Love MAGA? Love your country? Love to obey orders without question and put perps in their place? You just might be what ICE is looking for. Tattooed patriots with Hegseth insignia, white Christian nationalist symbols, spiderweb on elbows, KKK, Aryan Brotherhood, and Neo-Nazi affiliations welcome to apply. Want to euthanize puppies like Sec'y of Homeland Security Kristi Noem does and willing to execute disobedient curs? Drinking problem? No problem! Domestic violence accusations? Bi*ch was probably asking for it. Bonuses and incentives available thanks to extra Trump administration funding.
White males preferred. Others possibly considered if white quota is not met. Violent criminal records? Let's talk. Snitching, finking, willingness to betray trust of fellows may remove obstacles to federal employment.
Jimmy Kimmel Live! is back, but New York Times reporter Adam Liptak and former Washington Post editor Martin Baron say the Trump administration is using federal power to control speech and [stifle] the press.
TERRY GROSS, HOST:
This is FRESH AIR. I'm Terry Gross. Jimmy Kimmel and his show "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" returned to ABC last night after he was suspended indefinitely a week ago. The story of his suspension and return has implications beyond Kimmel, pertaining to conglomerate ownership of broadcast networks and news publications, the First Amendment and freedom of the press, the FCC and Pres. Trump. Here to talk about the larger story are [journalists] Marty Baron and Adam Liptak.
Baron was the editor of The Washington Post from 2013 until his retirement in 2021. During most of his tenure, The Post was owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. Baron's memoir about that time is titled Collision of Power: Trump, Bezos, and the Washington Post. He was previously the editor of The Boston Globe. In the movie Spotlight, a drama based on The Globe's investigation, revealing sexual abuse within the Catholic Church, Baron was portrayed by Liev Schreiber.
Adam Liptak covers the courts and legal issues for The New York Times. Before joining the Times' news staff, he practiced law for 14 years, concentrating on First Amendment issues, including in The New York Times Company's corporate legal department. Let's start with a clip from Jimmy Kimmel's monologue last night.
(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE!")
JIMMY KIMMEL: I've been hearing a lot about what I need to say and do tonight, and the truth is, I don't think what I have to say is going to make much of a difference. If you like me, you like me. If you don't, you don't. I have no illusions about changing anyone's mind. But I do want to make something clear because it's important to me as a human, and that is you understand that it was never my intention to make light of the murder (CRYING) of a young man. I don't...
(APPLAUSE)
KIMMEL: ...I don't think there's anything funny about it. I posted a message on Instagram on the day he was killed, sending love to his family and asking for compassion, and I meant it. And I still do. Nor was it my intention to blame any specific group for the actions of what -- it was obviously a deeply disturbed individual. That was really the opposite of the point I was trying to make. But I understand that to some that felt either ill-timed or unclear, or maybe both.
And for those who think I did point a finger, I get why you're upset. If the situation was reversed, there's a good chance I'd have felt the same way. I have many friends and family members on the other side who I love and remain close to, even though we don't agree on politics at all. I don't think the murderer who shot Charlie Kirk represents anyone. This was a sick person who believed violence was a solution, and it isn't. It - ever. And also selfishly...
(APPLAUSE)
KIMMEL: ...I am a person who gets a lot of threats. I get many ugly and scary threats against my life, my wife, my kids, my coworkers because of what I choose to say. And I know those threats don't come from the kind of people on the right who I know and love. So that's what I wanted to say on that subject. But I don't want to make this about me because - and I know this is what people say when they make things about them.
(LAUGHTER)
KIMMEL: But I really don't. This show is not important. What is important is that we get to live in a country that allows us to have a show like this.
KIMMEL: I've had the opportunity to meet and spend time with comedians and talk show hosts from countries like Russia, countries in the Middle East, who tell me they would get thrown in prison for making fun of those in power, and worse than being thrown in prison. They know how lucky we are here. Our freedom to speak is what they admire most about this country. And that's something I'm embarrassed to say I took for granted until they pulled my friend Stephen [Colbert] off the air and tried to coerce the affiliates who run our show in the cities that you live in to take my show off the air. That's not legal. That's not American. That is un-American. And it is so dangerous.
(CHEERING)
I am the King of the USA!
GROSS: All right, so that was an excerpt of last night's monologue by Jimmy Kimmel. Kimmel went on to praise Charlie Kirk's widow, Erika Kirk, for forgiving her husband's assassin. And he added while tearing up...
(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE!") KIMMEL: There it was. That's it, a selfless act of grace, forgiveness from a grieving widow. (Crying) And it touched me deeply. And I hope it...
(APPLAUSE)
KIMMEL: ...It touches many. And if there's anything we should take from this tragedy to carry forward, I hope it can be that, and not this.
GROSS: So, Marty Baron, Adam Liptak, welcome to FRESH AIR. What was your reaction to last night's monologue?
MARTY BARON: Well, it was very moving, very emotional and, I think, very effective. I really think that this could end up being an extraordinarily important moment in the history of the country. And you know, I think back to the 1950s, actually. It recalled for me the Army-McCarthy hearings in 1954, when Joseph Welch was representing the U.S. Army. He told Senator Joseph McCarthy, have you no decency, sir? And that really proved to be a turning point when the country turned against McCarthy and his incredibly malicious behavior.
So, you know, now we live in a time where - era where performative behavior is rewarded. It's all about spectacle. You know, we have a president who really revels in showmanship. So maybe what we need is a different spectacle in this instance, from an entertainer like Jimmy Kimmel, really, as a counterweight, as a corrective, because the standard forms of argument just aren't as effective as they once were. So I thought it was highly effective and effective in a way that traditional debate hasn't been.
ADAM LIPTAK: I agree with Marty. It was, among other things, a robust defense of free speech in the sense that you don't have to agree with what Jimmy Kimmel was saying, although it's hard to disagree with much of what he said because it was so moving. But what free speech requires is that you hear him out and you consider it, and you don't try to stifle it or censor it. That said, my viewing of this was a little frustrating because I live in Washington, D.C., and I learned last night, as I tried to watch Jimmy Kimmel, that the local ABC affiliate is owned by Sinclair, and they had chosen not to air it. And while it appeared on YouTube soon enough, this is not an unalloyed victory. In much of the country, Kimmel remains unavailable, and this fight is not over.
GROSS: Yeah. I think that between Sinclair and Nexstar, they own about 20% of the ABC affiliates.
BARON: Yeah, I think they...
GROSS: They own 70 stations, and I think it's like 20% of...
Finland is a county. It's no BuddhistBhutan, the last Himalayan kingdom in the world, with its "Gross Domestic Happiness" rating being of central concern. Yet it manages to be happy. It's close to Sweden, not far from Norway. It is Scandinavian. And cold. There is no reason to be happy there, unless one is just traveling. Try Monty Python Travel Agents to arrange a tour.
Don John Trump and child trafficker Jeffrey Epstein were great pals.
Trump panics as Howard Stern leaks bombshell footage
(Occupy Democrats)
Oct. 31, 2024: Howard Stern just blindsided Donald Trump and his campaign by leaking bombshell footage that will strike fear in the heart of every single voter who cares about preserving our freedoms and civil rights. "Well done, Howard!" Occupy Democrats (makers of this video and title) states, when Stern does not seem to appear even once in this story other than to say he's the source of the leak. What exactly was leaked, a clip from the John Kobylt Show (right wing hate radio on KFI AM 640, iheart.com)? Stern, a New Yorker and Kamala/Tim supporter, hates The Donald and has for a long time. Trump gets no love from him anymore, so it wouldn't be a surprise if he did leak something, if he had it or could get it. But Stern has no access. Joe Rogan could get something out of Trump, but he's too afraid of offending him and his new access to the White House and its favors. This whole "breaking news" story seems like a crock. The only thing it really says it that Trump lied, does know what Project 2025 is, and is going to hire ex-policeman Tom Homan, the author of Project 2025.
While her name is Laura Loomer, she perhaps should be referred to as "Loomerinski" because of her shocking similarities to Pres. Bill Clinton's girlfriend and sex partner behind Hillary's back, Monica Lewinski. Poor ML did a lot to get a head, uhm, ahead. And where did it get her, a secret payoff? What price for her humiliation. Loomerinski is oldier, savier, and knows how to work Ex-Pres. Trump into a frenzy. All she has to do is stroke his ego, hug, kiss, compliment, stare at, admire, advise, tell racist jokes to, and she'll get a cabinet position in exchange. It was always odd that Pres. Trump handed over the Israeli-Palestinian "conflict" to mute and possibly autistic son Jared, a childhood friend of Chicago Jew and Prime Minister of Israel Bibi Netanyahu, who worked him like an adult toy at a father and daughter Jewish sex shop. (There is one, just one, and we've covered it). Is Trump dumb? We can only judge him by the company he keeps. Sure RFK Jr. seems to be a fan, but actually Kennedy and Tulsi Gabbard just see through the current war-loving administration and its next installment. VP Kamala is bad, and they are not willing to swallow her just to spite Trump. And handful of good minds really see evil Trump as the lesser of the two evils.
Watch full set live from Kia Forum, Los Angeles (before it's taken down) professionally filmed:
With all this talk of joy (Buddhist piti) around Juneteeth, here's some sincere laughter at wokeness
It's time we bring Bloods and Crips together for a truce, peace, and music. It's a good day to see Kendrick at LA's Kia forum, singing about his bloody beef with Jewish Canadian rapper Drake, on Juneteenth. When he first hit big, singing about trying to quit alcohol in Compton and dreaming of jumping into pools of booze, everybody already knew him and all the lyrics to every song. We were at Staples, and everyone was jumping in the pit area so much that the floor sagged and bounced.
That punkazzbiznatch Drake, he's not like us.
It was scary and seemed like it could collapse. He had Dr. Dre as his special guest. Soon after that he pulled a stunt of coming to a sporting event on a bus for a free post-show concert. It turned into a riot -- a mob of fans and LAPD tactics and helicopters trying to beat down what they viewed as chaos. The Forum is right in the middle of "South Central" near LAX Airport, which is now converted to a gentrified venue and pricey parking. It's going to be madness.
Every shot Kendrick took at Drake at "The Pop Out" concert explained
(Pearl Fountain) June 20, 2024: Kendrick Lamar brought all the West Coast on stage to dance on Drake's grave last night, after sneak dissing him for four hours in a three-act show featuring Ty Dolla Sign, YG, Tyler the Creator, and every other West Coast rapper you can think of. Here's a breakdown of every direct and subtle diss from the show. Instagram.com/omarabdelhmd
White on white golf course bullying, Deep South
Back Off Challenge, Mississippi, USA
Dharma and Emancipation: Reflections on Juneteenth with Dr. Kamilah Majied
(Tricycle) June 19th is called "Juneteenth," a holiday celebrating the end of American slavery. Although such slavery continues, at least it's mostly legal and bigger now than ever but transformed.
What ended was chattel slavery or treating people (Native Americans, Black, Caribbeans, and indentured servants from around the world) as "property" or chattel. Well, it didn't end for everybody. In Texas it continued an extra two years because no one bothered to tell the Black slaves that they were now legally free by federal decree under Pres. Abe Lincoln. That post-Civil War freedom is what Juneteenth is commemorating.
More people are slaves under the new system that replaced chattel slavery in the form of mass incarceration, harsh threats to avoid court cases during prosecution forcing people to plead guilty for lesser sentences of longer probationary periods, and a probation system that tracks, monitors, and enslaves mostly Blacks in a new way. See:
Juneteenth is an important federal holiday in the United States, a date celebrating the emancipation of enslaved African Americans (and the many Native Blacks who were here before the Atlantic slave trade and not brought over, escaped, and assimilated to an utterly foreign environment. Blacks were in what is now the US 50,000 years ago when Austral-Aboriginals made it here from overseas.
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But there is so much more to Juneteenth that we can reflect on and unpack within that meaning. What is the significance of Juneteenth from a Dharma perspective?
“Everyone can practice with and reflect on Juneteenth as a part of their liberation from the effects of enslavement, including waking up to the aspects of their lives that are impacted by the power, oppression, and privilege dynamics that are residuals of the enslavement of African heritage people,” writes Dr. Majied in her forthcoming book Joyfully Just, Black Wisdom and Buddhist Insights for Liberated Living.
Man, my struggle is for the ppl, the human ppl
“We can practice with Juneteenth as a portal to reclamation of connection and authentic living in the truths of our shared existence.”
In this hour-long conversation with Tricycle’s Associate Web Editor Amanda Lim Patton, Buddhist mental health therapist, professor of social work, and inclusivity and equity consultant Dr. Majied joins to explore how the residuals of slavery in this country and globally compromise our experience of and insight into interdependence, the connection we all share.
Can we laugh with Black comic's observations?
US Native American Poet Laureate Joy Harjo
Dr. Majied discusses the significance of Juneteenth; what Buddhism says about emancipation, liberation, and freedom; the parallels between Buddhism and Black wisdom traditions; healing the ongoing impacts of intergenerational trauma and finding inner freedom, more.
Tricycle is glad to offer this event free of charge. One can make a donation here: tricycle.org/donate
(Lyrics) What is Kendrick Lamar rapping in "They Not Like Us"?
Pure joy helps us look younger? Think you're falling in love? Medieval monks had worms?
Kendrick Lamar via and Mac Esayne, Zechs6437, and ISmokeHipHopLive; Pearl Fountain; Tricycle (YouTube), Juneteenth 2023; Crystal Quintero, CC Liu, Pfc. Sandoval, Seth Auberon, Shauna Schwartz (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly
Lincoln Project mocks Trump in four humiliating ads
Help! I've never had to face consequences. I just throw stolen money at things. Send more money!
(American News Reaction) Advertisements can cut both ways, working against a brand or promoting it. The Lincoln Project does not like Trump, but lots of people don't. What can anyone do? He's a master of manipulation and propaganda, Hiter style with speeches that circle around and repeat, do more to mesmerize than make sense. It's as if it's all hand movements and NLP (neurolinguistic programming) techniques.
"Elect a clown, expect a circus," we like to say. Fail to elect him and get an insurrection. Will he ever be prosecuted for his Jan. 6th behavior, or will we all just have to wait for the fire next time? The Swamp is so bad that Trump is not the worst thing in it, but he's pretty bad. MAGA is for maggots? Maybe he's God's gift to America like some dentally-challenged folks in West Virginia say? It's not impossible, but if this is how God works, no thanks. Why not just expose Genocide Joe, O Lord, why? #msnbc #trump #foxnews
We'll storm the capital and Manhattan, I mean MAGA will storm them for me. I'll watch on TV
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Right-wingers IMPLODE over Trump's 34 felony count guilty verdict
The Cult of Trump
(The Young Turks)
May 30, 2024: Fox News' Judge Jeanine "Plastic Surgery Disaster" Pirro and conservative commentator Charlie Kirk are melting down over former Pres. Donald Trump's 34-count conviction for falsifying business records in his hush money trial. Cenk Uygur and Ana Kasparian discuss on The Young Turks. Read more: x.com/JudgeJeanine...
"America has gone over a cliff. To convict a former president of crimes that are not even specified in the indictment and for which the president was not allowed to defend himself, is a sad day for this great country. November 5th cannot come soon enough." TYT is the largest online progressive news show in the world. Hosted by Cenk Uygur and Ana Kasparian.
Support the show (https://tyt.com/team)? No, why bother? Support the jimmydore.com show instead. [Phony] Progressive battle plan: https://go.tyt.com/book-description. Watch TYT LIVE on weekdays 6-8 pm ET. http://youtube.com/theyoungturks/live. LIVE weekdays 6-8 pm ET.
The Lincoln Project, American News Reaction, May 24, 2024; Ana Kasparian, Cenk Uygur (The Young Turks), May 30, 2024: Rudi Kinsella (Irish Star); ABC News (Australia); Pfc. Sandoval, Sheldon S., Ashley Wells (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly
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