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Critical mass is a tricky thing. You cant make it happen by sheer force of will or by dropping a viral video at just the right moment.

The mad scientists at South Park? The folks behind the Comedy Central series can muster it with one perfectly timed episode.

The enduring creation of Trey Parker and Matt Stone has a knack for sharing thoughts were all having on challenging subjects were too shy to share in public.

Once the shows foul-mouthed lads have a crack at it, suddenly its acceptable to speak on it loud and clear.

Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Comedy Central

They did just that earlier this year with The World-Wide Privacy Tour, an episode featuring Canadian royalty who looked and sounded just like the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Cultural voices had struggled to critique Harry and Meghan up until then, fearing a similar backlash to what British pundit Piers Morgan faced for defying the royal couple.

Morgan lost a lucrative gig with Good Morning Britain for suggesting Meghan wasnt telling the whole truth about the alleged racism she faced within the royal family and her suicidal thoughts.

The fiery pundit faced an investigation into the comments as well. It wasnt worth it for other high-profile voices to weigh in on the former Suits star.

Cartman and co. had no such fears. And, after South Parks Privacy Tour, it was open season on the royals. The commentary dam had broken. Suddenly, we began to hear stories about how dismissive Meghan Markle was about her podcast gig, for example.

One brilliantly satirical episode made that happen.

We just saw something similar with the premiere of Joining the Panderverse. The South Parkspecial episode skewered Disney executive Kathleen Kennedy for pushing woke on many Mouse House products, including movie reboots like the short-lived shows National Treasure: Edge of History and Willow, and franchise extensions like Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.

It also mocked Hollywoods aggressive diversity mandates, where classic characters are routinely race-swapped in the name of progress and equity.

US producer Kathleen Kennedy speaks during a press conference during the Morelia Film Festival in Morelia, Michoacan State, Mexico, on October 26, 2023. (Photo by ENRIQUE CASTRO/AFP via Getty Images)

YouTubers and Right-leaning influencers have said as much repeatedly over the past few years, but the subject was mostly off-limits to mainstream journalists. Or, if the topic came up, journalists would dismiss it as the ravings of right wing trolls.

Suddenly, the hilarious South Park satire had even The Hollywood Reporter weighing in on the topic, exposing it to readers who may not follow the aforementioned YouTube stars. The news site even quoted Gina Carano, the Terror on the Prairie star who was famously fired for sharing opinions that clashed with her far-Left industry, in the process.

The magazine wouldnt share Caranos views on the subject under normal conditions. When South Park brought the issues up, however, it forced the outlet to expand its coverage.

Plus, viewers who never made the connection between inferior Disney content and Kennedy, a veteran Hollywood executive, suddenly did just that.

None of this is new for South Park.

The series, which began in 1997, routinely hits controversial subjects sans fear or regret. The Jeffersons episode skewered pop superstar Michael Jackson all the way back in 2004, offering an unflinching perspective on the icons relationship with young children and plastic surgery overkill.

Even longtime Jackson fans worried about his mental state and accusations of improper behavior with children. South Park shouted it from the Comedy Central rooftop, and the public could now reference the series as a portal into difficult conversations around the King of Pop.

The show introduced its PC Principal character in 2015, several years before the woke mindset took hold in both Hollywood and the culture at large. The characters virtue signaling, combined with an aggressive mien that took no prisoners, captured what many would soon fear about the far-Left movement.

Some South Park fans even embraced that episodes title, Stunning and Brave, to describe woke theatrics meant to inspire applause (or else), such as declaring trans star Caitlyn Jenner in such fawning fashion.

Sometimes the South Park magic doesnt happen overnight.

The prime example is the 2019 Board Girls episode which skewers trans female athletes competing against biological women. The show featured a Randy Macho Man Savage-inspired character who becomes a trans woman and crushes the competition.

Im not here to talk about my transition, Im here to kick some f***ing a**, the character, who transitioned two weeks prior, says.

South Park Board Girls episode. IMDB.

The installment drew some mild media heat at the time, but hardly as much as if it had come out this year or last.

Ironically, a clip from the episode went viral a few months ago, with even The Clay and Buck Show bringing it up on their nationally syndicated radio show.

How does South Park do it? The series carved a unique niche in pop culture, one that gives it leeway in the raging culture wars. Its been outrageous for so long that people no longer judge it like other Hollywood content.

Its just South Park being South Park.

That, plus the crude and cutesy animation, help it steer clear of cancel cultures clutches. It helps that the show hits both sides of the cultural and political aisle, to, leaving no one safe from its satire.

The Panderverse episode poked fun at conservatives who cry woke at every opportunity, for example.

Best of all? Parker and Stone arent interested in apologizing for their past offenses. Why apologize for sharing what the rest of us already think?

Christian Toto is an award-winning journalist, movie critic and editor ofHollywoodInToto.com. He previously served as associate editor with Breitbart News Big Hollywood. Follow him at@HollywoodInToto.

The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

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World

US-Ukraine deal no longer looks like gangsters running a protection racket – but Trump could still end military support

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US-Ukraine deal no longer looks like gangsters running a protection racket - but Trump could still end military support

This is a significant moment in this war.

It strengthens ties between Ukraine and the US which have been fraying to the point of disintegration.

But will it increase the chances of a diplomatic breakthrough to find peace? Possibly not. Without that, this agreement will have changed little in this pointless grinding war.

But it does give Donald Trump a personal political investment in a conflict he has always seemed to have regarded as someone else’s fault, someone else’s problem and a money pit for US resources.

On the face of it, it is a purely economic agreement.

Ukraine had wanted to tie in explicit guarantees of continuing US military support. The details are scant but they appear to be absent.

But reaching agreement is a considerable diplomatic achievement on both sides.

More from World

The negotiations have been painful.

Ukraine war latest: Follow live updates

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Trump and Zelenskyy – it’s complicated?

The idea of a minerals deal was initially proposed by President Zelenskyy but at times he must have regretted it as acrimonious talks threatened to torpedo US support for Ukraine entirely.

It was meant to have been signed in February before the infamous Zelenskyy-Trump-Vance bust up in the Oval Office.

At one point it looked like an act of extortion. Like gangsters running a protection racket, the US seemed to be demanding all Ukraine’s mineral wealth in return for continued support.

But the terms now look less onerous. Most importantly it seems the Trump administration is not asking retrospectively for the return of billions given by the Biden administration, by means of this minerals extraction agreement.

The turning point in negotiations appears to have been the meeting engineered between Mr Trump and Mr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the Pope’s funeral in Rome on Saturday. Mr Zelenskyy appears to have persuaded Mr Trump it was a deal worth signing.

Read more:
Key moments that have shaped Trump and Zelenskyy relationship
Tesla’s board members ‘start looking for Musk’s successor’
What the White House has said about minerals deal

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From February: Watch Trump and Zelenskyy clash

The terms are vague and not detailed but the agreement appears to be more of a long term proposal for joint cooperation over Ukraine’s economic future.

America will invest in exploiting Ukraine’s mineral wealth but also share the profits years down the line.

The signing comes at a crucial time for Ukraine. Its forces are losing ground on the battlefield. And Mr Trump’s efforts to broker peace look decidedly one-sided against them.

Falling in line on this deal was essential for Ukrainians. Whether it saves them from President Trump walking away and ending military support for them anyway, is by no means certain.

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Morgan Stanley eyes crypto rollout for E*Trade platform: Bloomberg

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Morgan Stanley eyes crypto rollout for E*Trade platform: Bloomberg

Morgan Stanley eyes crypto rollout for E*Trade platform: Bloomberg

Banking giant Morgan Stanley reportedly plans to list cryptocurrencies on its E*Trade investment brokerage and trading platform.

According to a May 1 Bloomberg report, the firm intends to list crypto assets on E*Trade in 2026. The plan is still in early development, and the bank is said to be exploring partnerships with established crypto firms to power the service. Internal discussions about cryptocurrency support reportedly began in late 2024.

Banking, Banks, Cryptocurrency Exchange, Morgan Stanley
E*Trade homepage. Source: E*Trade

This would not be Morgan Stanley’s first exposure to digital assets. The bank’s wealthiest clients have had access to crypto exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and futures for some time, with the firm’s advisers allowed to pitch Bitcoin ETFs since August 2024.

Related: Morgan Stanley to explore crypto offerings for clients — CEO

Regulatory tailwinds push crypto forward

The news follows previous reports that Morgan Stanley was considering adding cryptocurrency trading to its E*Trade online brokerage platform in early January. The reports at the time cited the expectations of a friendlier crypto regulatory environment.

The move comes amid an increasingly favorable regulatory environment in the United States following the election of President Donald Trump, who campaigned on a pro-crypto platform and is personally involved in several blockchain ventures.

Related: Morgan Stanley discloses $188M in BlackRock Bitcoin ETF holdings

The first 30 days of the Trump administration brought significant changes to the local crypto industry. More recently, US crypto proponents have shown optimism following the swearing-in of pro-crypto Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Paul Atkins.

The SEC had significantly changed its stance even before Atkins took office. In late February, the agency had already paused multiple cryptocurrency enforcement cases with imminent deadlines.

This is a developing story, and further information will be added as it becomes available.

Magazine: ZK-proofs are bringing smart contracts to Bitcoin — BitcoinOS and Starknet

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Environment

Trump rewrites crypto rules in first 100 days, industry celebrates ‘180 pivot’ from Biden years

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Trump rewrites crypto rules in first 100 days, industry celebrates '180 pivot' from Biden years

People walk past an advertisement feature Donald Trump with Bitcoin in Hong Kong. 

May James | Lightrocket | Getty Images

As President Donald Trump hit the 100-day mark this week for his second term in office, his approval numbers were lower than for any administration at this point in over seven decades.

Don’t tell that to the crypto community.

Trump ran for office on a promise to make America “the crypto capital of the world.” Those who got behind that message say he’s already delivered, or at least gotten off to a hot start.

A blitz of executive actions, strategic appointments, and early wins, from the creation of a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve to the rollback of enforcement-heavy SEC tactics, has left the industry feeling more welcome in Washington, D.C., than ever.

“Every single appointment — I’m happy with from a crypto perspective,” said Nic Carter, founding partner at Castle Island Ventures. “The previous financial regulatory apparatus was dead set against crypto, and now it’s been a total 180 compared to that.”

President Trump faced early blowback after proposing the possibility of a strategic crypto reserve that would go beyond bitcoin and include other digital currencies like etherXRP,  Solana’s SOL token and Cardano’s ADA. Skeptics said taxpayer dollars shouldn’t be spent on such risky assets. The president soon narrowed the plan to focus solely on bitcoin and made clear he wouldn’t use taxpayer funds to support a government buying strategy.

He’s also been criticized by some for launching a meme coin that’s added billions of dollars in paper wealth to his net worth. The $TRUMP token surged earlier this month after its website announced that top holders would be invited to a private dinner with the president. His family is also involved in other crypto projects.

Exodus legal chief discusses SEC's first crypto roundtable under new Chair Paul Atkins

“It doesn’t really help to have members of his family do encrypted projects of their own,” Carter said. “I understand that they are interested in the industry and want to engage with it, but the optics are not that favorable around that.”

But for the most part, that behavior is being ignored as the crypto industry prefers to focus its attention elsewhere even as the president’s job approval broadly sits at just 43%, according to an average of recent national polls.

At the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, Jonathan Gould has signaled support for issuing new bank charters to crypto firms. During President Joe Biden’s presidency, that was almost unthinkable.

“We’ll see a lot of new crypto firms getting bank charters,” Carter said. “And new banks getting set up that are expressively focused on crypto and stablecoins.”

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, under interim chair Travis Hill, is also making moves. Crypto fans have applauded his efforts to expose what industry insiders call “Choke Point 2.0,” an alleged coordinated effort by regulators during the Biden presidency to pressure banks into severing ties with crypto.

Paul Atkins, the new chair of the SEC, represents a stark contrast to predecessor Gary Gensler, who was a notorious hardliner when it came to crypto regulations and enforcement. Carter said the SEC under Atkins has already begun working directly with crypto stakeholders, including Castle Island, to craft guidance on token issuance and the line between securities and commodities.

“This is the clarity we’ve been asking for,” Carter said. “Even barring a legislative solution, I think the SEC is going to come out with real guidance around tokens and how a domestic crypto firm can operate.”

Atkins made his first public appearance just four days into the job by opening a crypto roundtable — a move that sent a clear signal to industry participants. Last week, Atkins hosted a half-day session at SEC headquarters in Washington, D.C., focused on crypto innovation and custody. The event took place weeks after the regulator formally dropped its long-running lawsuit against Ripple, a symbolic end to a four-year battle between the SEC and the crypto industry. 

Read more about tech and crypto from CNBC Pro

Veronica McGregor, the chief legal officer of Exodus and a participant in the SEC’s crypto roundtable, echoed Carter’s sentiment in calling the approach a “180 pivot.”

“Just having the roundtables are kind of surprising and refreshing,” said McGregor, who contributed to the political advocacy group Stand With Crypto during the 2024 campaign. “Given that we have an administration that is touting itself as pro-crypto and making some changes that need to be made, I would say those donations were strategically placed and are paying off.”

Waiting on the Fed

Trump has tapped Brian Quintenz, currently policy chief for the crypto group at venture firm Andreessen Horowitz, to lead the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.

Carter cautioned that the Federal Reserve remains a “structural holdout.” While banks can now custody crypto, thanks to the repeal of an accounting rule called SAB 121, they still can’t work directly with crypto firms “unless the Fed says they can,” Carter said.

The FDIC and OCC have rescinded their anti-crypto guidance, but the Federal Reserve has only partially followed suit. A notice from Jan. 2023 continues to restrict banks from certain crypto-related activities.

“The Fed is still the blocker for banks to deal with stablecoins for crypto,” Carter said.

Brian Armstrong, CEO of Coinbase, speaking on CNBC’s Squawk Box outside the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on Jan. 21st, 2025.

Gerry Miller | CNBC

Still, the industry has largely gotten what it wants.

Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong was among the biggest donors in the 2024 election cycle and made it his second job to try and get crypto-friendly candidates elected. Paul Grewal, the company’s legal chief, said the Trump administration has “really flipped the script on crypto.”

“It wasn’t all that long ago that we had an administration that not only was skeptical of this entirely new technology, but was in fact hostile to it,” Grewal said. “Now we have a White House and a wider administration that is not only welcoming of digital assets and blockchain-based technologies, but embracing it in a number of different ways, and that really has stood out in the first 100 days.”

Grewal also pointed to some bipartisan momentum in Congress, including bills on stablecoins and market structure.

“We’ve got one issue, it seems, where the White House, together with Republicans on the Hill, have worked together with Democrats in both houses of the Congress to get digital asset legislation on the move,” Grewal said.

Grewal praised the SEC for soliciting public input and opening the door to industry participation on topics like custody and market structure.

Faryar Shirzad, Coinbase’s chief policy officer, said the administration has already met two core expectations: ending the regulatory crackdown on crypto and working with Congress to deliver clarity.

He said he’s been pleasantly surprised by the scope of the administration’s ambitions to go beyond bitcoin and to integrate blockchain technology across the broader financial system.

“They are moving much more aggressively to try to implement crypto and blockchain technology in the broader capital markets,” he said. At the SEC, he said, that includes tokenizing the equities market and examining how that fits within traditional regulatory frameworks.

Trump’s World Liberty Financial crypto project says it sold $550 million in tokens

Shirzad also noted that bank regulators have begun exploring blockchain-based payment systems. Beyond the $3 trillion crypto market, he said the administration’s target appears to be the $100 trillion capital markets, “and I think that’s something that people should pay close attention to.”

Ripple Chief Legal Officer Stu Alderoty, now president of the National Cryptocurrency Association, said internal data shows that 73% of U.S. crypto holders want to see the country become a global leader in the space.

“The government and the industry can now move out of the courtroom and invest in what the U.S. does best — innovation,” Alderoty told CNBC.

Fred Thiel, CEO of bitcoin mining firm MARA Holdings, pointed to early wins for his slice of the industry. He said the administration’s support for mining technology allows companies “to strengthen the U.S. economy and grid.”

Thiel, who participated in the first White House Digital Assets Summit, praised the swift appointment of pro-crypto officials and the launch of the President’s Council of Advisers on Digital Assets.

Dan Lawrence CEO of OBM, which manages energy use for industrial-scale mining farms, said the administration’s pro-energy stance has made bitcoin a natural tool for incentivizing new power infrastructure.

“Bitcoin is a great way to incentivize the build out of that power,” Lawrence said. “It’s really great to see bitcoin being acknowledged at the federal level.”

WATCH: OCC rescinds key regulatory hurdle for banking system to engage in crypto-related activity

OCC rescinds key regulatory hurdle for banking system to engage in crypto-related activity

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