The Breakfast Club - The Approval Drop, The Drive Home, and The Spotify Deal

Episode Date: May 22, 2026

Mimi Brown breaks down the day. Trump's approval just hit a new low.  Your Memorial Day traffic and gas survival guide. And the Spotify-Universal AI deal that's quietly reshaping music. Plus, the Front Page Friday Quiz. From the Black Effect Podcast Network. YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BreakfastClubPower1051FMSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hey guys, it's us The Jonas Brothers. I'm Joe. I'm Kevin. And I'm Nick. And guess what? We created our own podcast called, Hey Jonas. We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it.

We just contributed to it. We're the first people to do podcasts. We get to ask other people questions because we're sick and tired of being asked questions. Well, sick and tired is a strong way to put it. But, you know, tired and sick. Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it.

Another podcast from. some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and Friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform?

We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Michelle McPhee, and I've been unraveling the strangest criminal alliance I've ever reported on. A Mormon polygamist and an Armenian businessman. Multi-million dollar house, Ferraris and Lamborghinis, private jets, a billion dollar fraud. But how long can this alliance last?

Tell me what you know. Is somebody coming after me? Listen to Kingdom of Fraud on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Winning on Clay is an art. The rallies are relentless, and at the French Open, only the toughest survive. I'd know. I competed there for decades.

Join me, Renee Stubbs, on the Renee Stubbs' tennis podcast for no nonsense breakdowns of the biggest matches, the toughest players, and the moments that define Roland Garros. She's an outsider to win the French for me. And she likes Clay. Listen, Lennar Rabakina is arguably the best player in the world right now,

and I actually can win on any surface. Listen to the Renee Stubbs Tennis Podcasts on the Iheart Radio app. Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of IHeart Women's Sports. President Trump's approval ratings just hit a new low, and Republicans are the ones pulling it down. I voted for President Trump. I'd like to see the prices go down because it's really killing you.

Memorial Day weekend traffic is about to test every driver in America. No vacations. Pretty much to stand around this area now. And Spotify just changed the roles how music gets made in the AI era. The top chart of Spotify today, there's a legitimate use of AI done by artists, and we would allow for them. It's Friday, May 22nd. From the Black Effect Podcast Network, I'm Mimi Brown.

This is Front Page. And here are today's biggest stories. Plus, today on the front page Friday quiz, three questions from this week. And it could be your name I'm calling out next Friday. Stay with me. The president's approval rating just hit an all-time list. low and the people pulling it down are not Democrats. They're his own voters. A new Fox News poll out this week shows Trump's approval rating has fallen among Republicans to 80%. That's the lowest number

Fox News has measured for him since he returned to the White House. But here's where the numbers get interesting. Among non-Maga Republicans, the more moderate side of the party, Trump's approval is now at 54% among white voters overall, 43% among rural voters also 43%. Translation, the people who put him in office in 2024 are starting to back away. I voted for President Trump. The war in Iran and everything is what's jacking up the price of everything right now. Well, I have mixed emotion. I don't like the war. I don't like bombings or killing civilians or anything like that. I wish we could stop that somehow. The other thing is I'd like to see the prices go down because it's really killing you.

The poll is clear on this one. It's the economy. 74% of Americans disapprove of how the president is handling the economy. That's up from five points just last month, and Republicans alone move seven points more negative on him. Republican pollster Darren Shaw, who conducted the poll, along with a Democrat, said it plain, quote, Make no mistake, it's all about affordability. Tomatoes are nuts. What used to be, you know, half of what we used to pay is now like $90 for a case of tomatoes.

Independence jumped ship in 2025 and now non-Maga Republicans and other core constituencies are wavering. Inflation is also part of the reason why last month the Labor Department reported inflation hit 3.8% over the last 12 months, the highest in nearly three years. My grocery bill has definitely increased about $50. We probably went over about $150,200 in a month with the same items. Then there's the war in Iran. 60% of Americans now oppose military action in Iran up from 55% last month, even with most Republicans still saying the U.S. is winning the war.

Opposition to it is climbing. There is a material amount of oil that just can't get to market, and that is driving up prices everywhere. I would expect this all to be paying upwards of $5 a gallon here in these first weeks of summer. And here's where this matters. Republicans on Capitol Hill are six months out

from November elections. They have a slim House majority. The White House has not commented on the poll. If you're driving this Memorial Day weekend, AAA says nearly 39 million Americans will be right there with you, making this one of the busiest holiday weekends in years. And travel experts say the timing

is everything. Friday between 11 a.m. and 8 p.m. is expected to be the worst traffic window of the entire weekend. Saturday afternoon could also be rough, while Monday's return to traffic is expected to peak between noon and 5 p.m. Some specific stretches of highways are also going to be very painful. AAA is projecting that I-25 in Colorado, the Golden State Parkway in New York, and the BWI Parkway will see triple-digit percent increases over normal travel times. And here's the part that hurts even more, gas prices. The price of a gallon of regular jumped 31 cents in just the last week. Since gas has gone left, it causes me to, you know, maybe cut back on, you know, eating out, driving certain places.

The national average is now $4.48. That's 50% higher than where prices were when the war with Iran began in February. No, no vacations, pretty much just staying around this area now. Industry analysts are saying even if the war ends today and the straight of her moves, reopens, it will still take months to get prices back to where they were before. If you're traveling this weekend, leave early, expect delays, and budget more money for gas than you probably planned. Still got to drive, still got to get to work.

Got summer coming up. So just got to budget things to get around. It's quiz time. Three questions from this week's story. So if you've been listening, you've got these. Email front page with Mimi at gmail.com or DME at Mimi Brown TV. The first three correct. get a shout out right here next Friday.

But first, let's get to last week's winner. So shout out to Lance Elkins. You got all three questions right. Theo Brown, no relation. You got all answers right. And Thailand Fuller. Shout out to all three of you getting the answers right to last Friday's front page quiz. So here we go.

We're going to do this week's quiz, right? Question number one. After 29 years on Oklahoma's death row, Kim Kardashian paid the bond to release a man we covered on Tuesday. What was his name? Question number two. The NAACP just launched a campaign called Out of Bounds and it's asking black athletes to consider boycotting schools in seven southern states. Name three of those states. All right, y'all, this is the curveball. From Wednesday's underplayed, the Department of Energy gave HBCUs a major clean energy grant. Within $10 million, what was the amount? All right, well, that's your quiz, email or DME,

answers by Tuesday night, winners will be announced next Friday on the show. So front pagers, let's talk about where the music industry is headed because Spotify just made a move that could change the industry faster than a lot of people realize. So the company just announced a new partnership with Universal Music Group that will eventually let premium users create AI generated remixes and covers using licensed songs directly inside the Spotify app. So that means subscribers could eventually use AI tools to remake songs connected to some of the biggest artists in the world, like Taylor Swift, Drake, Ariana Grande, Billy Elish. Spotify says those artists involved in the program will have to give their permission to receive compensation.

And supporters, though, they argue that this is better than what it's already happening, where AI music tools are being trained on artists without their consent. If we look at the top shot of Spotify today, there's a legitimate use of AI. done by artists and we would allow for them. And then there's the one where it's clearly someone trying to steal someone's name or likeness or even infringed on someone's IP, at which point we would say that is not okay. That is not what we stand for and we would take that down. But here's the bigger conversation.

Independent musicians are already suing major AI music companies, arguing that these tools are threatening the future of smaller artists who do not have major label protections or negotiating power. So this is just raising a few questions for me, like who's actually benefiting from AI music? Because right now, the biggest artists, the biggest corporations, appear to be getting the deals first, they get first protections and the first payouts.

While smaller artists, they're still trying to figure out how to protect their voices, their songs, their livelihoods. So I don't know. It seems like the music industry is not trying to stop AI anymore. it's just trying to see who can own it first. I don't know. What do you guys think? Email me. Front page with Mimi at gmail.com.

Let me know your thoughts. That's your front page. I'm Mimi Brown. Have a safe and beautiful Memorial Day weekend. Take care of each other. And I'll see you on Monday with three new stories and a Monday brief for the week ahead. This podcast was brought to you

by the Black Effect Podcast Network. Hey guys, it's us. The Jonas Brothers. I'm Joe. I'm Kevin. And I'm Nick. And guess what? We created our own podcast called Hey Jonas. We invented a podcast?

Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it. We're the first people to do podcasts. We get to ask other people questions because we're sick and tired of being asked questions. Well, sick and tired is a strong way to put it, but, you know, tired and sick. Listen to Hey Jonas on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it.

Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite, unhumored me with Robert Smigel and Friends, me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, S&L's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their Between Songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Michelle McPhee, and I've been unraveling the strangest criminal alliance. I've ever reported on, a Mormon polygamist and an Armenian businessman.

Multi-million dollar house, Ferraris and Lamborghinis, private jets, a billion dollar fraud. But how long can this alliance last? Tell me what you know. Is somebody coming after me? Listen to Kingdom of Fraud on the Aihar Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Winning on clay is an art. The rallies are relentless. And at the French Open, only the time. toughest survive. I'd know. I competed there for decades. Join me, Renee Stubbs, on the Renee Stubbs

tennis podcast for no-nonsense breakdowns of the biggest matches, the toughest players, and the moments that define Roland Garris. Jench who win. She's an outsider to win the French fame. And she likes Clay. Listen, Lennar Rabakina is arguably the best player in the world right now, and I actually can win on any surface. Listen to the Renee Stubbs tennis podcast on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of IHeart Women's Sports.