds, six blocks, three assists, and a steal, with one of those blocks being a crucial chasedown as the Racers were trying to make it a one-possession game in the second half.

Late in the game, Saint Peter’s got a boost off the bench from sharpshooting guard Doug Edert, who scored 10 of his 13 points in the second half and scored seven points in just over a minute.

Five other Peacocks scored at least six points. The team entered Saturday’s game as the winners of their last eight games, a stretch that included the MAAC Tournament and a stunning opening round win over the Kentucky Wildcats. Murray State, meanwhile, had not lost since Dec. 30.

Now, the Peacocks will wait to find out who they will play in the Sweet 16 — they will square off against the winner of Sunday’s game between the Purdue Boilermakers and the Texas Longhorns. They will probably be underdogs for the third time during the 2022 NCAA Tournament, but so far, that has not mattered.

If anyone is familiar with the ins and outs of being an indie musician, it’s Alex G. The Pennsylvania songwriter started off releasing tapes on Bandcamp, and quickly amassed a cult following. But that didn’t stop him from getting embroiled in a legal snarl with his stage name, that resulted in a brief stint as (Sandy) Alex G, and then back to just Alex G. Following up his latest release, 2019’s excellent House Of Sugar, Alex is now releasing a film score.

Tapped by We’re All Going To The World’s Fair director, Jane Scoenbrun, to score the film, he’s also released a new song simply called “End Song” that rolls during the film’s credits. “Whenever it rains at night I put on Alex’s score and listen to how the rain on my roof sounds mixed with Alex’s beautiful, lonely music,” Scoenbrun said in a statement. “I’ve been a fan of Alex’s records for so long, and it was literally a dream come true to get to collaborate with him on my first feature. I can’t imagine a better or more moving accompaniment to the film.”

For Alex G fans, that kind of co-sign might be reason enough to get out and see the film. Either way, check out his new single “End Song” up top and look out for the score’s release date on 4/15 via Milan Records.

After initially going viral on TikTok for behind-the-scenes videos about the making of his latest song, “Light Switch,” Charlie Puth finally released the new track a few weeks ago. And while it’s doing really well for him — and he recently performed it live on Jimmy Kimmel — the pop star admitted that younger fans who are watching his TikToks don’t necessarily know his past work.

And for Puth, that includes the massive hit single “See You Again,” which spent so long at the No. 1 spot on Billboard charts that it broke records. As a song tied to the Fast And Furious film franchise, the sentiment of it was dedicated to the late Paul Walker, and a verse from Wiz Khalifa rounded it out. The song was nominated for three Grammy awards, and also won Charlie a Golden Globe. But for fans of his “Light Switch” TikTok videos, those awards might as well not exist. “I’m 30 years old and I’m going viral on TikTok with Gen Z,” Puth told Jimmy during his recent visit to the show. “There was a 10-year-old fan who came up to me the other day and said ‘It’s Charlie from TikTok!’ And I was like, ‘No, I’m actually like three times Grammy nominated, and I have like a Golden Globe…”

So there you have it, that’s the power of TikTok. Check out the rest of the interview above to hear about Charlie’s perfect pitch and more. And if you’re wondering where his third album is, the one that all the TikTok fans will probably think is his first, Charlie gave us a detailed update about the timeline last summer. And if you haven’t heard “Light Switch” yet, check it out below.

Did you know two adult women can still be friends even if one of them is dating another’s ex-fiancé? Apparently, it’s true! While the entire internet has witnessed Kanye hounding his ex-wife, Kim Kardashian, over her new relationship with Pete Davidson, Pete’s ex is clearly fine with it. Back in 2018, Pete and Ariana had a whirlwind romance that led to a quick engagement, and finally, a sad break up. Since then, Ariana began a new relationship with her now-husband, Dalton Gomez, and doesn’t seem to have any ill will toward her ex or his new flame.

How do we know this? Well, in her downtime during the pandemic, Ariana not only starred as a guest judge on The Voice, but also launched her own makeup line, R.E.M. Beauty. In the new round of gifting for the brand’s chapter 2 drop, guess who got a little care package from Ari? None other than Kim Kardashian herself, who also made it a point to post a shot of the package to her Instagram story today. This behavior is very much in line with the “high road” Kim has been taking in response to Kanye’s incessant attacks on Instagram about everything from her new relationship to co-parenting.

This doesn’t necessarily mean that Dalton and Ari will be double dating with Kim and Pete anytime soon, but it’s nice to see that Ari and Kim are staying above the fray.

It’s official: Only one person has scored more points in an NBA career than LeBron James. The Los Angeles Lakers star officially passed Hall of Fame inductee Karl Malone on the all-time scoring list on Saturday night during the team’s game against the Washington Wizards. James entered the game needing 20 points to eclipse the Utah Jazz legend on the all-time scoring list.

James took the floor looking as good as ever, as he was in total control of things for a Lakers team in desperate need of a spark as we enter the final stretch of the regular season. And with just over five minutes left in the first half, he passed the final name remaining between himself and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who has scored more points than anyone. James cut to the rim and was on the receiving end of a pass from Stanley Johnson. Washington did not have anyone protecting the rim, and as a result, James got an easy layup.

James had 23 points on 10-for-16 shooting in the first half with seven rebounds and four assists. Entering the evening, James scored 36,909 points, while Malone had 36,928. He still has a way to go to pass Abdul-Jabbar, though, who scored 38,387 in his career. James already has the NBA record for points scored in the regular season and playoffs.

An 11-seed is headed to the Sweet 16. The Michigan Wolverines took on the 3-seed Tennessee Volunteers on Saturday night, and despite losing standout guard DeVante’ Jones early on in the action, gave the SEC Tournament champions all they could handle. By the time the final horn sounded, the Wolverines came out on top, 76-68.

It was a tight game throughout, but ultimately, Michigan was able to get just enough separation to see out the win thanks to huge games from Hunter Dickinson (27 points, 11 rebounds, four assists) and Eli Brooks (23 points, five assists). The Vols, meanwhile, were led by standout freshman and All-SEC guard Kennedy Chandler, who attacked the Wolverine defense relentlessly en route to a 19-point, 9-assist performance.

Time will tell if Chandler goes pro or returns to Knoxville, but after the loss, the 19-year-old standout was moved to tears.

It’s our latest reminder about how cruel a single-elimination tournament to crown a national champion can be, and upon getting to Chandler in the handshake line after the game, Michigan coach Juwan Howard took a moment to console the youngster with whom he has a long-standing relationship.

With the win, Michigan will move on to play either Villanova or Ohio State next weekend.

Earlier this week, Arcade Fire announced that they will release their first album in five years with their upcoming LP, We. The upcoming project is produced by power couple Win Butler and Régine Chassagne, along with super-producer Nigel Godrich and it’s set to be a 40-minute release with seven new tracks spread out two sides that represent a light/dark motif. While this is certainly an exciting announcement for fans, many noticed that Will Bulter, one of the founding members of Arcade and younger brother to the band’s lead vocalist Win Butler, was absent for many of the band’s promotional performances for We. Well, now we have an answer for that.

Will Butler has announced his departure from Arcade Fire. He shared the news in a series of posts on Twitter that explained what went into the decision and when it happened. “I left at the end of last year, after the new record was complete,” he wrote. “There was no acute reason beyond that I’ve changed—and the band has changed—over the last almost 20 years. Time for new things. I’m working on a new record; booking some shows this summer. I’m working on music for a David Adjmi play (which is so good). A few other projects percolating.”

Later on in his message, Butler thanked “anyone who’s come out to AF shows, or bought a record, or loves our music.” He added, “It’s meaningful to be part of your lives. Thank you to the crew, staff, management, label people, bands, artists, and friends who have helped bring our vision to life for so many years.” He also noted that “the band are still my friends and family.”

You can view additional tweets from his message below.

We is out 5/6 via Columbia. You can pre-save it here.