From Headlines To Healing: A Host Confronts Crime, Politics, And The Pull To Log Off

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The quiet of the holidays did something rare: it turned down the volume long enough for us to hear ourselves think. That’s where we start—grateful for a forced break from the news cycle—before wading into three stories that won’t sit still: a devastating crime update, a political spectacle brewing on Capitol Hill, and a lawsuit born from a musician’s last‑minute protest. The thread connecting them isn’t just outrage; it’s the search for accountability, and the cost of staying plugged into a feed that feeds on us.

We unpack the latest in the Celeste Rivas case, where a 14‑year‑old’s body was found in a car linked to a rapper and investigators later discovered a burn cage at a rented mansion. From grand jury subpoenas to a tour manager’s testimony, the details raise sharp questions about responsibility inside entertainment ecosystems and what happens when public narratives collide with legal reality. Then we turn to a planned House Democrats hearing marking the five‑year anniversary of January 6 and ask whether such spectacles clarify the stakes for democracy or just harden the trenches. Finally, we look at a canceled Christmas Eve jazz concert tied to a venue renaming and the million‑dollar lawsuit that followed—where conscience, contract law, and culture war meet on stage.

Through it all, we wrestle with news fatigue and the pull to disengage. The conversation lands on practical, human resolutions: read more, react less, protect attention, and reconsider the need to comment on everything. If you’ve felt caught between staying informed and staying sane, you’ll recognize the conflict—and maybe find a blueprint for a healthier balance.

If this resonates, follow the show, share it with a friend who’s drowning in headlines, and leave a short review telling us one habit you’re changing this year. Your ideas might shape what we tackle next.

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Episode Transcript

SPEAKER_00 (00:15):
Hello, good morning.
Well, I gotta start off withtelling you one thing I'm very
grateful for the holiday seasonand everybody being off from my
favorite shows.
Even the Fox News hosts are off.
And I'm you know what?
It made me not watch the news.
And I'm grateful for that.
I'm grateful that I've, youknow, I like I've forgotten what

(00:36):
it's like to disconnect and livein the real world.
I haven't been on X as much.
I haven't, ugh, I love it.
I love it.
Okay, we but I did scan theheadlines today for this stupid
podcast.
Um, I got a little over 30 moreepisodes to go, and then we're
done.
I call it stupid.
I don't mean for it to bestupid, but I do feel silly

(00:59):
doing it.
All right, over here on myX-File, we have three stories
for you.
I have an update.
Do you remember the 14-year-oldCeleste Rivas uh who was
reported missing and then theyfound her in the trunk of some
rapper's car?
Well, he looks like he's gonnabe facing murder charges.
We kind of saw this coming.

(01:19):
We've talked about it beforehere on the podcast.
His name is David, but it'sspelled D, the number four, and
VD.
I don't know why.
Singer David could face murdercharges in the death of
14-year-old Celeste Revis,according to a report.
Prosecutors will likely pursuethe case through a grand jury.

(01:40):
Revis's body was discoveredinside a Tesla registered to
David after the vehicle wastowed from the Hollywood Hills
area in September.
The car had been abandoned on ahillside street and ticketed
roughly two weeks earlier beforeit was impounded.
Several days after the tow,employees of the impound lot

(02:01):
reported a foul odor, leading tothe discovery of the teen's
remains.
Police later searched aHollywood Hills rental home
where the singer had beenstaying, serving a warrant and
seizing items, including alaptop.
You're not gonna believe whatthey found, I'm about to tell
you.
Authorities have said the singerwas known to the victim and had

(02:22):
a relationship with her.
He initially cooperated withinvestigators, but later
canceled tour dates as the probeintensified.
Sorry.
The grand jury involved may bean investigative grand jury, a
type of panel used to assistauthorities in gathering

(02:43):
evidence, but not issuingindictments.
Such grand juries can subpoenadocuments and compel testimony
from uncooperative witnesses.
They had his manager in therequestioning him for days on end,
I think.
The Singer's day-to-day manager,Robert Morganroth, testified for
several days before the grandjury, according to the outlet.

(03:04):
A TMZ reporter said theyoverheard Morganroth tell his
attorney in a courtroom hallwaythat prosecutor Silverman was
very pushy in questioning why hedid not contact police.
Well, I guess, yeah, I good forthe prosecutor.
Morgan allegedly responded thatit was not his responsibility
and that his role was to keepthe tour moving forward.

(03:27):
Oh my gosh, these people.
They have no soul, no conscious,nothing.
The grand jury could hear uhadditional witnesses as soon as
Fabi came blah blah blah blah.
I wanted to get to the part whatthey found.
Oh, here we go.
In late December, the postreported that a burn cage, burn,

(03:49):
not bird, burn, b-u-r-n cageincinerator, uh advertised to
burn at 1600 degrees, wasdiscovered at the Hollywood
Hills mansion.
The singer was renting at thetime.
This man was fixing to burn thatbody and get rid of it.
Oh my goodness.

(04:09):
Excuse me.
I hope he does face murdercharges.
I hope they find the evidenceand convict.
All right, we need to move on.
I saw this news story and Icould not believe it.
I could not believe my eyes.
Democrats are to convene aspecial hearing on the five-year

(04:30):
anniversary of January 6thCapitol riot.
What in the tarnation world?
Why hasn't Pamboni didn'tPamboni promise that she would,
you know, go after these people?
House Democrats will convene aspecial hearing.
Why?
To mark the five-year solemnanniversary of the January 6,
2021 ransacking of the Capitol.

(04:53):
Why?
Why?
I don't understand this.
The special hearing will takeplace on January 6th, 2026, at
10 a.m.
to highlight the hor the horrorsof January 6th and examine
ongoing threats to free and fairelections.
Oh my god.

(05:15):
Y'all, we must never forget thehorrors of January 6th and will
continue to honor the brave lawenforcement officers who who
were injured and lost theirlife.
Why?
But then you said it's ahearing.
Why not just have like a littlespecial day?
You go go have a brunch orsomething.

(05:38):
Representative Benny Thompson ofDemocrat from Mississippi, who
helmed the since defunct HouseSelect January 6th committee,
will run the special hearing onthe five-year anniversary.
This is the dumbest thing.
I am just outraged.
The move comes amid a minirevolt by some MAGA influencers
against Attorney General PamBondi last week, pressing her to

(06:02):
purse to per prosecute membersof the sense defunct.
Yes! Do it, Pam.
The that backlash against Bondiand the Trump administration's
Justice Department seeminglyprompted Assistant Attorney
General for Civil Rights, HarmiaDillon, to rip those MAGA
influencers as hoes.
Oh, excuse me, Harmie Dillon, torip those MAGA influencers.

(06:26):
So she's everybody's turningagainst MAGA.
During this fur during his firstday back in office, President
Trump granted sweeping clemencyto well, the uh I just I don't
get it.
It's over there on my X file ifyou want to go read it.
We need to move on to the lastthing here.
Uh do you remember the musicianthat pulled out of the Christmas

(06:49):
Eve concert over the name changebecause he didn't like Trump he
didn't like Trump adding hisname to it, and he pulled out of
the of this event?
Well, guess what?
He's being sued for a milliondollars.
Good.
Ugh.
The jazz musician who abruptlybacked out of hosting a
Christmas Eve concert at theTrump Kennedy Center will face a

(07:12):
one million dollar lawsuit tothe political stunt.
The head of the performing artsvenue revealed on Friday.
I believe that's uh RickGrinnell.
I think that's yeah, RichardGrinnell.
Good.
Get him, Rich.
Richard, Mr.
Grinnell, get him.
The annual Christmas Eve JazzJam was canceled after drummer

(07:33):
and vibraphone player Chuck Redpulled out of the holiday
tradition in protest ofPresident Trump's name being
added to the iconic venue.
Uh F A F O M F M F around andfind out.
Trump Kennedy Center PresidentRichard Grinnell notified Redd

(07:54):
in a letter obtained by the Postthat the institution plans to
seek damages against him overhis decision to abandon his
posting duties for partisanpolitical reasons.
Yes, go after this MFR and suehis ass.
Yes, because he was supposed tobe there.

(08:15):
Your decision to withdraw at thelast moment, explicitly in
response to the center's recentrenaming, which honors President
Trump's extraordinary efforts tosave this national treasure is
classic intolerance and verycostly to a nonprofit arts
institute, Grinnell wrote.
Regrettably, your actionsurrenders to the sad bullying

(08:36):
tactics employed by certainelements on the left who have
sought to intimidate artistsinto boycotting performances at
our National Culture Center, headded.
Good.
Go after his ass and sue him.
Sue him.
Oh, good.
I'm glad somebody's somebody'sdoing something anyway.
I'll tell you what, some ofthese other people, you know,

(08:58):
this whole Minnesota fraudthing.
They had somebody on there, uh aregular person in Ohio and
Columbus begging Nick Shirley tocome to Ohio Columbus next
because they're apparently, Idid not know that Columbus was
overrun with Somalis and they'redoing the same thing.
But you know what?
My prediction, nothing willbecome of this.

(09:20):
Nothing will happen.
There will be no consequencesfor anybody.
They're gonna keep right ondoing it.
And that's my that's my nobody'sgonna go to jail.
No, nope, nothing's gonnahappen.
All right, we need to move on toa question of the day.
All right, do you have any newyear's resolutions?

(09:41):
And I don't mean resolutions,you know, like we used to do as
a kid.
I mean, is there anything thatyou that you want to maybe
accomplish in the new year or orchange about yourself in the new
year?
I have a couple of things Iwould like to concentrate on.
I wrote them down, but I don't Idon't feel like digging digging

(10:01):
digging them.
And they're just stupid stuff.
I mean, like I want to be morelow-key.
Um, I want to obviously I havemy fitness thing that I want to
be in the best shape I possiblycan by that time by the time I
turn 60 in December of nextyear, um, 2026.
And then um, I don't know, Ijust want to be more low-key,

(10:25):
not be so animated.
I don't have to converse withyou know everybody.
Um that and there it's it goesdeeper than that.
Um more reserved, I guess, iswhat I'm trying to say.
I don't have to comment oneverything.
And there were some other thingsuh I've already forgotten, but

(10:47):
that's why I wrote them down.
Uh and they're just silly,silly.
I say silly, they're nothingthat is extravagant that would
be hard to do.
I would it just needs more uhreflection and downtime for me,
meaning stay off of socialmedia, meaning don't watch the

(11:08):
news.
So like I want to read more, Iwant to read books and um just
stay off out off the news asmuch.
And I think quitting my podcastwill help in that.
And I just want to be morereflective on who I am, and I
know I'm 60, but you know,whatever, or close to 60.

(11:29):
I I don't know what I'm tryingto say.
Okay, anyway, whatever.
I gotta go.
Uh, thanks for listening.
Bye.