June 4, 2025

Saharan Dust Clouds, Diddy Drama, and the World’s Dumbest License Plate

Show Notes
Transcript

From Washington, D.C., where apparently we're all amateur meteorologists now, this is Ballot. Today we talk about the massive Saharan dust cloud blanketing the Caribbean like it booked a long weekend on JetBlue, and how it's dimming the sun, irritating lungs, and reminding Florida that yes, weather can be worse.Then: Trump flirts with the idea of pardoning Diddy—yes, that Diddy—and 50 Cent jumps in to block it like it's the BET Awards beef bracket. Meanwhile, in Florida, a sheriff’s deputy thought it would be hilarious to ride around with a fake license plate that literally said “CHASE ME.” Spoiler: she got chased.And in a bit of good news, Florida's bobcats are finally punching back—by taking down invasive Burmese pythons like it’s Wildlife UFC.Portions of today’s show were made with the help of MAGA bobcats, flipped license plates, and AI-generated sneezing.

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Calaruga Shark Media.

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From Washington, d C. Where, for some reason, this show

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is about dust clouds. Now, this is balad.

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That's right, we're on the cutting edge of climate change.

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Let's hit this.

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A massive cloud of Sahara dust has decided to take

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a Caribbean vacation before heading to the United States, and

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it's brought enough sand to make everyone's eyes water and

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their lungs complain. This dust plume is absolutely enormous. We're

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talking two thousand miles wide, stretching from Jamaica all the

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way past Barbados in the Eastern Caribbean. That's roughly seven

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hundred and fifty miles from the Turks and Caicos Islands

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down to Trinidad and Tobago. Alex Da Silva from Aciuweather

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called it very impressive, which is meteorologists speak for holy cow.

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Look at the size of that thing.

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The dust concentration hit point five to five aerosol optical depth,

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which is the highest amount recorded so far this year.

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For those keeping track at home.

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Aerosol optical depth measures how much sunlight gets blocked by

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particles in the air. Basically, this dust cloud is so

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thick it's dimming the sun across the Caribbean. People throughout

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the region are dealing with hazy skies that are triggering

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sneezing fits, coughing spells, and watery eyes. Local forecasters are

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telling anyone with allergies, asthma or other respiratory conditions to

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stay indoors or.

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Wear face masks if they have to go outside.

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So it's basically like having a really bad allergy day,

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except the allergen is coming from three thousand miles away.

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The good news for the mainland United States is that

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these dust plumes usually lose most of their punch by

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the time they cross the Caribbean. Dust Silva explains that

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the eastern Caribbean islands tend to see the worst of it,

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where the dust can actually block out the sun at times.

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The plume is expected to reach Florida, Louisiana, Alabama, and

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Mississippi this week and into the weekend, but it should

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be much weaker by then. This whole phenomenon is called

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the Saharan air layer, dry dusty air that forms over

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the Sahara Desert and travels west across the Atlantic Ocean

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from April through October. It's actually beneficial in one way

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because it helps suppress tropical storm formation during hurricane season,

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which runs from June first through November thirtieth. June and

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July typically see the highest dust concentrations, with these plumes

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traveling anywhere from five thousand to twenty thousand feet above ground,

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so while people on the surface are sneezing and squinting,

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there's literally tons of African sand floating miles above their heads.

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The last time we saw dust this dramatic was June

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twenty twenty, when forecasters nicknamed it the Godzilla dust cloud

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because it was the largest concentration seen in half a century.

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That one was truly record breaking, but this current plume

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is still impressive enough to make headlines and respiratory systems

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across the Caribbean. Basically, the Sahara Tea is currently airmailing

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sand samples to millions of people who definitely didn't ask

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for them. Mother Nature's way of reminding us that weather

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doesn't respect international borders. President Trump was asked about potentially

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pardoning Sean Ditty Combs, and naturally, fifty cent had some

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thoughts about this, because when you're facing federal charges for

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racketeering and sex trafficking, nothing quite brightens your day like

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your longtime rival. Sliding into the conversation, Trump said he'd

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certainly look at the facts if someone asked him to

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pardon Diddy, which is presidential speak for nobody's asked me yet,

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but I'm keeping my options open. The president explained that

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he and Ditty used to be friendly. They were photographed

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together at various events in the late nineteen nineties and

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two thousands, but that relationship cooled when Trump entered politics.

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Apparently did he started making little bit nasty statements about

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him in the papers. Now, Diddy is currently facing charges

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that could land him anywhere from fifteen years to life

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in prison. He's maintained his innocence, but witnesses have testified

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about some pretty serious allegations, including rape, sexual assault, and

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drug trafficking. Enter fifty Cent, who saw this potential pardon

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discussion and thought, you know what this situation needs me.

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He took to social media to inform Trump that his

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former friend Ditty has said some unflattering things about him

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over the years. Fifty posted videos of Ditty making statements

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about Trump, including one where Ditty said white men like

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Trump need to be banished. Fifties caption Webb can't ask

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him for help then, buddy.

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Lol.

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The beef between Fifty and Ditty goes way back. We're

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talking two thousand and six diss tracks and accusations about

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Notorious BIG's murder. So when Fifty says he's going to

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make sure Trump is aware of Ditty's past comments, he's

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not exactly being a neutral messenger here. Trump, for his part,

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said he hasn't spoken to Ditty in years and that

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he'd base any pardon to say decision on whether someone

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was mistreated regardless of whether they like him or not,

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which is very magnanimous, except when your potential character witness

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is actively working against you on social media. The whole

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thing has turned into this bizarre triangle where one rapper

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is potentially lobbying against another rapper's presidential pardon. Its political

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drama meets hip hop beef meets federal court proceedings. What

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a time to be alive. By the way, to keep

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up on did he check out our podcast? Did he

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did he do it? See what we did?

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He there?

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Avelusia County sheriff's deputy has resigned after getting arrested for

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riding around with a fake license plate that read chase

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M three, which, in case you don't get it, says

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chase me. And honestly, you have to admire the commitment

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to the bit, even if it was incredibly stupid. The

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deputy was pulled over Saturday night on Interstate four in Deltona.

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Deputies noticed her motorcycle had a tag that was flipped

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up and not visit. When they flipped it down, it

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literally said chase me, which is either the most honest

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fake license plate in history or the worst disguise attempt

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ever recorded. The whole thing started earlier that evening at

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a wah Wah gas station where deputies had spotted a

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motorcycle rider who had fled from a traffic stop.

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While they were arresting that guy, he.

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Called out to the deputy, who was apparently part of

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his riding group. She then got argumentative with the deputy

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conducting the investigation, which is never a great look when

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you're an off duty law enforcement officer yourself. After her

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friend got arrested for fleeing police, the deputy had a

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choice get her motorcycle toad, find a ride home, or

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ride away on a bike with a fake license plate

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that essentially taunts law enforcement she chose option three, which

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shows either remarkable confidence or a complete break from reality.

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After the arrest, the Sheriff's office discovered a social media

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account allegedly belonging to her that showed reckless stunt riding

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on public roads. So not only was she riding around

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with chase me plates, she was apparently documenting her dangerous

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driving online. That's like robbing a bank and then posting

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the security footage on Instagram. Also in Florida, a bobcat

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has apparently decided that invasive Burmese pythons make excellent takeout,

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and wildlife biologists are cheering this development. It's nature's version

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of the enemy of my enemy is my friend, except

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with more claws and fangs. Scientists in the Everglades have

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been tracking these massive pythons since twenty thirteen, using male

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scout snakes to lead them to breeding females. During mating season,

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they follow these Romeo pythons right to their girlfriends, then

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remove the whole operation to control the invasive population. But

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in December twenty twenty two, wildlife biologist Ian Bartosik was

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tracking a thirteen foot fifty two pound python named Loki

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when he discovered something unexpected. Instead of finding Loki coiled

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up with a female python on, they found his freshly

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killed body, with his head and neck gnawed off and

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buried under pine needles. Bartosik said it was a bit

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sad and a bit exciting at the same time, sad

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because he'd been tracking Loki through six breeding seasons, but

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exciting because a native predator had apparently taken down one

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of these invasive giants. They treated it like a crime scene,

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looking for clues about what could have killed such a

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massive snake. The evidence pointed to a large cat, either

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a bobcat or Florida panther, so they set up a

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trail camera near the kill site, and sure enough, the

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next morning their suspect returned to the scene of the crime.

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An adult bobcat came walking across a log, sniffing around,

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checking out its buried meal, and showing off its Chase

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Me license plate. Bartoshk called it score one for the

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home team. Finally, native Florida animals are fighting back against

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these invasive snakes. Burmese pythons have been known to eat bobcats,

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so this represents a significant role reversal in the food chain.

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Make the swamp great again for Bobcats. Portions of today's

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show were made with the help of Magabobcats, stunt license

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plates and AI