The Cult of Ron & Brian

This week: a Guardian investigation exposes a disturbing "gooner" trend targeting women at Dollar Tree stores nationwide. Meta workers sue over AI-driven layoffs that allegedly targeted employees on medical and parental leave. An IPVM investigation reveals police chiefs abusing license plate readers to stalk ex-partners. A van attack at Berlin's Pride festival leaves one dead and over a dozen injured. A "mime" terrorizes women at a Massachusetts state park. An Oklahoma mom is killed by her husband days after a viral TikTok accusing him of abuse. Plus: a fatal backyard BBQ accident in Australia, a cheating cop caught by her own husband, a PA deputy accused of humiliating photos, a USPS worker's animal hoarding case, Jason Alexander's apology to Courtney Stodden, a UK teacher's abuse trial, and a Meta engineer caught in a predator sting. Also, Brian eulogizes Sick Of It All singer Lou Koller.

Content warning: this episode covers sexual assault, child abuse allegations, domestic violence, and suicide. Listener discretion advised.

This week: a Columbus cop accidentally shoots his own partner trying to hit a charging dog, TikTok turns a nationwide parasite outbreak into a "diet trend," Chuck Schumer may or may not have ripped one on the Senate floor, Tulsi Gabbard's brother faces disturbing charges in Hawaii, the JPMorgan "sex slave" lawsuit heads to federal court, a Charlie Kirk statue is coming to Times Square, Boosie Badazz wants his pardon money back, Hilton fires an employee over a racist DM to a WNBA star, a Canadian woman ends up in ICE custody after a Jersey Shore altercation, a Florida mom chains her daughter to a fence, a naked man rides a train through Colorado, a cockroach crashes a live newscast, a Milwaukee nurse gets tied to viral pro-Iran propaganda videos, and two Florida school principals get arrested for DUI hours apart in the same Jeep. All that and more on this week's episode.

#news #truecrime #weirdnews #viral #podcast

This week's episode is a certified fever dream. We open with a man in Fort Wayne who mutilated himself and used the evidence as literal kindling, then pivot to an Argentine flight instructor who bailed out of a plane mid-lesson and left his student to land it solo. Biohacker Bryan Johnson — the guy trying to live to 2140 — just found out his own stomach is eating itself, and an Idaho mom who blamed vaccines for her twins' deaths is now facing murder charges instead.

On the crime beat: a Vegas Little League president blew $65K in team funds on strip clubs and ED pills, a Pasadena doctor who drove his family off a cliff walked free after a mental health diversion program, a New Jersey woman got busted for child sex abuse thanks to a very unfortunate tattoo, and an 84-year-old Florida man tried to torch his ex of 42 years and mostly just torched himself.

Then we lighten it up (sort of) with a UK mom tossed from Tesco for a backless top, Swifties dropping real money on cubes of literal trash from Taylor and Travis's wedding, and Jersey Shore lifeguards earning hazard pay wrestling a drunk guy out of the surf.

And because the news never stops: we break down the death of Sen. Lindsey Graham, the Mitch McConnell health-mystery-turned-fall-and-pneumonia saga, Conor McGregor's much-hyped UFC 329 comeback against Max Holloway (spoiler: it didn't go the way he predicted), and the World Cup semifinals shaping up with Argentina-England and France-Spain.

Buckle up — this one's got everything.

This week: a camel takes out its owner, a congressman discovers the sick leave he voted against, Waffle House gets sued over smokers' rights, a killer gouges his own eyes out, two different toddlers die in hot cars on the same holiday week, a Florida woman blames cocaine on a hookup, concert crowds are pooping themselves for TikTok, Joey Chestnut eats 66 hot dogs, an Aussie tourist is linked to multiple deaths in Thailand, a wife gets away with assaulting teen hockey players, a mom is investigated for cannibalism, and Taylor Swift marries a tight end at Madison Square Garden. Plus, what we've been watching this week.

Someone left an unwanted movement at a Noah Kahan concert, a Florida man blamed the Antichrist for trying to steal a helicopter, and Argentina is using the World Cup to try and catch people who don't pay their child support. We discuss 6 ways your testicles can shrink, the Air Force changes their mind about the flu vaccine after 300 recruits get sick, and a fugitive that faked his own death is actually dead now! An Alabama man got instant karma after killing his girlfriend, an Arby's manager gave a customer herpes, and the Knicks trash-can thief has been identified. A Lions CB was cut due to kidnapping and armed robbery, we talk about what we're watching, and we do one of our most popular bits, But The Drag Queens Are The Problem! (Spoiler alert: they still aren't)

Two Detroit sisters attacked a restaurant worker over an incorrect order, a Japanese tourist wrote a touching ode to free chips and salsa in the US, and the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool now looks like the swamp Trump swore he was going to drain. Five men were arrested for planning an attack on the UFC Freedom 250 event, police killed a dog that was celebrating the Knicks win, and we have updates on the Anna Kepner murder story. The "Serial Squirter" was arrested again, Rex Heuermann was sentenced, and a Missouri man was sentenced to 291 years in prison for attacks on women. Carlos Mencia was arrested for tax evasion, a Texas woman is suing McDonald's over a deadly Sausage McMuffin, and a man was arrested for DUI with 34 empty White Claw cans in his front seat!

People in Idaho are getting sick (unsurprisingly) from drinking raw milk, a grandfather in Thailand learned by adopting a monkey isn't always the best idea, and there's finally been an arrest in the Anna Kepner case. Target got called out for charging more for larger clothing sizes, the JPMorgan case is back in the news, and a Venezuelan immigrant took his wife to a Trump hotel, which ended up exactly how you thought it might! Phones are being blamed for people not having babies, an influencer went viral for all the wrong reasons, and we talk about what we're watching. We also discuss the FIFA World Cup and the Knicks championship run!

Goth Girl Spit energy drink hit the shelves this week and sold out immediately! A Disney exec's AI "son" is making coworkers nervous, the Right is "transvestigating" Erika Kirk and Sydney Sweeney, and more insane texts are coming out in the Karen Read civil trial. A firefighter was fired for using a racial slur on the county radio, and home health care aide stabbed the woman she was taking care of, and George Santos is back! An average dad was uncovered as MrDeepFakes, 1800 cases of bourbon were stolen from a Philly warehouse, and more bad stories about Mackenzie Shirilla keep coming out. Disney princesses talk about being abused by park guests, a Georgia teacher had inappropriate relations with a student, and we give the results of the Denmark Mullet Championship. All this and Ron takes on the NY Times news quiz again!

A Nebraska dog shot a woman, cosplayers sold fruit juice that had soaked their feet in, and a veteran died after being sucker-punched by a DoorDash driver. We discuss the Freedom 250 concert and the UFC fight on the White House lawn, Ron takes the NY Times news quiz, and we also talk about his recent trip to Vegas! We have two JPMorgan stories this week, an Oklahoma homeowner shot and killed a squatter, and a man killed another man arguing over cars.

We've got follow-ups on the problematic Tennessee school board member, the continuing JPMorgan dueling lawsuit scandal, and the Shirillas showing how bad of a family they are. Two American's were arrested for trying to see Punch, a woman died at Tim Horton after her drive-thru order was wrong, and a man made bank after being wrongfully arrested for posting a meme! A waiter included a racial slur with a customer's order, Fernando Tatis, Jr. lost a lawsuit over his salary, we mourn those we lost this past week, and we have another visit to But The Drag Queens Are The Problem (spoiler alert: they still aren't).