Latest news with #WhatPeopleAreSaying
Newsweek
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Newsweek
Why Hannah Berner Says She Was Booed at Comedy Show
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Comedian Hannah Berner said she was booed during a performance in New Hampshire after she celebrated the New York Knicks because the people in the audience were Boston Celtics fans, which the Knicks had just beaten in their first series. "The Knicks are playing while I'm on. Okay. And you know, I'm being silly. I'm being goofy on stage. I go anyone, anyone know the Knicks score?" Berner said on Tuesday's episode of Giggly Squad podcast. "1,700 girls start booing me because New Hampshire, I forget because I'm a dumb New Yorker." The Context Berner has been performing comedy for years in New York City, where she lives, and around the country. She even recently opened for comedians Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. Her sets often revolve around what's happening in her personal life, whether that's her relationship with her husband, comedian Des Bishop, or the New York Knicks, who have a huge rivalry with the Boston Celtics. What To Know Berner, who was raised in Brooklyn, is a big Knicks fan and told co-host Paige DeSorbo she wasn't thinking about her audience when she brought the Knicks up the other night while on stage. She said she "lost the crowd" for a second and joked about how she apologized, praised Larry Bird and joked about Bill Belichick's girlfriend. In the first round of the playoffs, the Knicks beat the Celtics in the sixth game of the series with four wins to the Celtics' two. After two losses to the Indiana Pacers, the Knicks won in Indiana on Monday, marking a huge moment for fans who were disheartened by the first two games. Hannah Berner attends the 2025 Vanity Fair Oscar Party Hosted By Radhika Jones at Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on March 02, 2025, in Beverly Hills, California. Hannah Berner attends the 2025 Vanity Fair Oscar Party Hosted By Radhika Jones at Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on March 02, 2025, in Beverly Hills, California. Jamie McCarthy/WireImage During Tuesday's podcast, DeSorbo joked that it's a "sports podcast" and said she cried when the Knicks won on Monday. "I'm locked in, Hannah," DeSorbo said. "I'm dialed in." Berner noted that the Knicks have been "a very bad team for a long time," which was news to DeSorbo. But, she added that New York fans also love a "storyline" and a comeback. What People Are Saying DeSorbo on Tuesday's Giggly Squad podcast: "I've been at other sporting events in different cities. New York Fans are different. It's just different. It's a different electricity. It's a different feeling." Berner on Tuesday's Giggly Squad podcast: "We love a chant. We love to be passionate and we love to trash talk." What Happens Next Berner recently announced a new comedy tour across the country.
Newsweek
19-05-2025
- Business
- Newsweek
Builders Have Bad News for Donald Trump's Housing Market
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Builder confidence in the U.S. housing market fell sharply in May, marking its lowest level since November 2023, according to a new report from the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). Developers are contending with a sluggish selling season and mounting economic pressures. The NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI) dropped six points to 34, mirroring the November 2023 reading and only slightly above December 2022's low of 31. Why It Matters The downturn comes at a sensitive moment for President Donald Trump, whose administration faces growing scrutiny over trade policy and inflation. Per the NAHB, persistent uncertainty around tariffs, rising building material costs, and sustained high interest rates have rattled builder sentiment. These headwinds have forced builders to slash prices during the peak homebuying season. The decline in builder confidence poses challenges for a housing sector central to Trump's economic messaging. The spring season—typically one of the most active periods for home sales—has failed to gain traction. In response, 34 percent of builders cut home prices in May, up from 29 percent in April, with an average price reduction of 5 percent. Sales incentives remained elevated, with 61 percent of builders offering them, according to the NAHB. What To Know The NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index is based on a monthly survey asking builders to rate current sales conditions, expectations for the next six months, and prospective buyer traffic. All three components declined in May: current sales dropped eight points to 37, future sales dipped one point to 42, and buyer traffic slid to 23. A reading below 50 indicates that more builders view conditions as poor than good. The timing of the latest survey data is also notable. Approximately 90 percent of builder responses were collected before the May 12 announcement that the U.S. and China had agreed to suspend tariffs for 90 days to resume trade talks. The U.S. and China agreed to lower their rates by 115 percentage points. This agreement lowered the tariffs imposed on Chinese goods by President Donald Trump to 30 percent and those imposed on U.S. goods by Beijing to 10 percent. Trump initially announced his sweeping global tariffs on April 2, including a baseline 10 percent on all imported goods and "reciprocal" tariffs. While this may offer some future relief, it did not factor into the May confidence reading. A real estate sign is seen in front of a house for sale in West Los Angeles on November 20, 2020. A real estate sign is seen in front of a house for sale in West Los Angeles on November 20, 2020. CHRIS DELMAS/AFP via Getty Images What People Are Saying Kevin Thompson, the CEO of 9i Capital Group and the host of the 9innings podcast, told Newsweek: "Builders face the usual challenges of volatile commodity prices, but add in the unpredictable impact of tariffs, and it gets even tougher. Price swings on materials make it hard to maintain stable margins, adding pressure to an already tight market." Drew Powers, the founder of Illinois-based Powers Financial Group, told Newsweek: "Uncertainty around tariffs and the unknown construction costs are certainly playing into homebuyer and builder sentiment, but I really think the driver is overall housing prices and interest rates. A lot of people are choosing to stay on the sidelines, waiting for the housing market to soften and interest rates to tick down, with the hopes they can find a home and mortgage that is more affordable." What Happens Next While builders await the effects of the temporary tariff suspension and potential tax reforms, confidence levels remain vulnerable to broader economic shifts. "Builders buy in bulk and rely on stable margins. When input costs are unpredictable, it's nearly impossible to price homes accurately," Thompson said. "This affects both the affordability for buyers and the profitability for builders, creating a ripple effect throughout the market." Any sustained progress in trade negotiations or monetary policy adjustments could help boost sentiment in the months ahead. Until then, developers are likely to continue leaning on price cuts and incentives to attract hesitant buyers. "Just like any market, the housing and interest rate markets are nearly impossible to time, and that could be costing potential homebuyers dearly... Waiting for a housing and interest rate correction or crash may be costing consumers more than it's worth," Powers said.
Newsweek
26-04-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
Donald Trump, Prince William Outfits at Pope Francis' Funeral Raise Eyebrows
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. At Pope Francis' funeral on Saturday, the attire of President Donald Trump and Prince William drew significant attention and led to discussions about adherence to Vatican protocol. What To Know Trump arrived at the solemn ceremony in St. Peter's Square wearing a blue suit paired with a light blue tie and his signature American flag lapel pin. Prince William, representing King Charles III, who was absent due to health reasons, opted for a classic dark suit and tie, aligning more closely with The Vatican's expectations for such occasions. His attire was noted for its appropriateness and respect for the solemnity of the event, however, it also drew criticism as his suit was dark blue and not black. Former President Joe Biden also deviated from the norm, opting to wear a blue tie. All three ensembles diverged from the Vatican's traditional dress code, which prescribes a formal black suit, black tie, and a black lapel pin for male attendees at papal funerals. Newsweek reached out to the Vatican, Trump's office, and Kensington Palace for comment via email on Saturday outside of working hours. President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump arrive for the funeral of Pope Francis in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Saturday, April 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber) President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump arrive for the funeral of Pope Francis in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Saturday, April 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber) Associated Press Why It Matters Il Messaggero, a prominent Italian national newspaper based in Rome, reported that the attire and order for Pope Francis' funeral, according to Vatican protocols, should be as follows: "For men, dark suit with a long black tie and a button of the same color on the left lapel of the jacket, where only Vatican honors can be placed. For women, a black dress, preferably long, of the same color as gloves and veil on the head, with the only allowed ornament being a string of pearls. "These are the prescriptions for those attending the Pope's funeral, according to well-established protocol manuals that also define the seating arrangement for dignitaries and heads of state." In contrast, First Lady Melania Trump adhered to the expected norms, donning a long-sleeved black dress and a traditional black mantilla veil. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wore his signature all-black minus a tie to the ceremony. The controversy over attire comes just two months after Zelensky was criticized and called disrespectful by a reporter at the White House for not wearing a suit during his visit to the Oval Office, with reports suggesting that Trump was annoyed by Zelensky's choice of clothing. What People Are Saying Trump critic Ron Filipkowski commented on a Newsweek article on X, formerly Twitter to his 976k followers saying: "One guy shows up in a blue suit to the Pope's funeral. You will never guess who," alluding to the U.S. president. However, several X users commented below, pointing out that Prince William was also wearing blue. Political analyst Molly Ploofkins said on X: "According to the dress code required by Vatican officials for Pope Francis' funeral, men were required to wear a dark suit, along with a long black tie. Trump shows up in blue." Political strategist Joey Mannarino commented on X to his 613k followers: "Trump at the Pope's funeral is just exuding complete and total class. Absolutely the image America should be projecting to the world." On Zelensky's attire, he said: "Zelenskyy couldn't even wear a suit for Pope Francis's funeral. And the woke idiots in attendance clapped for him anyway. The lack of respect is unbelievable." Further adding to the discourse, Trump's seating at the funeral broke from established Vatican protocols. Traditionally, Catholic royals are seated in the front rows, followed by non-Catholic royals and then heads of state in alphabetical order. However, Trump was granted a front-row seat alongside Zelenskyy, a notable deviation from the norm. What's Next These sartorial and protocol deviations by Trump stood in contrast to the adherence displayed by other dignitaries and may become a focal point of media coverage surrounding Pope Francis' funeral.
Newsweek
24-04-2025
- Business
- Newsweek
Steve Bannon Rips DOGE's Accounting—'None of This Makes Sense'
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Steve Bannon questioned the accounting of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) on Wednesday, while also taking aim at the agency's billionaire leader Elon Musk. Newsweek reached out to the White House for comment via email on Thursday. Why It Matters Bannon has been a staunch Trump ally and leader of the MAGA movement, but has had tension with Elon Musk, the world's wealthiest man and the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX. He has been critical of Musk on a number of issues including his ties to China and some immigration matters around H1-B visas. What to Know Bannon has supported the goals of DOGE but called for more transparency of its accounting during a discussion during Semafor's World Economy Summit. He said its accounting doesn't "make sense" given the lack of cuts at the Pentagon. He said there needs to be a "very specific accounting as what he found as far as fraud goes and waste," signed off by every department head. Steve Bannon speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in National Harbor, Maryland on March 3, 2023. Steve Bannon speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in National Harbor, Maryland on March 3, 2023."We need to know exactly what he found because we went from $2 trillion a year to $1 trillion to year to $150 billion next year with nothing this year. None of this makes sense," Bannon said. "The cuts you've seen that have been announced are programmatic, whether it's USAID or DOE, that's a totally different thing." He also said there must be a "letter of certification" that no data of the government or any citizens are held by "anybody" except for the Trump administration or U.S. government in May, before Musk takes a step back from DOGE. The billionaire said during Tesla's earning call this week that he plans to refocus his efforts on his businesses, rather than DOGE, in the near future. When asked by Semafor's editor-in-chief Ben Smith if he "trusts" Musk to not take data, Bannon responded, "trust but verify." Bannon still praised DOGE as a "blunt force instrument" that implemented layoffs needed by the administrative state. "You've got to go to the Pentagon. You can't be serious if you're talking about waste, fraud and abuse in our system, unless you're in the Pentagon, finding out how it really operates," he said. What People Are Saying Bannon previously said on his War Room podcast: "Elon said a lot of stuff that none of it's turned out to be accurate. Like where's my $2 trillion cuts? Where's my $1 trillion cuts? Where's my $150 billion cut?" Musk, during Tesla's earnings call on Tuesday, said: "There's been some blowback for the time that I've been spending in government with the Department of Government Efficiency or DOGE. I think the work that we're doing there is actually very important for trying to sprain in the insane deficit that is leading our country, the United States, to destruction. And the DOGE team has made a lot of progress in addressing waste and fraud." What Happens Next The White House hasn't weighed in on whether they will require a release of DOGE accounting, as Bannon called for, before Musk takes a step back from the task force. Musk also did not provide a specific date he plans to step back and added he would still spend a day or two working for the government.
