We need more architects and fewer arsonists
Plus: Madonna preaches spirituality
My heart is heavy. On Sunday, a man ran his truck into a chapel of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Michigan, shot at worshippers, and set the building on fire, killing four people and injuring eight. It was one of six mass shootings this weekend. I don’t have words. Please pray — and work — for peace.
Welcome to this week’s issue of Whig. Read to the end for a touching message about forgiveness from the actor who played Buzz Lightyear. — Hunter Schwarz
Cox calls for more architects and fewer arsonists:
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox (R) said the future of the country is at stake in an interview on 60 Minutes that aired Sunday.
“I’m not asking anybody to hold hands and hug it out,” Cox said. “I’m not asking for that. I’m trying to get people to stop shooting each other. That’s it.”
Cox acknowledged, “Nothing I say can unite us as a country. Nothing I can say right now can fix what is broken,” but called on people to consider what they can do. “I’m desperately looking for more architects and fewer arsonists. Again, it’s so easy to burn down and tear down and we’ve got too much of that today.”
We could be headed to a government shutdown:
With government funding set to run out Wednesday, Vice President J.D. Vance said, “I think we’re headed to a shutdown.” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said “significant differences remain” between Democrats and Republicans over healthcare funding.
Trump backs Netanyahu’s peace plan:
President Donald Trump said today he supports Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s 20-point peace plan for Gaza. You can read the document here.
Trump’s posting and deleting A.I. conspiracy theories:
Trump reposted an A.I.-generated video on his social network Saturday of a fake news report about a nonexistent technology that’s supposedly only available to the rich and famous to magically heal them. The post, which was made to look like a Fox News segment and included Trump in it, was up for about 12 hours. Fox News confirmed that the segment never aired on its network.
Trump says he’s going to go after more people after Comey:
Former FBI Director James Comey has been indicted after Trump called on his Justice Department to prosecute him, and now Trump says former FBI Director Christopher Wray could be next. Some worry it sets a troubling precedent.
New York Times chief White House correspondent Peter Baker wrote in a news analysis piece Sunday, “Mr. Trump’s campaign to imprison, fire or otherwise punish his political foes and use government power to crack down on free speech he does not like has broken norms that stood for generations. But it has also established new standards for what a president can do that even some conservatives worry may come back to bite them. Power claimed by one party is then eventually available to the other. Limits ignored by one administration may no longer seem binding on the next.”
“If the precedent set by Mr. Trump takes hold, America may be entering a period when each new administration takes aim at the last one in a cycle of retaliation, a what-goes-around-comes-around pattern more familiar in authoritarian countries than in developed Western democracies,” he continued. “Even presidents more restrained than Mr. Trump may succumb to the temptation to follow at least some of his example.”
Jenna Bush Hager declassifies her hotel check-in code name:
While her Secret Service code name was “Sparkle,” former first daughter Jenna Bush Hager said last week she booked hotels under the name “Holly Crawford” after her dad former President George W. Bush won the presidency. The name was an ode to her family’s ranch in Texas.
“All I know is, if Holly Crawford shows up, she’s ready to order a margarita,” she said.
Nelson dies at 101:
Russell M. Nelson, president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints died Saturday at the age of 101. In an editorial for Time published just weeks before his death, the man called prophet by the church referred to as Mormon wrote about two enduring truths that he said “anchor us in turbulent times”: 1. “Each of us has inherent worth and dignity” and 2. “Love your neighbor and treat them with compassion and respect.”
“Imagine how different our world could be if more of us were peacemakers—building bridges of understanding rather than walls of prejudice—especially with those who may see the world differently than we do,” Nelson wrote. “I have seen bitter divisions soften when neighbors chose to listen to one another with respect rather than suspicion. Even small acts—like reaching out across lines of faith, culture, or politics—can open doors to healing. There is power in affording others the human dignity that all of God’s children deserve.”
Nelson said this work begins at home. “Strong families help us extend kindness outward, reinforcing communities and societies as well.” RIP 🕊️
🎬 No. 1 movie: One Battle After Another opens with more than $22 million, making the film Leonardo DiCaprio’s 11th to open with more than $20 million.
💿 No. 1 album: Am I The Drama? by Cardi B becomes the rapper’s second No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 album chart, with 200,000 equivalent album units. Cardi is the first female rapper in history to go No. 1 with her first two albums.
🎵 No. 1 song: “Golden” by Huntr/X reigns at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for a seventh week.
Bad Bunny is doing the Super Bowl:
So it turns out Bad Bunny will perform on the U.S. mainland after all. The rapper nnounced in a social media video today that he will headline the Super Bowl LX Halftime Show next February at Levi’s Stadium. The Puerto Rican said he was “in the middle of a workout” when he got the call about getting the big gig.
“I remember that after the call I just did like 100 pull-ups. I didn’t need more pre-workout,” he said in an interview with Apple Music today. “It was very special.”
T-Swift and Ed Sheeran gave speeches at Selena Gomez’s wedding:
Selena Gomez married Benny Blanco in California Saturday (she wore custom Ralph Lauren), and some famous friends were in attendance, including Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran, who both gave speeches, per People. Congratulations to the happy couple. ❤️
Zach Bryan just set the record for largest concert in the U.S. ever:
A record 112,408 fans attended Zach Bryan’s concert at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor Saturday with special guest John Mayer. The concert broke the record for the largest ticketed concert audience in U.S. history set by The Grateful Dead at their 1977 concert at New Jersey’s Raceway Park when 107,019 attended.
A Britney Spears comeback concert could beat both of those, if she wanted to.
Dolly Parton is putting her Vegas residency on hold:
Dolly Parton announced Sunday in a social media post that she’s postponing her Las Vegas residency due to “health challenges.”
The singer was scheduled to play six nights at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas in December, but she wrote that she has some upcoming procedures.
“I just need a little time to get show ready,” Parton said. “God hasn’t said anything about stopping yet.” New dates have been scheduled for Sept. 2026.
Madonna preaches spirituality:
Madonna credits spirituality and doing good for others for her success in her first-ever podcast interview, on On Purpose with host Jay Shetty, released today.
“You need to be spiritual to be successful. Success is having a spiritual life, period. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t have one,” Madonna said. “What have I done for others? That’s really the only way you can be successful in life.” Madonna said she was doing the interview not to promote or sell anything. “I want to share something with people that has pretty much saved my life,” she said.
“If you don’t have a spiritual life, you’re never going to stop and ask any questions, you’re just going to plow through life and you’re going to see everything that happens to you as just some random event. I don’t believe that anything is random. I think everything that happens to us is meant to happen to us to teach us a lesson,” Madonna said.
Shane Gillis on why he’s not doing the comedy festival in Saudi Arabia:
Good for Shane Gillis. As other comedian face backlash for performing at the Riyadh Comedy Festival, Gillis said on his podcast the festival offered to double the amount of money it would pay him to perform and he turned them down.
“It was a significant bag, but I’d already said no,” Gillis said. “I took a principled stand.”
Human Rights Watch said the festival was being used to “deflect attention from its brutal repression of free speech and other pervasive human rights violations.”
The famous blinking guy meme guy is raising money for a good cause:
Dan Scanlon, who the internet knows as “Blinking Guy,” cycled 102 miles Saturday to raise money for multiple sclerosis research. He’s been doing it for nearly 10 years and raised $250,000 over that time, according to NBC News. Incredible.
Tim Allen says he was inspired by Erika Kirk to forgive the man who killed his father:
Actor Tim Allen, who was just 11 when his father was killed by a drunk driver in 1964, wrote on X last Thursday that hearing Erika Kirk forgive the man accused of killing her husband Charlie Kirk “deeply affected me.”
“I have struggled for over 60 years to forgive the man who killed my Dad. I will say those words now as I type: “I forgive the man who killed my father.” Peace be with you all,” Allen wrote. Wow, what a powerful example of forgiveness and grace. 🕊️
Thanks for reading! See you next week. ⭐