The Conversation -- May 5, 2025
North Carolina. Carolina Journal: "A federal judge has ordered the North Carolina State Board of Elections to certify Democrat Allison Riggs as the winner of the 2024 state Supreme Court election. The decision rejects ballot challenges from Republican candidate Jefferson Griffin. US Chief District Judge Richard Myers placed a one-week hold on his decision to give Griffin time to appeal. Myers rejected a state Supreme Court decision in April that placed at least 1,675 and as many as 5,700 ballots from the fall election in question. The state's highest court endorsed a ballot 'cure' process to deal with the disputed ballots. Most of those ballots were tied to overseas voters who provided no photo identification. A smaller number involved 'never residents' who had checked a box on a voter form indicating they had never lived in North Carolina or the United States. Myers' decision preserves Riggs' 734-vote lead over Griffin out of more than 5.5 million ballots cast last fall." ~~~
~~~ Judge Myers' order is here, via the Carolina Journal.
Aishvarya Kavi of the New York Times: Donald "Trump said on Monday that he 'had nothing to do with' a depiction of himself as the pope that was shared on his and White House social media accounts over the weekend, distancing himself from the apparently A.I.-generated image that has agitated Catholics. 'I had nothing to do with it,' Mr. Trump said while taking questions in the Oval Office. 'Somebody made up a picture of me dressed like the pope, and they put it out on the internet. That's not me that did it, I have no idea where it came from -- maybe it was A.I....' Mr. Trump, responding to a question about Catholics who are displeased with the image of him dressed in white papal robes and a ceremonial headdress, also attempted to downplay the mounting criticism. 'They can't take a joke,' Mr. Trump said, quickly telling the reporter, 'You don't mean the Catholics; you mean the fake news media. The Catholics loved it.'" ~~~
~~~ Marie: So let me get this straight: an A.I. gnome hacked into both Trump's personal social media account and his White House account and posted a picture of him decked out as Pope Francis?? And Press Secretary Barbie Blondie didn't put out a statement denouncing the hacks & gnomes? Very credible, Donnie; very credible.
Michael Bender & Alan Blinder of the New York Times: "The Trump administration on Monday sought to force Harvard University back to the negotiating table by informing the nation's oldest and wealthiest college that it would not be eligible for any new federal grants. That decision was relayed in a contentious letter to Alan M. Garber, the president of Harvard, from Linda McMahon, the education secretary, who blasted the school for 'disastrous mismanagement.'... Ms. McMahon's three-page letter, which deployed the use of all-capital letters to emphasize words, overflowed with familiar grievances from Mr. Trump and other conservative critics of Harvard. The missive said the college had 'made a mockery of this country's higher education system.' It accused the university of 'ugly racism,' mentioned 'humiliating plagiarism scandals' and lashed out at the university's leadership." Politico's story is here. ~~~
~~~ Here's McMahon's letter, via the Education Department. (You have to click on it to blow it up to readable size.)
David Yaffe-Bellany & Eric Lipton of the New York Times: "Senate Democrats are demanding changes to cryptocurrency legislation pending in Congress, responding partly to growing evidence that the Trump family is using its connections and ... [Donald] Trump's power to profit from crypto trading. The pushback intensified late last week after a closed-door meeting among Senate Democrats in which Senator Chuck Schumer, the Democratic leader, told colleagues they should not commit to voting for the so-called GENIUS Act, a bill backed by the crypto industry. For months, the bill had appeared to be gliding toward passage, with support from both parties, and it was scheduled for a procedural vote this week. But in the meeting, Senate Democrats expressed concern that the legislation would directly benefit the Trump family's crypto business, citing reporting by The New York Times.... Those ethical concerns have contributed to a broader unease about the bill among Democrats. Several senators have also pointed to other issues, arguing that the legislation lacks sufficient protections against money laundering."
Hamed Aleaziz of the New York Times: "The Trump administration is offering a cash stipend and travel home to undocumented immigrants who willingly leave the United States, officials said on Monday, its latest effort to increase deportations. The policy, which will offer $1,000 and a flight home to each immigrant who leaves, is part of the Trump administration's push to persuade immigrants to deport themselves as a way to help the president meet lofty immigration promises."
Pam Belluck of the New York Times: "The Trump administration on Monday asked a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit that seeks to sharply restrict access to the abortion pill mifepristone -- taking the same position as the Biden administration in a closely watched case that has major implications for abortion access. The court filing by the Justice Department is striking, given that ... [Donald] Trump and a number of officials in his administration have forcefully opposed abortion rights.... And so far in his second term, his administration has taken steps to curtail programs that support reproductive health. The court filing was the first time the Trump administration has weighed in on the lawsuit, which seeks to reverse numerous regulatory changes that the Food and Drug Administration made, starting in 2016, that greatly expanded access to mifepristone. The Trump administration's request made no mention of the merits of the case.... Rather, echoing the argument that the Biden administration made shortly before Mr. Trump took office, the court filing asserts that the case does not meet the legal standard to be heard in the federal district court in which it was filed."
Marie: I skipped over the Big News yesterday that Trump said he would not seek a third term. That was my mistake. Here's why: his full answer is one that only someone far too ignorant to be president* could utter: ~~~
~~~ Nnamdi Egwuonwu of NBC News: "... Donald Trump offered his clearest indication yet that he will leave the White House at the end of his second term ... in an ... interview with NBC News' 'Meet the Press.'... 'It's something that, to the best of my knowledge, you're not allowed to do. I don't know if that's constitutional that they're not allowing you to do it or anything else,' Trump said." Emphasis added. A YouTube short video is here for the listening, in case you can't believe he said that. ~~~
~~~ Marie: I do understand that ordinary Americans might not be able to cite the 22nd Amendment, it content or its history. And why should they? But anyone who even thinks about running for POTUS must know the job is term-limited and should know, in general, why that is. I don't see how it's possible for someone who has publicly flirted with a third term not to know that it's unconstitutional. BTW, I've never thought Trump would go to the trouble of running for a third term. If he's still alive in 2028, he'll very likely declare a national emergency (he does that a lot already) and attempt to stay on. He is just the more ignorant ass who ever wore out the leather in the chair behind the Resolute desk.
~~~ Thanks to RAS for the link.
~~~~~~~~~~
At the top of today's Comments, Akhilleus has a good, very short summary of the Presidency* of Donald Trump.
I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States. -- Donald Trump, January 20, 2017, and January 20, 2021
I don't know. -- Donald Trump, when asked if he had to uphold the Constitution, May 2025 ~~~
~~~ Joe DePaolo of Mediaite: "'Your Secretary of State says everyone who's here, citizens and non-citizens, deserve due process,' [NBC's Kristin] Welker said [in an interview of Donald Trump for 'Meet the Press']. 'Do you agree, Mr. President?' 'I don't know,' Trump replied. 'I'm not a lawyer. I don't know.' 'Well, the Fifth Amendment says as much,' Welker replied. '... it might say that, but if you're talking about that, then we'd have to have a million or 2 million or 3 million trials. We have thousands of people that are some murderers and some drug dealers and some of the worst people on Earth.... And I was elected to get them the hell out of here and the courts are holding me from doing it.' Welker then asked...: 'But even given those numbers that you're talking about, don't you need to uphold the Constitution of the United States as president?' Trump replied: 'I don't know. I have to respond by saying, again, I have brilliant lawyers that work for me, and they are going to obviously follow what the Supreme Court said. What you said is not what I heard the Supreme Court said. They have a different interpretation.'" Thanks to Akhilleus for the link. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Jonathan Swan has the New York Times story, but he doesn't make Trump's ignorance of his oath as clear as DePaolo does. Swan also covers other aspects of the interview. Welker, BTW, should have followed up when Trump claimed not to know he had to defend the Constitution: "Are you saying your oath of office is meaningless, Mr. P*?" (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Marie: You could successfully argue, I think, that when a sitting president* doesn't know he has to abide by his oath of office, the 25th Amendment should kick in. Needless to say the likelihood that JayDee & the Butt Lickers will invoke the 25th Amendment is right between nil and zero. So I'd say impeachment and conviction are in order. (Yeah, I know, fat chance. But the point is, Donald Trump admitted on national teevee that he has no intention to -- and no idea of how to -- do his job.) We all know Trump is not abiding by the Constitution. But when he flat-out says he has no idea of whether or not he must do so, he has admitted he has not defended the Constitution for the four years and three months he has been president*, so he has never fulfilled the duties of the presidency. ~~~
~~~ NBC has posted what is describes as the full transcript of Welker's interview of Trump. It's not clear whether this is the transcript as-aired or as-taped. He has a very bad brain and he said a lot of things. ~~~
~~~ Jared Gans of the Hill: Donald "Trump took credit for the positive parts of the economy and blamed his predecessor for the lagging parts as voters increasingly express concerns about the economy. Trump told NBC News's Kristen Welker in an interview that aired Sunday on 'Meet the Press' that only 'certain aspects' of the economy are a result of his actions. 'I think the good parts are the Trump economy and the bad parts are the Biden economy because he's done a terrible job,' Trump said. 'He did a terrible job on everything.'" ~~~
~~~ The Emperor Don. Kaia Hubbard of CBS News: Donald "Trump said he would talk to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney about making Canada the 51st state. But the president said he didn't expect it to get to the point of using military force -- though he wouldn't commit to the same for Greenland. 'Something could happen with Greenland, I'll be honest,' Trump said in an interview with NBC News' 'Meet the Press' that aired on Sunday. He said that 'we need that for national and international security,' but he added 'I don't see it with Canada....' 'We need Greenland very badly,' he added. 'Greenland is a very small amount of people we'll take care of, and we'll cherish them and all of that, but we need that for international security.'" ~~~
~~~ AND He Wants to Invade Mexico. Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: Donald "Trump confirmed on Sunday that he had pressed Mexico's president to let U.S. troops into the country to help fight drug cartels, an idea she summarily rejected. Mr. Trump told reporters traveling with him aboard Air Force One from Palm Beach, Fla., to Washington that it was 'true' he had made the push with President Claudia Sheinbaum. The proposal, first reported by The Wall Street Journal last week, came at the end of a lengthy phone call between the two leaders on April 16, The Journal said.... He said, 'If Mexico wanted help with the cartels, we would be honored to go in and do it. I told her that. I would be honored to go in and do it. The cartels are trying to destroy our country. They're evil.' He said, 'The president of Mexico is a lovely woman, but she is so afraid of the cartels that she can't even think straight.'" The AP's report is here. ~~~
~~~ Marie: Right. Because girls are fraidy-cats too timid to handle the big jobs.
Devlin Barrett & Shawn Hubler of the New York Times: Donald "Trump said on Sunday that he wanted federal law enforcement agencies to work on restoring Alcatraz, now a museum, to a functioning maximum-security prison. Repeating one of his constant refrains that the United States had become a dangerous, lawless place, Mr. Trump wrote on social media that he wanted Alcatraz, an island in San Francisco Bay, to be enlarged and rebuilt to house America's most ruthless and violent offenders. We will no longer be held hostage to criminals, thugs, and judges that are afraid to do their job and allow us to remove criminals, who came into our country illegally.' It was not immediately clear how his musing could be put into action, given that any such project would be extraordinarily expensive and that the administration already planned to cut billions of dollars from the Justice Department budget. Mr. Trump said he had instructed the Bureau of Prisons, the Justice Department and the Homeland Security Department to work on his idea, along with the F.B.I. -- a curious choice given that the bureau plays no role in incarcerating people convicted of crimes." An AP story is here. ~~~
~~~ Marie: Come to think of it, Alcatraz would make a great Elba on which to exile Our Napoleon. His own island, from which, on a clear day, he would have a view of the city he hates the most. And yes, playing a loop of Obama speeches on the Alcatraz loudspeaker system would be swell.
"WE WANT MOVIES MADE IN AMERICA, AGAIN! -- Trump. Brooks Barnes of the New York Times: Donald "Trump said he would impose a 100 percent tariff on movies 'produced' outside the United States, proclaiming in a social media post on Sunday that the issue posed a national security threat. Mr. Trump said he had authorized Jamieson Greer, the United States Trade Representative, to begin the process of taxing 'any and all Movies coming into our Country that are produced in Foreign Lands.' Mr. Trump added, 'This is a concerted effort by other Nations and, therefore, a National Security threat.' ... The Motion Picture [A]ssociation]'s latest economic impact report, based primarily on government data and released in 2023, showed that the film industry generated a positive U.S. balance of trade for every major market in the world. As is often the case with Mr. Trump's declarations on social media, it was not entirely clear what he was talking about." The Guardian's report is here. ~~~
~~~ Andrea Shalal & Tim Reid of Reuters: Donald Trump said "the American movie industry was dying a 'very fast death' due to the incentives that other countries were offering to lure filmmakers....In 2023, about half of the spending by U.S. producers on movie and TV projects with budgets of more than $40 million went outside the U.S., according to research firm ProdPro. Film and television production has fallen by nearly 40% over the last decade in Hollywood's home city of Los Angeles, according to FilmLA, a non-profit that tracks the region's production.... Former senior Commerce official William Reinsch ... said retaliation against Trump's film tariffs would be devastating. 'The retaliation will kill our industry. We have a lot more to lose than to gain,' he said...." ~~~
~~~ Marie: As far as I can tell, Donald Trump intends to disrupt every aspect of our lives. Millions of Americans won't be able to buy new cars or repair their old cars. They can't afford movies and toilet paper and coffee and bananas. Trump's purpose, I suppose, is to fill the Treasury's coffers with tariff revenues, so he can justify tax breaks for himself and a few other billionaires. But that's almost the benign explanation. He may just want to make everyone else as miserable as he is. I blame every elected member of Congress who has not gone all out to stop this madman.
The Corruption Presidency*: Cashing In on and For Dad. Eric Lipton & David Yaffe-Bellany of the New York Times: "A contest of sorts has played out across Europe, the United States and the Middle East in recent days as ... [Donald] Trump's two older sons have pursued a blitz of family moneymaking ventures capitalizing on their father's name and power, each seemingly trying to outdo the other. It is a rush to cash in that involves billions of dollars with few precedents in American history. A luxury hotel in Dubai. A second high-end residential tower in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Two cryptocurrency ventures based in the United States. A new golf course and villa complex in Qatar. And a new private club in Washington. In many cases these new deals promoted over the last week will personally benefit not only Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr., but also President Trump himself.... Donald Trump Jr. rejected any suggestion that he was trading on his fathers name, saying he has been a businessman his entire adult life. He then took a swipe at Hunter Biden, who sold paintings while his father ... served as president.... What distinguishes the work of Mr. Trump's two sons [from previous presidential relatives' business dealings] is that several of these ventures, including the real estate deals and crypto efforts, bring revenues that benefit the president himself as well."
It Ain't Funny, McDonald. Michelle Boorstein & Anthony Faiola of the Washington Post: "... church leaders, politicians and pundits blasted ... Donald Trump on Sunday for sharing an AI-generated image of himself on a throne in the cassock and miter of the pontiff.... 'This is an image that offends believers, insults institutions and shows that the leader of the global right enjoys being a clown,' former Italian prime minister Matteo Renzi wrote in a social media post Saturday.... The image, shared late Friday by both Trump and the White House, drew quick condemnation.... 'The Bible tells us, "Make no mistake: God is not mocked" (Galatians 6:7),' wrote the Rev. Thomas Paprocki, the bishop of Springfield, Illinois. 'The Pope is the Vicar of Christ. By publishing a picture of himself masquerading as the Pope, President Trump mocks God, the Catholic Church, and the Papacy....'"
Karishma Mehrotra of the Washington Post: "As ... Donald Trump has moved quickly to overhaul America's immigration system, his administration terminated the legal status of thousands of international students -- known as SEVIS records -- and in some cases revoked their visas. In certain instances, the government has cited students' past legal violations, some as minor as parking tickets, while in other cases no reason has been provided. After a wave of legal challenges, the Department of Homeland Security reversed course last month, saying it would restore SEVIS records. But [those] ... who have already lost their visas, say they remain in limbo.... The United States hosts more than 300,000 students from India, more than from any other country; nearly 100,000 Indians are employed through the [Optional Practical Training] program. Half of the 327 visa revocation cases tracked by the American Immigration Lawyers Association involved Indian nationals.... More than 1 million international students contributed $43.8 billion to the U.S. economy in the past academic year...." ~~~
~~~ Marie: Yes, but the primary recipients of those billions are universities, and Donald Trump hates universities and he hates the well-educated and he hates brown-skinned foreigners. So, you see, it all makes perfect sense to a twisted old man.
Steven Beschloss: "There his cabinet members were on Wednesday, bowing down to their Great Leader who has provided the nation 100 days of brilliance and perfection. It was enough to make a Constitution-loving American choke. It made me wonder whether these desperate sycophants are trying to turn our country into a North Korea-style dictatorship.... Wednesday's repellant obedience was no aberration, a simple tribute to the governing style of North Korea's rulers. Trump is now determined to hold a multimillion-dollar military parade in Washington, D.C. on June 14, his 79th birthday.... This news emerges at the same time as Trump is threatening to rename Veterans Day on November 11 to 'Victory Day for World War I,' excluding every living veteran. He also foolishly proposed changing Victory in Europe Day (V-E Day) on May 8 to 'Victory Day for World War II,' even though Americans continued to sacrifice their lives in the Pacific theater for months after the Nazis surrendered that day in 1945. Like a child who loves a parade and an extreme narcissist who demands constant praise, an uneducated White House occupant who cares more about self-service than service to country or the Constitution is holding America hostage." Thanks to laura h. for the link.
I expect more from the government than this kind of very shoddy work.... [If this were a criminal case,] I'd throw you out of my chambers. -- U.S. District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema to DOJ lawyer ~~~
~~~ Mark Berman & Jeremy Roebuck of the Washington Post: "Justice Department lawyers defending the Trump administration's policies are encountering mounting criticism and frustration from federal judges, a sign of deepening tension between the executive branch and courts weighing its aggressive uses of power. In recent hearings and rulings, judges appointed by presidents of both parties have criticized the statements and behavior of administration officials, accusing them of defying court orders, submitting flimsy evidence, providing inadequate answers to questions and even acting like toddlers. It is not only DOJ lawyers who are frustrating the courts: Judge Beryl Howell called a memo she ordered AG Pam Bondi and budget director Russell Vought to issue 'a temper tantrum ... worthy of a 3-year-old.'" ~~~
~~~ Paul Rosenzweig in the Atlantic: "In recent decades, the Department of Justice has become ... the locus in the federal government for professional, apolitical enforcement of the law, which is in itself a rejection of the kingly prerogative. That is why Donald Trump's debasement of the DOJ is far more than the mere degradation of a governmental agency; it is an assault on the rule of law. His attack on the institution is threefold: He is using the mechanisms of justice to go after political opponents; he is using those same mechanisms to reward allies; and he is eliminating internal opposition within the department.... The DOJ's independence from political influence, long a symbol of its probity (remember how scandalous it was that Bill Clinton had a brief meeting with Attorney General Loretta Lynch?), is now nonexistent." Thank you to laura h. for this gift link.
Joseph Cox of 404 Media: "A hacker has breached and stolen customer data from TeleMessage, an obscure Israeli company that sells modified versions of Signal and other messaging apps to the U.S. government to archive messages.... TeleMessage was recently the center of a wave of media coverage after Mike Waltz accidentally revealed he used the tool in a cabinet meeting.... The hack shows that an app gathering messages of the highest ranking officials in the government -- Waltz's chats on the app include recipients that appear to be Marco Rubio, Tulsi Gabbard, and JD Vance -- contained serious vulnerabilities that allowed a hacker to trivially access the archived chats of some people who used the same tool. The hacker has not obtained the messages of cabinet members, Waltz, and people he spoke to, but the hack shows that the archived chat logs are not end-to-end encrypted between the modified version of the messaging app and the ultimate archive destination controlled by the TeleMessage customer." ~~~
~~~ Marie: This site requires a sign-in procedure that I could never complete. I received repeated messages asking me to sign in after I'd signed in. Update: It worked after eight tries. What a pain!
Pence Receives JFK Profile in Courage Award. Michael Casey of the AP: "Former Vice President Mike Pence on Sunday repeatedly invoked the Constitution and said it is what 'binds us all together' after receiving the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award. Pence received the award for his refusal to go along with ... Donald Trump's efforts to remain in office after losing the 2020 election. The award recognizes Pence 'for putting his life and career on the line to ensure the constitutional transfer of presidential power on Jan. 6, 2021,' the JFK Library Foundation said. 'To forge a future together, we have to find common ground,' Pence said. 'I hope in some small way my presence here tonight is a reminder that whatever differences we may have as Americans, the Constitution is the common ground on which we stand. It's what binds us across time and generations.... It's what makes us one people.'"
New York Times: "The Conversation has been a staple of The Times's Opinion p ages since 2017. But after eight years, the weekly dialogue between the liberal columnist Gail Collins and her conservative colleague Bret Stephens has come to an end. The editor Aaron Retica joins Gail and Bret to answer reader questions and discuss how they've managed years of civil conversations -- for the first and last time in audio."
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"The Anti-Trump Bump." Matina Stevis-Gridneff of the New York Times: Donald "Trump has been back in power for only three months, but already his policies, including imposing tariffs and upending alliances, have rippled into domestic political battles around the world. While it is too soon to say that anti-Trump forces are on the rise globally, it is clear that voters have Mr. Trump somewhere on their mind as they make decisions.... In both [Canada and Australia], before Mr. Trump was inaugurated, the center-left ruling parties had been in poor shape and appeared poised to lose power. The front-runners in polls were the conservative parties, whose leaders flirted with Trumpian politics both in style and in substance. Within weeks following Mr. Trump's return to power..., both countries' conservative leaders lost not just the elections -- they even lost their own seats in Parliament.... In Singapore, the argument for stability in times of turmoil also appeared to help the incumbent People's Action Party."
Israel. Erika Solomon & Rawan Ahmad of the New York Times: "It has been more than 60 days since Israel ordered a halt to all humanitarian aid entering Gaza -- no food, fuel or even medicine.... Israel says it will not relent until Hamas releases the hostages it still holds after a two-month cease-fire collapsed in March. It has argued that its blockade is lawful, and that Gaza still has enough available provisions. But humanitarian groups and European officials accuse Israel of using aid as a 'political tool' -- and warn that the total blockade violates international law. The severity of the siege means it now affects nearly every part of the lives of the roughly two million people trapped inside Gaza, compounding the struggles of a population that has lived for nearly two decades under the partial blockade imposed by Israel and backed by Egypt after Hamas seized control of the enclave in 2007."
Lior Soroka of the Washington Post: "The Israeli government has approved a plan to expand military operations in the Gaza Strip, which would include the occupation of the territory, an Israeli official said Monday morning. Israel's security cabinet unanimously approved the new Gaza war plan at a meeting Sunday night, the official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to describe sensitive discussions."
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Reader Comments (15)
This isn’t the mouse that roared, this is the rat that squeaked.
Movies, paper straws, pennies, the Gulf of America, Victory Day this, Victory Day that, birthday parade, Trump 2028 hats, official language, Signal chats, Oval Office that looks like a pawn shop, fire these guys, oops, wrong guys, hire them back, invade Greenland, invade Mexico, invade Canada, invade Panama, you didn’t say thank you, executive orders every fifteen minutes, only two dolls, Oath of Office? I dunno…what happened? Who did what? I know nothing about that, I wanna be Pope…
Not just the rat that squeaked, a mentally disturbed rat.
Wtf.
I read somewhere that stress causes weight loss.
After reading about Trump's tantrums every morning and reading
about all the mute congress critters, I think I've lost so much
weight that I'll have to buy a new wardrobe. Quick, before the
tariffs go even higher.
Waaaahhhh! I want ‘merican movies! Waaaahhh!!
Okay. What’s this all about? I thought hating Hollywood was a prime directive for membership in the MAGA mob. Don’t the fascists despise the American film industry? They routinely attack Hollywood as a hotbed of commie radical loony lefties. So what gives?
And anyway, let’s examine what makes an “American Movie”.
Like any other (ALL) art forms, filmmaking is a universal enterprise. Just consider some of the greatest directors in film history:
Charlie Chaplin, Josef von Sternberg, Erich von Stroheim, Billy Wlder, Michael Curtiz, Fred Zinnemann, Otto Preminger, Alfred Hitchcock, David Lean, Fritz Lang, Ernst Lubitsch—all foreign born.
Currently, three of the most popular and successful directors in the American film industry are Peter Jackson (“Lord of the Rings” trilogy), James Cameron (“Titanic”, “Avatar”), and Christopher Nolan (“Batman” trilogy, “Oppenheimer”), whose films have grossed over $20 billion worldwide—all foreign born.
Non-American actors who are essential to American films:
Chaplin, Greta Garbo, Charles Boyer, Raymond Massey, Ingrid Bergman, Anthony Hopkins, Daniel Day-Lewis, Javier Bardem, Liam Neeson, Hugh Jackman, Keanu Reeves, Charlize Theron, Christian Bale, Donald Sutherland, Russell Crowe, Sophia Loren, Penelope Cruz, Basil Rathbone, Davis Niven, Cary Grant, Vivien Leigh, Laurence Olivier, and dozens more, not to mention the slew of foreign born technicians such as cinematographer Karl Freund, who worked with early film giants FW Murnau and Fritz Lang and who would go on to revolutionize American television production working on “I Love Lucy” developing the multi-camera format still used to shoot shows like “Big Bang Theory”. He learned his craft in pre-war Germany.
The whole idea is ridiculous, the sort of thing an infantile six year old with zero idea of such an industry would come up with. Oh, wait…
What’s next? Only American painters? Musicians? How about we put a stop to all these non-American operas? So no Mozart, Verdi, Wagner, Puccini, Strauss, or Gounod. No more non-American symphonies. Auf wiedersehen, Beethoven.
Let’s get rid of all that French Impressionist crap in Our American museums. Adieu, Renoir; get gone, Gauguin. Later, Lautrec.
Art is universal. Certainly there are certain traits that define the art of certain areas and countries, but thinking one can shut out influences from other countries is just stupid,
I know, I know, he’s saying movies made in America. But what does that even mean? Plenty of “American” films and TV shows are shot elsewhere (mostly Canada!).
It’s yet another tiresome and achingly stoopid bit of isolationist bullshit meant to appeal to…to whom? The MAGAts? But they HATE Hollywood!
Fucking hell, will the stupid never stop?
Akhilleus,
Yeah, the American movie thing makes no sense, unless one looks at the Pretender as what he is, a child, driven by a succession of unfiltered whims.
And how bout Alcatraz for all those violent criminals who apparently have no homes?
You brought up id yesterday in your comment on my Freud maunderings. Very appropriate. Makes me wonder if an id can be a genius, even if it thinks it is.
Just the idea of a president saying “Constitution? Gee, I dunno…” is grounds for impeachment. In any other job, there are requirements that, if you aren’t willing to fulfill them, or “aren’t SURE” you should need to follow them, you’d be shown the door immediately.
Plumbers. “Yeah, I don’t know if actually have to unclog that drain.”
Cops. “Going after criminals? Isn’t that dangerous? I don’t know if I really need to to do that.”
Doctors. “Is there a doctor in the house?” “Right here…” “Doc, this lady fainted. She’s not breathing can you help her?” “Welll…I’m not sure. I’ll get back to you.”
NFL Cornerbacks. “You let that receiver stroll right by you into the end zone! What the fuck?” “I’m not sure it’s my job to tackle guys. Besides. He looks big.”
Head of Health and Human Services. “Research on health issues? Nah. I don’t think I have to do that. Do your own research.”
All should be fired immediately, or not hired in the first place.
Except for this fat fuck.
Ken,
It’s all performative. Alcatraz has been closed for 60 years. The place was falling apart. It would cost untold millions to restore those buildings. Salt air had severely corroded everything. But it has a reputation, it’s bad, it’s mean, it’s nasty, it held the worst of the worst, and little Donnie, age 7, is going to impress the other dumbass little kids just by saying the word: “Alcatrazzzzzz!!”
Alla kazzam! It’s Baaaack! And aren’t I a badass?!!
(*sigh*) No, Donnie. It’s a stupid idea. Nap time.
John Oliver on Deportations
When RFK(sr) closed Alcatraz in 1963 the main reason was economics. The capacity was only 336 prisoners although it never reached capacity. You might fit the presidential crime family, cabinet, and major department heads in there but what about the rest of the administration? Oh yeah, and Musk.
So wait…how many jobs does Little Marco have now?
Let’s count ‘em.
Secretary of State
National Security Advisor
Head of USAID (what’s left of it)
Chief of National Archives
Head Groundskeeper at the Blight House
Dry Cleaning drop off and pick up
Tester of Water Glasses
Maybe a few more. Hmm…the last guy to hold both positions of Nat’l Sec Adviser and Sec of State was a war criminal. Should we be worried?
Of COURSE we should. It’s Fat Hitler.
It just shows that he doesn’t really give a shit about any of these jobs. He just wants a reliably pliable lackey who’ll do what he’s told and regurgitate the most ridiculous blather when called upon to do so.
"Republican Wisconsin state Rep. Calvin Callahan posted a AI image on social media showing Trump arresting governor Tony Evers, who pissed off the right by publishing guidance for employers if ICE shows up to their place of business."
Man of the People
"Hegseth Works Hard to Portray Himself as a Man of the Troops. They Might Not Be Buying It.
You'll see a lot of pictures of [Hegseth] jogging with troops, visiting flight lines, American flag suit ... but what you won't see are ribbon cuttings for new barracks […] When leadership prioritizes optics over outcomes, photos over plumbing, troops notice. When DoD leadership talks about 'lethality' but ignores that soldiers are getting sick from their own living conditions, credibility suffers.”
From Wonkette,
"The Onion, April 28: “ICE Agents Wait At Edge Of Delivery Table To Deport Newborn.” Real life, May 2: ICE agents wait outside of delivery room in Tucson to deport Guatemalan mother, and physically block her lawyer from being able to see her."
A first for me, I attended a town hall with Lloyd Doggett and, in one remark, he said something along the lines that when interviewed for network news, his statements get edited down to the least offensive and substantive remarks.
Similarly, Rebecca Solnit, in The Guardian notes that the recent protests "received minimal media coverage" Protest shapes the world
"So we live in an environment of conflicting and confusing information, furthered by the way the mainstream media too often see background and context on what just happened as editorialising and bias, so tend to present facts so stripped of context that only those who are good at building context themselves can find meaning in them. Media outlets routinely play down protest and when they cover it often do so dismissively. Media critic and former Washington Post columnist Margaret Sullivan writes of the thin coverage of the Hands Off rallies: 'Organizers said that more than 100,000 demonstrators came to the protests in both New York and Washington DC. Crowd estimates are always tricky, but that certainly seems like a big story to me.' She points out that for many months news outlets have commented on how the public resistance to Trump is so much quieter than in 2017. 'But when the protests did happen, much of the media reaction was something between a yawn and a shrug. Or, in some outlets, a sneer.'"
Yesterday, between Ken's serman on Freud, and other triggers, I thought of and reread Rebecca Solnit's 2017 essay on The Loneliness of Donald Trump which seems as relevant now as then.
"I have often run across men (and rarely, but not never, women) who have become so powerful in their lives that there is no one to tell them when they are cruel, wrong, foolish, absurd, repugnant. In the end there is no one else in their world, because when you are not willing to hear how others feel, what others need, when you do not care, you are not willing to acknowledge others’ existence. That’s how it’s lonely at the top. It is as if these petty tyrants live in a world without honest mirrors, without others, without gravity, and they are buffered from the consequences of their failures."
Today's Typical Republican
"GOP Rep. Randy Fine: “Muslim Terrorist Rashida Tlaib Shouldn’t Be American,” Gazans Should “Starve Away”
“I think some of these people should not be in Congress. I think they’re a disgrace. I think some of them shouldn’t be Americans. I don’t think they love our country. And I’m not gonna be afraid to call them out and go right at them because I think they’re bad people. And particularly people like Rashida Tlaib. She’s just a bad person. She’s not a terrorist sympathizer, she’s a terrorist. And I don’t mind saying it because it’s true.” – Newly-elected GOP Rep. Randy Fine, speaking on a far-right Miami podcast."
More from the We'd Rather Not Know administration:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2025/05/05/national-parks-air-quality-monitoring/?utm
There's already so much it would rather not know. What's just one more?