$3K In Cash?

4.21.25

Happy Monday and welcome back to Common Sense, your source for news and analysis on the circus that is American politics and entertainment. We hope you had a restful weekend.

Pope dies at 88… NPR reports, “The death of Pope Francis at age 88 sets off a chain of events as Catholics around the world mourn and the Vatican begins a series of ceremonies and plans to select a new pope. Francis died early Monday in Rome, just one day after Easter Sunday. The Vatican's Dr. Andrea Arcangeli said the pope's cause of death has been identified as a stroke, followed by a coma and irreversible ‘cardiocirculatory collapse.’ His death marks the end of a 12-year papacy that began in 2013 following the historic resignation of Benedict XVI — the first pontiff to step down in nearly six centuries.” Pope Francis was known for a much more moderate political stance than his predecessor.

Photo credit: AP

Hegseth’s future could be in jeopardy as Pentagon descends into chaos… Politico reports, “President Donald Trump has privately reassured and publicly defended Pete Hegseth over the past 24 hours. But doubts among Trump’s allies are growing over how long the embattled Defense secretary can hold on. While Trump and Hegseth have been aligned in brushing aside leaks to the press from former Pentagon officials, two people close to the White House suggested on Monday that he’s not out of the woods, because the turmoil inside the Defense Department is real. The two people were granted anonymity to discuss internal personnel dynamics. As one of them put it, the former Fox News Channel host may ‘implode on his own.’”

Stocks tumble, dollar hits three-year low, Trump blames fed chair Powell… CNN reports, “US stocks ended the day sharply lower Monday and the dollar tumbled as investors assessed continued tariff uncertainty and the implications of President Donald Trump’s ongoing mission to try and oust Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. The Dow fell 972 points, or 2.48%. The broader S&P 500 fell 2.36%. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite slid 2.55%. The three major indexes slumped throughout the day before pulling back slightly in the afternoon. The sell-off on Monday was widespread, as nearly every company in the Dow and the S&P 500 closed lower. All three major indexes are coming off of a week in the red and are on pace for their worst month since 2022.”

Who carries $3,000 in cash?? Kristi Noem, apparently… ABC News reports, “Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's bag was stolen at a Washington restaurant Sunday, according to a DHS official. Noem had $3,000 in cash in her bag, along with her passport, makeup bag, DHS access card, apartment key and other items. A man wearing a mask walked by the secretary's table and snatched the bag. A DHS official said the secretary had the cash because her family was in town and she was treating them to Easter festivities.”

Source: NBC News

Today’s Furry Friend

This pup seemed to have not eaten for weeks. Then she found out what love is.

Today’s Buzz

No, Bowen! You can’t leave SNL… Say it ain’t so, Bowen! The Hollywood Reporter writes, “Bowen Yang doesn’t plan to be at Saturday Night Live forever. The actor-comedian recently opened up about his future during an interview with People, noting that the recent 50th anniversary special — which saw several SNL alums return — got him thinking about what life after the sketch comedy show could look like. ‘SNL, it’s just this moving, living, breathing thing,’ he said. ‘Especially after the 50th, I’m seeing what life after the show is like and how beautiful it is, and how so many people, no matter how long they were at the show, are just with their families and loving their lives and not letting the years take away any of that experience for them.’” NOOOOOO!!!!

Thanks for reading. Check back in tomorrow evening for the next edition of Common Sense.