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

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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Liberty Line each week on Sunday, look for topics on my X file @americanistblog and submit your 1-3 audio opinions to anamericanistblog@gmail.com and you'll be featured on the podcast. 

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Chapters

• 0:29 Holiday Break From The News
• 1:16 Shocking Update In Celeste Rivas Case
• 4:32 Grand Jury Pressure And Evidence
• 7:16 Democrats Plan January 6 Hearing
• 10:19 Musician Sued Over Concert Exit

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:15

Hello, good morning. Well, I gotta start off with telling you one thing I'm very grateful for the holiday season and 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, you know, I like I've forgotten what it's like to disconnect and live in 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 the headlines today for this stupid podcast. Um, I got a little over 30 more episodes to go, and then we're done. I call it stupid. I don't mean for it to be stupid, but I do feel silly doing it. All right, over here on my X-File, we have three stories for you. I have an update. Do you remember the 14-year-old Celeste Rivas uh who was reported missing and then they found her in the trunk of some rapper's car? Well, he looks like he's gonna be facing murder charges. We kind of saw this coming. We've talked about it before here on the podcast. His name is David, but it's spelled D, the number four, and VD. I don't know why. Singer David could face murder charges in the death of 14-year-old Celeste Revis, according to a report. Prosecutors will likely pursue the case through a grand jury. Revis's body was discovered inside a Tesla registered to David after the vehicle was towed from the Hollywood Hills area in September. The car had been abandoned on a hillside street and ticketed roughly two weeks earlier before it was impounded. Several days after the tow, employees of the impound lot reported a foul odor, leading to the discovery of the teen's remains. Police later searched a Hollywood Hills rental home where the singer had been staying, serving a warrant and seizing items, including a laptop. You're not gonna believe what they found, I'm about to tell you. Authorities have said the singer was known to the victim and had a relationship with her. He initially cooperated with investigators, but later canceled tour dates as the probe intensified. Sorry. The grand jury involved may be an investigative grand jury, a type of panel used to assist authorities in gathering evidence, but not issuing indictments. Such grand juries can subpoena documents and compel testimony from uncooperative witnesses. They had his manager in there questioning him for days on end, I think. The Singer's day-to-day manager, Robert Morganroth, testified for several days before the grand jury, according to the outlet. A TMZ reporter said they overheard Morganroth tell his attorney in a courtroom hallway that prosecutor Silverman was very pushy in questioning why he did not contact police. Well, I guess, yeah, I good for the prosecutor. Morgan allegedly responded that it was not his responsibility and that his role was to keep the tour moving forward. Oh my gosh, these people. They have no soul, no conscious, nothing. The grand jury could hear uh additional witnesses as soon as Fabi came blah blah blah blah. I wanted to get to the part what they found. Oh, here we go. In late December, the post reported that a burn cage, burn, not bird, burn, b-u-r-n cage incinerator, uh advertised to burn at 1600 degrees, was discovered at the Hollywood Hills mansion. The singer was renting at the time. This man was fixing to burn that body and get rid of it. Oh my goodness. Excuse me. I hope he does face murder charges. I hope they find the evidence and convict. All right, we need to move on. I saw this news story and I could not believe it. I could not believe my eyes. Democrats are to convene a special hearing on the five-year anniversary of January 6th Capitol riot. What in the tarnation world? Why hasn't Pamboni didn't Pamboni promise that she would, you know, go after these people? House Democrats will convene a special hearing. Why? To mark the five-year solemn anniversary of the January 6, 2021 ransacking of the Capitol. Why? Why? I don't understand this. The special hearing will take place on January 6th, 2026, at 10 a.m. to highlight the hor the horrors of January 6th and examine ongoing threats to free and fair elections. Oh my god. Y'all, we must never forget the horrors of January 6th and will continue to honor the brave law enforcement officers who who were injured and lost their life. Why? But then you said it's a hearing. Why not just have like a little special day? You go go have a brunch or something. Representative Benny Thompson of Democrat from Mississippi, who helmed the since defunct House Select January 6th committee, will run the special hearing on the five-year anniversary. This is the dumbest thing. I am just outraged. The move comes amid a mini revolt by some MAGA influencers against Attorney General Pam Bondi last week, pressing her to purse to per prosecute members of the sense defunct. Yes! Do it, Pam. The that backlash against Bondi and the Trump administration's Justice Department seemingly prompted Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, Harmia Dillon, to rip those MAGA influencers as hoes. Oh, excuse me, Harmie Dillon, to rip those MAGA influencers. So she's everybody's turning against MAGA. During this fur during his first day back in office, President Trump granted sweeping clemency to well, the uh I just I don't get it. It's over there on my X file if you want to go read it. We need to move on to the last thing here. Uh do you remember the musician that pulled out of the Christmas Eve concert over the name change because he didn't like Trump he didn't like Trump adding his name to it, and he pulled out of the of this event? Well, guess what? He's being sued for a million dollars. Good. Ugh. The jazz musician who abruptly backed out of hosting a Christmas Eve concert at the Trump Kennedy Center will face a one million dollar lawsuit to the political stunt. The head of the performing arts venue revealed on Friday. I believe that's uh Rick Grinnell. I think that's yeah, Richard Grinnell. Good. Get him, Rich. Richard, Mr. Grinnell, get him. The annual Christmas Eve Jazz Jam was canceled after drummer and vibraphone player Chuck Red pulled out of the holiday tradition in protest of President Trump's name being added to the iconic venue. Uh F A F O M F M F around and find out. Trump Kennedy Center President Richard Grinnell notified Redd in a letter obtained by the Post that the institution plans to seek damages against him over his decision to abandon his posting duties for partisan political reasons. Yes, go after this MFR and sue his ass. Yes, because he was supposed to be there. Your decision to withdraw at the last moment, explicitly in response to the center's recent renaming, which honors President Trump's extraordinary efforts to save this national treasure is classic intolerance and very costly to a nonprofit arts institute, Grinnell wrote. Regrettably, your action surrenders to the sad bullying tactics employed by certain elements on the left who have sought to intimidate artists into boycotting performances at our National Culture Center, he added. Good. Go after his ass and sue him. Sue him. Oh, good. I'm glad somebody's somebody's doing something anyway. I'll tell you what, some of these other people, you know, this whole Minnesota fraud thing. They had somebody on there, uh a regular person in Ohio and Columbus begging Nick Shirley to come to Ohio Columbus next because they're apparently, I did not know that Columbus was overrun with Somalis and they're doing the same thing. But you know what? My prediction, nothing will become of this. Nothing will happen. There will be no consequences for anybody. They're gonna keep right on doing it. And that's my that's my nobody's gonna go to jail. No, nope, nothing's gonna happen. All right, we need to move on to a question of the day. All right, do you have any new year's resolutions? And I don't mean resolutions, you know, like we used to do as a kid. I mean, is there anything that you that you want to maybe accomplish in the new year or or change about yourself in the new year? I have a couple of things I would like to concentrate on. I wrote them down, but I don't I don't feel like digging digging digging them. And they're just stupid stuff. I mean, like I want to be more low-key. Um, I want to obviously I have my fitness thing that I want to be in the best shape I possibly can by that time by the time I turn 60 in December of next year, um, 2026. And then um, I don't know, I just want to be more low-key, not be so animated. I don't have to converse with you know everybody. Um that and there it's it goes deeper than that. Um more reserved, I guess, is what I'm trying to say. I don't have to comment on everything. And there were some other things uh I've already forgotten, but that's why I wrote them down. Uh and they're just silly, silly. I say silly, they're nothing that is extravagant that would be hard to do. I would it just needs more uh reflection and downtime for me, meaning stay off of social media, meaning don't watch the news. So like I want to read more, I want to read books and um just stay off out off the news as much. And I think quitting my podcast will help in that. And I just want to be more reflective on who I am, and I know I'm 60, but you know, whatever, or close to 60. I I don't know what I'm trying to say. Okay, anyway, whatever. I gotta go. Uh, thanks for listening. Bye.