What Happened Today - 17 April 2025

FSU Shooting

This is just devastating news. There was a shooting at Florida State University, right by the Student Union, just after noon today. Two people died and at least six people have been rushed to the hospital—one is in critical condition, and the others are seriously hurt. The whole campus went into lockdown, with students told to shelter in place, lock their doors, and stay away from windows. Police responded fast, and thankfully they have a suspect in custody, but they’re still making sure there aren’t any other shooters involved.

The FSU shooter was a 20-year-old student named Phoenix Ikner, whose mom is a longtime Leon County sheriff’s deputy. He used her gun—actually, both a handgun and a shotgun she owned—to carry out the attack at the Student Union. Ikner apparently had easy access to the weapons because of his mom’s job and his own involvement with law enforcement youth programs.

Classes and events at FSU are canceled through Sunday, and the campus is still crawling with law enforcement. Students described total chaos—sirens blaring, people running, and some saying they heard up to 30 shots. Emergency crews flooded the area, and officers were clearing buildings one by one, making sure everyone got out safely.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement, FBI, and ATF are all on the scene, helping with the investigation. Governor DeSantis and President Trump have both commented, but honestly, we all know “thoughts and prayers” aren’t going to fix this. Still, our hearts are with everyone at FSU and all the families affected. No one should ever have to go through something like this, and it’s beyond heartbreaking to see it happen yet again.

Harvard is making their voices HEARD

Harvard students hit the streets today to protest Trump’s latest round of threats and funding cuts. Trump’s trying to strong-arm the university into dropping diversity programs and letting the government call the shots on who they can admit or hire. Harvard’s not having it—they’re standing their ground and refusing to cave. Meanwhile, Trump’s on social media calling Harvard a “joke” and mocking everyone there as “birdbrains.” It’s just another round of him picking a fight with higher ed, but Harvard and its students aren’t backing down.

The Market Today

The stock market was all over the place. Most U.S. stocks actually rose, but a massive 22% plunge in UnitedHealth Group dragged the Dow down over 500 points (its worst day in a while), even as the S&P 500 barely edged up and the Nasdaq slipped. Trump kept up his attacks on the Federal Reserve, blaming them for not cutting interest rates fast enough.

Trump and Powell

Trump’s been on a tear all day with some truly dumb tweets and Truth Social posts about Fed Chair Jerome Powell. He’s basically throwing a tantrum because Powell won’t cut interest rates on command, even as Trump’s own tariffs are fueling inflation and rattling the markets.

Here are some of the lowlights from Trump’s posts:

He ranted, “Powell’s termination cannot come fast enough!” and hinted he’d fire Powell if he could, even though the law doesn’t actually let him do that.

Trump whined, “Oil prices are down, groceries (even eggs!) are down, and the USA is getting RICH ON TARIFFS.” He keeps claiming tariffs are making America rich, which is just not true—most economists say it’s actually hurting consumers and driving prices up.

He slammed Powell as “always TOO LATE AND WRONG,” and mocked his reports as a “complete mess,” saying Powell should have cut rates “like the ECB, long ago, but he should certainly lower them now”.

Trump also bragged that the European Central Bank is cutting rates and said Powell is failing by comparison—ignoring the fact that Powell and the Fed are holding off because of all the chaos Trump’s own policies are causing.

Trump and his words today in the oval…I need a decoder ring…

Trump called Biden “the dumbest president we’ve ever had” and pushing the baseless claim that Biden’s letting immigrants in just to “sign them up to vote.” (immigrants CANNOT vote, just to be clear) He went off on this weird tangent about migrants from the Congo, lumping people from Africa, Asia, and the Middle East together and saying they’re “very, very bad people” who make our own gang members “look like nice people by comparison.” It was all fearmongering with zero facts.

Trump even said, “Biden makes Jimmy Carter look like a genius by comparison,” and blamed Biden for “the weakest border in the history of the world,” throwing out made-up numbers about how many people have crossed. He circled back to his usual trade and foreign policy bragging, calling past leaders “stupid people” and joking about “taking back” Greenland.

Birthright Citizenship and the Supreme Court

The Supreme Court just agreed to hear Trump’s plan to end birthright citizenship. Basically, Trump wants to stop granting automatic citizenship to kids born in the U.S. unless at least one parent is already a citizen or a legal resident. This goes directly against the 14th Amendment, which has guaranteed that anyone born here is a citizen for over a century.

So far, every lower court has blocked Trump’s order, calling it unconstitutional, but now the Supreme Court is stepping in and will hear arguments next month. If they side with Trump, it would be a massive change—millions of kids born here could lose their citizenship just because of their parents’ status.

A lot of states, immigration groups, and legal experts are fighting back, saying the Constitution is clear: born here, you’re a citizen, end of story. The stakes couldn’t be higher—this case could redefine what it means to be American.

Garcia Update…still NOTHING

The Republicans are pushing hard to paint Garcia as some kind of dangerous criminal, even throwing out wild, baseless claims like human trafficking—which just isn’t true and has never been proven. Meanwhile, Democrats like Senator Van Hollen are actually trying to get down to El Salvador to check on Garcia and advocate for his release, but they’re being turned away at the door. The Salvadoran government and Trump administration are stonewalling them, even though the Supreme Court said Garcia should be brought back.

What’s really infuriating is that, while Democrats are blocked from even seeing Garcia, Republicans have been welcomed in. They’ve gone down to the CECOT mega-prison, taken tours, and then had the nerve to post pictures of themselves giving thumbs-up in front of cages—with prisoners clearly visible in the background. That’s not just tone-deaf, it’s a violation of the Geneva Convention, which specifically forbids using prisoners for political theater or exposing them to “public curiosity.” It’s about basic human dignity, and these guys are treating it like a photo op.

Republicans are using this whole thing as political ammo, spreading lies about Garcia and turning his detention into a spectacle, while Democrats who actually want to check on his welfare are kept out. The double standard is outrageous, and posting those prison photos is not just gross—it’s likely a violation of international law.

I’m still furious about Pam Bondi calling Garcia a criminal and claiming his family is better off without him. You are not a Christian Pam…at all.

Karoline…yep, she spoke today…

Karoline Leavitt definitely spoke today, and honestly, it was more of the same nonsense. She got up at the White House press podium and went off about the Rachel Morin case—a Maryland woman killed by an undocumented immigrant from El Salvador. Karoline tried to use it as a gotcha moment, complaining that the media and Democrats are supposedly ignoring Morin’s murder while focusing too much on Garcia, the guy Trump’s administration deported to that nightmare prison in El Salvador.

She took cheap shots at Democrats, especially a Maryland senator, for “caring more about criminals than victims,” which is just not true and totally misses the point. She kept hammering the same old talking points about border security and “protecting American families,” as if that justifies everything they’re doing.

And, of course, she couldn’t resist making some dumb jokes about Biden—mocking his age and mental fitness, like that’s supposed to be presidential. She even threw in the line that “real Americans want safety, not sympathy for criminals,” which is just more of the same fearmongering and oversimplification.

Yet again, Karoline was front and center, spinning the administration’s anti-immigrant message, making wild comparisons, and tossing out cheap shots and dumb one-liners that do nothing to actually solve the problems we’re facing.

And yes…she had her cross on today.

Vance is back (he’s been quiet lately)…he did NOT say Thank You

Today, JD Vance went full Nixon and actually quoted him, saying, “The professors are the enemy.” He claimed there’s real “wisdom” in that line and basically argued that universities and professors have too much power over what counts as truth in this country—and that they’re out to get conservatives. It’s just more of the same from this administration, using old Nixon-era rhetoric to attack higher ed and justify their crackdown on universities and academic freedom. Bottom line: Vance is making it clear he sees professors as the enemy and wants to rile up the base by going after anyone who doesn’t toe the MAGA line.

He also out some really alarming stuff today, basically saying due process isn’t guaranteed for everyone and can just depend on whatever the government feels like—how many resources they have, who you are, or what you’re accused of. He actually argued that it’s harder to execute an American citizen than it is to deport someone, and pretty much said if you’re undocumented or accused of a crime, you shouldn’t expect the same rights. He also kept pushing the totally unproven claim that Garcia is an “MS-13 gang member,” and accused the media and the left of only caring about his case to go after Trump and support what he calls “Biden’s unlawful migrant influx.”

So basically, Vance is out here saying due process is optional for some people, and he’s using Garcia’s case to justify it. It’s dangerous, it’s anti-Constitution, and people are rightfully calling him out.

Donald Trump and his military members

Donald Trump has not addressed or publicly acknowledged the lives lost in Lithuania, nor has he said a word about the two U.S. service members killed this week on the southern border. When asked about the missing soldiers in Lithuania, Trump admitted he hadn’t been briefed, and after their bodies were found, he only confirmed the deaths to reporters—offering no condolences, no public statement, and no gesture of respect. Instead of attending the dignified transfer ceremony for those soldiers at Dover Air Force Base, he chose to go to a Saudi-funded golf event at his own resort. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had to stand in for him.

Now, with two more American troops killed on the border—deployed as part of Trump’s own ramped-up military presence—he’s stayed completely silent again, even as military leaders and the Defense Secretary have publicly expressed their sorrow and support for the families. Not even a tweet or a brief statement.

It’s utterly disappointing and honestly infuriating. For someone who constantly claims to “love the troops” and wraps himself in the flag, Trump’s actions show the exact opposite. When it comes time to actually honor the sacrifice of our service members and show real leadership, he’s nowhere to be found. This is not what respect for the military looks like.

I’m done digging for today. But I want to say again how deeply sad I am for everyone affected by what happened at FSU. We owe every single person in this country so much better than this. It’s heartbreaking and infuriating that people keep grabbing guns and taking lives. Why is this seen as the answer? How does anyone think this is acceptable?

And what’s worse—how is this administration even thinking about dealing with it? Because from what we see, they’re not. Instead of tackling the root causes—like mental health, community support, and gun access—they’re pushing more guns into schools, cutting funding for violence prevention, and ignoring the real problems. It feels like they’re just spinning their wheels or making things worse.

We need to ask ourselves: why are so many young people feeling so lost, angry, and desperate that violence seems like their only option? Why is it so easy for them to get their hands on deadly weapons? And why are our leaders failing to step up and do what’s necessary to protect us?

This isn’t just about politics or policies—it’s about human lives. And until we face the truth and demand real change, tragedies like this will keep happening. We owe it to those lost, those hurt, and everyone who’s scared to say enough is enough.

If this has helped, please like and share—cause good trouble.

Go Cause Good Trouble, with Your Elbows Up!

**These are facts that I researched and verified – AI helped put together some sentence structure, but the words and tone are mine. These are my views based upon facts, research and thoughtful consideration using logic. I’m comfortable to stand alone to uphold truth, feel free to join me. Also feel free to check me on anything posted, but do not attack me. I am only causing good trouble.**