Latest / The Daily Sarcast / February 26th, 2026: The Surgeon General Nominee, BAFTA And NYC Life
Transcript
- 0:00Today's episode is sponsored by Mercury and Retrograde. If everything starts
- 0:04to feel weird, I'm sorry.
- 0:06It does not matter. Also, Lindsay came up to me at a club once and was like,
- 0:10are we good? And I was like, we're good.
- 0:12And she was like, let's take a shot. I was like, okay.
- 0:15Hilary Duff admitting she purposely crashed Lindsay Lohan's Freaky Friday premiere.
- 0:20Insert theme song here. This is the Daily Starcast. I'll give you the news and
- 0:23maybe a laugh. I'm Lindsay Wernick, and today is February 26, 2026.
- 0:27If you don't know what mercury in retrograde is, don't worry about it.
- 0:32But if you do, I... In real news, the Fed's executed search warrants Wednesday
- 0:37morning at the home and office of the LA Superintendent Alberto Carvelho.
- 0:43The FBI confirmed the raids, including a search of his residence in San Pedro
- 0:47and the LA School District headquarters in downtown Los Angeles and a property
- 0:52in southwest Franches, Florida that is associated with him.
- 0:56Officials say the investigation is focused specifically on Carvelho,
- 1:00not the school district as a whole.
- 1:03The affidavits are sealed, so the exact reason for the searches has not been
- 1:07said, but sources say that it broadly involves financial matters.
- 1:12Law enforcement was seen outside Carvelho's home shortly after 6 a.m.
- 1:16Yesterday, with agents and tactical gear and at least one rifle visible.
- 1:20Kids that were on their way to high school just stopped and stared as they watched
- 1:24the agents go in and later leave.
- 1:27It's unclear whether they took anything or not.
- 1:29Carvalho has previously faced scrutiny during his time leading Miami-Dade County
- 1:34Public Schools over a $1.57 million donation connected to a company that later
- 1:40received a district contract.
- 1:42An inspector general determined at the time that he did not violate ethics policies.
- 1:47The superintendent also dealt with fallout from the failed rollout of an AI
- 1:52chatbot created by the now-collapsed education tech company All Here.
- 1:57However, there is no confirmation that either of these matters are connected
- 2:00to the current federal investigation.
- 2:03However, they definitely probably are.
- 2:06The L.A. County School District officials say they are cooperating,
- 2:10and that's about it for now.
- 2:12Casey Means, President Trump's nominee for U.S. Surgeon General,
- 2:16faced tough questioning yesterday during her Senate Health Committee confirmation hearing.
- 2:21Lawmakers pressed her on her views about vaccines, pesticides,
- 2:24and her alignment with Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s broader health agenda.
- 2:29Senators specifically asked whether she supports established vaccine recommendations
- 2:34and how her past public comments might shape her approach as the nation's top doctor.
- 2:40This woman has previously criticized aspects of the pharmaceutical and food
- 2:44industries and has spoken out about pesticide use.
- 2:47During the hearing, she was also questioned about her business background and
- 2:51ties to wellness-related ventures.
- 2:53Some senators raised concern about her qualifications and whether her positions
- 2:58align with longstanding public health consensus.
- 3:01The confirmation process will determine whether she ultimately takes on the
- 3:04role of Surgeon General, a position responsible for providing Americans with
- 3:09guidance on major public health issues.
- 3:12The nomination remains under review.
- 3:14There's major backlash this week after the 2026 BAFTA Film Awards broadcast
- 3:19included a racial slur that many say should have never aired.
- 3:22The ceremony was in London, and somebody with Tourette's named John Davidson
- 3:27was in the audience when he involuntarily shouted the N-word while actors Michael B.
- 3:32Jordan and Delroy Lindo were presenting an award.
- 3:37Because he had a form of Tourette's that causes uncontrollable vocal tics,
- 3:41BAFTA host Alan Cumming explained at the event that the outbursts were involuntary,
- 3:45but the word still ended up on the BBC's televised broadcast,
- 3:49and it wasn't edited out before going to air.
- 3:52The BBC has apologized for that mistake and said it removed the segment from
- 3:56its online platform before being online for a really long time.
- 4:01The situation has sparked criticism on multiple fronts.
- 4:04Some say BAFTA and the BBC mishandled the editing, especially since the broadcast
- 4:09was delayed and other potentially offensive moments were cut.
- 4:13A member of BAFTA's judging panel resigned in protest, calling the handling
- 4:18utterly unforgivable and saying it failed to protect the dignity of Black talent
- 4:22and the broader creative community.
- 4:25Davidson himself expressed remorse, saying he's deeply mortified that anyone
- 4:30thought the outburst was intentional and highlighting that his condition produces
- 4:33tics he doesn't control.
- 4:36Advocacy voices are stressing the need to balance understanding of neurological
- 4:40conditions with acknowledging the harm caused by broadcasting offensive language.
- 4:44The controversy has also spilled into tech.
- 4:47Google has apologized after a news alert referencing the incident mistakenly
- 4:52included the slur due to a filtering hour in its notification system.
- 4:57And this is also the reason why AI sucks.
- 5:00In Lindsay life, I'm living my best New York City life this week.
- 5:05The other day, I went directly from the spa to the gym and then to an open mic, all in the same outfit.
- 5:13And then yesterday, I worked on my own projects and went to appointments and
- 5:19then went to a Broadway show where I hung out with the band after. I'm so New York.
- 5:25Signs that he's not just really busy, he just doesn't like you.
- 5:301. He runs a basketball league but asks you where you should go to dinner the night of the date.
- 5:352. He says that he's coming over to your place every time because it's just easier.
- 5:413. He spends hours at the park playing pickleball on a Wednesday afternoon.
- 5:474. He's always on the phone when you're together.
- 5:505. He tells you he's not looking for anything right now. Cooking tip of the
- 5:55day. Hang out with your roommate when she is the one cooking.
- 5:59Feedback, comments, questions, and if you wish by looking for a date,
- 6:02email me at lindsay at thedailysarchives.com. Thanks so much for listening,
- 6:06and I'll talk to you guys tomorrow.