Sunday in a sip

Welcome to Sunday in a Sip. It's April 20th, 2025. Today, I want to wish everyone Happy Easter. A week filled with the excitement of the final frontier, golf and other history making events.

So, kick back, relax, and let your mind unwind as we dive into the week’s most gripping headlines, and more. Let’s sip, reflect, and embrace this week’s curated confusion, served hot together.
You can now listen to Sunday in a sip.

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In a global display of synchronized panic typically reserved for synchronized swimming, central banks from Canada to the eurozone have decided it’s time to “maybe, possibly, sort of” cut interest rates. That’s right — in a world teetering on the edge of maybe bad things happening, the wise elders of finance have busted out their tiny scissors to snip rates, hoping nobody notices that their "growth strategy" is basically "turn it off and turn it back on again."

Meanwhile, in Asia, China’s economy delivered its quarterly report card. Spoiler alert: “Could do better.” Industrial production showed a "modest improvement" — which is financial nerd-speak for “we didn’t trip over our own shoelaces, but don’t start clapping yet.” Growth, much like my enthusiasm for folding laundry, remains sluggish.

Back in the good ol’ U.S. of A., markets behaved the way a toddler does when promised ice cream after a dentist appointment: with wild, sugar-fueled glee. The White House announced a delay on tariffs for smartphones, computers, and other shiny objects we can’t live without, and Wall Street reacted like it was Black Friday at a TV sale.

Tech stocks led the charge like caffeinated lemmings — Apple’s stock shot up so fast that Newton’s laws called in sick. Semiconductor companies followed, realizing that if there’s one thing Americans love more than avoiding tariffs, it’s buying gadgets they don't need with money they don’t have.

The S&P 500 ended the week up a whopping 5.7%, with investors fist-pumping, high-fiving, and probably doing that weird little dance they swear is "trending on TikTok." It was a classic "good news we just made up" rally, because if there’s anything Wall Street loves more than money, it’s pretending everything’s fine while the world smolders like a forgotten Pop-Tart.

In conclusion: rates are dropping, growth is dragging, and markets are throwing a party like it’s 1999 — and absolutely nobody learned anything from 2008.

Stay tuned next week, when we discover if global leaders will solve real problems or just roll out another PowerPoint presentation titled “We’re Totally Working On It.”

Gold Price $3,323.60
Oil Price $63.47 per barrel WTI

In Pennsylvania, a suspect was charged with attempted murder and arson after a fire at Governor Josh Shapiro’s home, drawing national attention and comparisons to previous high-profile attacks. Meanwhile, protests erupted at Harvard against federal threats to funding over diversity and pro-Palestinian speech, highlighting ongoing tensions over academic freedom and civil rights.

Harvard vs. The Feds: Clash of the Ivory Tower Titans!

Harvard told the Trump administration to take its demands and file them under “Nope.” After being ordered to scrap DEI programs, muzzle student protests, and basically turn into a 1950s sock hop, Harvard President Alan Garber dropped a mic, declaring no government tells Harvard what to teach, who to hire, or what to study.

In response, the White House threw a federal tantrum, freezing $2 billion in grants and threatening Harvard’s tax-exempt status — because nothing says “combat antisemitism” like shaking down a university like it’s a mob movie.

Now, Cambridge is a protest-palooza, with students, professors, and people who just like free pizza rallies defending academic freedom. The showdown could rewrite the future of higher education — or at least give us all a front-row seat to the mess.

Trump Digs Up 1807 Law, Gets Ready to Play Border Warlord

In another episode of “What Could Possibly Go Wrong?”, the Trump administration spent the week prepping for a political Hail Mary. President Trump is gearing up for April 20, when he’ll get a big shiny report on the southern border, and maybe dust off the Insurrection Act of 1807, a law so old it probably writes with a quill.

If invoked, Trump could unleash the military inside the U.S. for immigration crackdowns, with a side hustle of gobbling up state powers like a game of Risk. Critics are already practicing their “THIS IS FINE” memes while legal scholars are brushing up on 200-year-old legalese.

Bottom line: Get ready for a showdown where muskets might actually be more historically accurate than the legislation being used.

The Masters Golf’s Golden Ticket

Rory McIlroy’s long quest for a green jacket finally ended in a dramatic, unforgettable finish at the 2025 Masters. After a rollercoaster final round that saw him lose and regain the lead multiple times, McIlroy survived a sudden-death playoff against Justin Rose to claim his first Masters title and complete the career Grand Slam.

McIlroy became the sixth golfer in history, and the first European, to achieve this milestone The final round was packed with tension:

McIlroy double-bogeyed the first hole, saw his lead evaporate, and battled back with clutch birdies and gutsy recoveries. Rose’s relentless charge with ten birdies forced the playoff, but McIlroy’s nerves held. On the first extra hole, he stuck his approach to within four feet and calmly sank the winning putt, collapsing in tears of relief and joy. This Masters will be remembered for its chaos, emotion, and the crowning of a generational champion. History in the making.

Space got a serious glam upgrade this week as six women—yes, six—launched into the cosmos aboard Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket, marking the company’s first-ever all-female mission. Somewhere, Captain Kirk just fainted.

Leading the cosmic caravan? None other than Gayle King, queen of morning talk and now, queen of zero gravity. Along for the interstellar ride were pop superstar Katy Perry (yes, the daisy-carrying diva), Jeff Bezos’ better half Lauren Sánchez, NASA alum Aisha Bowe, civil rights powerhouse Amanda Nguyen, and film producer Kerianne Flynn.

Liftoff? More like "Ladies, start your engines." At exactly 9:30 a.m. ET, Monday April 14th, the New Shepard soared from Launch Site One in West Texas, hitting 62 miles above Earth—right at the edge of space, the Kármán line, where you can float around like a balloon and rethink your life choices. The mission, NS-31, lasted a brisk 11 minutes, but hey, so did your last relationship.

Everyone landed safe and sound, with the capsule touching down like a feather in the desert sand. No one spilled their in-flight beverage. Gayle kissed the sand after jumping for joy that she made it back to earth, but not after Katy Perry who was the second woman out of the capsule.

GAYLE'S BIG LEAP

King, who usually reports from studio chairs, swapped it for a rocket seat. “I don’t know how to explain being terrified and excited at the same time,” she said before launch, confirming that yes, even Emmy winners get sweaty palms, and may need a barf bag.

This wasn’t just for the camera, folks. Each woman had a reason for buckling up. For Katy Perry, it was all about resilience. The sweetie brought a daisy on board to symbolize hope. (Also, she hinted at a new album inspired by her galactic views. Fingers crossed for Teenage Space Dream.)

A WHOLE LOTTA FIRSTS

The mission was bursting with “firsts” faster than a freshman frat party. Bowe became the first Bahamian in space. Nguyen? First Vietnamese and Southeast Asian woman to break through the atmosphere. Take that, gravity (who wrote that song?)

And this isn’t some one-off stunt. It’s the first all-female crew since 1963, when Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova soloed her way into space. That's over 60 years of bros hogging the cockpit, sort of.

SCIENCE, BABY

Let’s get nerdy for a sec: New Shepard’s booster fires liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen, hits three times the speed of sound, then drops the capsule like it’s a hot potato (because it is). The passengers floated around for a few minutes before slamming back down to Earth. thank GOD safely, of course. Thanks to parachutes and thrusters. A few Gs on the way up, a few more on the way down. Not exactly a rollercoaster, unless you built one out of rocket fuel.

IT’S NOT JUST A GIRLS’ CLUB

Let’s be real now, this isn’t just about the ladies. It’s about who else gets to be on the spaceship next time. NS-31 was less about exclusion and more about making space for everyone. (Well, everyone with a ticket… and MONEY, and maybe nerves of steel.)

Even the guys back on Earth were cheering. It’s not every day you see a crew that can quote Hidden Figures and belt out Firework in the same breathless ride to the stars.

LOOKING UP (AND FORWARD)

Blue Origin’s already eyeing the next missions. More research payloads, more diverse crews, and probably a lot more people tweeting things like, “OMG space!!!” from orbit.

This week was about proving that the final frontier doesn’t care if you’re wearing lipstick or loafers. As long as you’ve got the guts, and a spacesuit that fits.

So here’s to the ladies who launch—may their gravity-defying selfies live forever.

In today’s America, trust is like the office coffee. Its burnt, bitter, and somehow still expected to get us through the day.

Polls show that trust in institutions such as Harvard and Columbia is down. How about Congress? Less trusted than a gas station sushi chef. The media? Somewhere between a Nigerian prince's email and your ex who “just wants to talk.” Even doctors are now on thin ice. I was watching one TikTok and suddenly saw that my cardiologist has become an influencer pushing mushroom coffee.

David Letterman might’ve said it best: “Trust is like a pair of socks—once you lose one, the other’s pretty much useless.”

We used to trust teachers. Now we wonder if they’re teaching math or manifesting moon crystals. Banks? Yeah, right. Last time we trusted a bank, it gave us a free toaster and then repossessed our house.

Even relationships are on the rocks. Tinder bios say, “Looking for something real,” but vanish faster than your barista when you ask for decaf at 8 a.m.

And don’t get started on technology. Alexa’s always listening, Siri can’t be trusted with directions, and your smart fridge is probably selling your midnight snack habits to a data broker in Luxembourg. Don’t get me started with the GPS, oh how I miss asking a gas station attendant.

Social media? That’s where trust goes to die. Your uncle believes a meme over a scientist. Your cousin trusts a YouTube guru who thinks the Earth is flat and microwaves are tracking us.

And yet, we still hit “I Agree” on every Terms & Conditions like it’s a Vegas marriage.

So where does that leave us? Probably somewhere between cautiously optimistic and full-blown paranoid. But hey, trust is like shampoo—once it’s gone, you either have a bad hair day or go to CVS.

Until then, America’s motto might need an update: In Wi-Fi We Trust.

While you go for that next sip, remember—don’t trust anyone who says, “Trust me.”

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Thank you for letting me be a part of your day today. Embrace the sunrise, chase your dreams, and make today the day you turn possibilities into realities.

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