ABC News capitulates to Donald Trump. Is this the future of American media?

The short answer is that the future is already here. We’re not talking about the mainstream media. We’re talking about the establishment media. And ABC News is the establishment media, So is the New York Times and the Washington Post and CBS and NBC and Fox and the Wall Street Journal and the LA Times.

Donald Trump now dominates the establishment in the United States, and ABC News has done what the establishment media has always done when confronted with power: They recognize that there is a new sheriff in town and behave accordingly.

It’s silly to be shocked by the fact that ABC – here, you can read parent company Disney, which learned a thing or two in its dealings with Sheriff DeSantis down in Florida – has settled the defamation case Trump filed. It is being speculated that ABC didn’t want to risk testing the Supreme Court’s Sullivan v. New York Times decision in a hair-splitting case over the definition of the word “rape.” That may even be the case, at least in part. But the larger question doesn’t have to do with defamation, and the person who knows this and has told us as much is Donald Trump himself.

The question after the ABC News settlement with Trump is whether the establishment media will pull back from its coverage of Trump, even if his lies will be pointed out as they have been in the past.

Trump has long said that he will “open up our libel laws” so newspapers and broadcast news won’t be protected by the strictures of the Sullivan decision, which requires that a public figure, especially a politician, bringing a lawsuit must prove actual malice, meaning that the news outlet either knew a statement was false or recklessly disregarded evidence of its falsehood in publishing it. One of Trump’s big applause lines at his rallies during the campaign was when he said he would take on the media and change the libel laws. His crowds may not have known the details behind the Sullivan decision, but they didn’t have to. Trump guided his crowds’ attention to the media enclosure where the television cameras were set up at nearly every rally and called the people trapped there “the enemy.” The crowds loved it. People were filmed at Trump rallies walking up to the media enclosures and shaking their fists at the reporters and camera operators. I saw this happen as far back as March of 2016 when I attended a Trump rally in Bethpage, New York, on Long Island.

ABC News had cameras and reporters at plenty of Trump rallies. They’ve known that they had a target on their back for years.

Trump's corporate coronation: The rich rush to curry favor ahead of inauguration

But the establishment media hasn’t needed to know that it is a target to make sure it behaves itself in the presence of power. As far back as Richard Nixon, the establishment media soft-pedaled reporting the facts surrounding the Watergate break-in during Nixon’s campaign for president. On the first day of the Republican National Convention in 1972, it was reported that some of the money found on the burglars passed through the hands of one of Nixon’s campaign finance chairmen, Maurice Stans, who was present at the convention. No questions were asked by establishment media outlets of Stans about giving the funds to the burglars. Stans would later plead guilty to having given campaign funds to G. Gordon Liddy, one of the burglars.

In 2002 and 2003, the establishment media, chiefly the New York Times, was guilty of repeating Bush administration lies about weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) that did not exist in Saddam Hussein’s Iraq. In fact, even after the U.S. invaded in 2003 and no evidence of WMDs was found, you would be hard-pressed to find mention in the establishment media that the entire basis for the invasion of Iraq had collapsed ignominiously. The establishment media just went on reporting on the war as if it had been completely justified.

During the 2016 campaign, the New York Times published countless stories about Hillary Clinton’s “emails,” an entirely made-up “controversy” that was stoked by Donald Trump throughout the campaign, while the paper made far less of the more than two dozen women who had charged Trump with sexual abuse and harassment. The establishment media reported on Clinton’s so-called email problem throughout the campaign, while it largely ignored Trump’s invitation to Russia—“Russia, if you’re listening…” — to look into what happened to Hillary’s emails.

During the 2024 campaign, we were treated to more sanewashing of the constant flow of Trump’s lies and exaggerations that he repeated almost daily at his rallies and other public appearances. The so-called “age issue” was applied almost entirely to Joe Biden, who was 81, while the establishment press left Trump’s age, 77, pretty much alone.

I could go on, but I’m sure you can fill in the blanks with your own memories of the lopsided way the election was covered. Little was made of Trump’s continual garbling of sentences and loss of train of thought and his incredible barrage of lies, while the press put under a microscope every syllable uttered by Kamala Harris. Through it all, Trump accused the establishment media of bias, even claiming that the media was engaged in “rigging” the election in favor of Harris. All of it without so much as a shred of evidence.

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In the past, the establishment media has recovered from the mistakes it made in its initially lax coverage of Watergate, its failure to closely question the “evidence” asserted to justify the war on Iraq, and other lapses in the way it covered American politics and national affairs.

But what about this time? Is ABC News showing the way to the future by “obeying in advance,” to use the words of Timothy Snyder, who has written extensively about how nations descend into dictatorships and authoritarianism? Already MSNBC stars Joe Scarborough and Mika Brezenski have flown down to Mar-a-Lago for what appeared to be an ass-kissing session with Trump. Debra O’Connell, who oversees the ABC News division for Disney, was reported to have dined with Trump’s former campaign chairman and newly-appointed chief of staff, Susie Wiles, in advance of the settlement agreement between ABC News and Trump. Jeff Bezos, who owns the Washington Post, and Mark Zuckerberg, who sits atop Meta, owner of Facebook, have each pledged one million dollars to the Trump inaugural committee, which does not have to report what it does with the money it collects, or even that it is used for events surrounding the inauguration. Trump’s last inaugural committee was found to have funneled millions to a friend of Melania Trump for “planning” of inaugural events that may or may not have taken place. The friend of Melania established her company only weeks before Trump’s inaugural committee paid her the money.

The question after the ABC News settlement with Trump is whether the establishment media will pull back from its coverage of Trump, even if his lies will be pointed out as they have been in the past. The Washington Post famously counted more than 30,000 lies uttered by Trump during his first tenure in the White House. After Bezos’ pay-off to Trump’s inaugural committee, will there be another lie-o-meter kept by the Washington Post?

I guess we’ll have to wait and see. Trump has threatened the broadcast licenses of the major television networks and has threatened to file more defamation cases. He already has filed a lawsuit against CBS News alleging that the network “interfered” in the election by editing an interview with Kamala Harris so that she would appear in a better light than she would have if the interview had been broadcast unedited. This lawsuit would be laughable were it not for the fact that Trump went judge-shopping and filed it in Amarillo, Texas, where there is only one judge in the federal court district of Northern Texas, Matthew Kacsmaryk, who has made himself famous for putting his thumb down on the scales of justice for conservatives in case after case.

If past is prologue, people who want unadulterated news about the coming Trump administration will probably have to listen to podcasts and watch independent political coverage on YouTube and read independent blogs on the internet.

Whether the First Amendment will survive another Trump administration is the question we should be asking.

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“Invitation for corruption”: Warren suggests Elon Musk could be using Trump to make himself richer

After dropping more than $250 million on his effort to elect Donald Trump, billionaire and Pentagon contractor Elon Musk could now use his power and influence to steer sweetheart deals to his network of companies, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., warned in a letter sent Monday to the Trump transition team.

Musk, the CEO of X and Tesla who is now worth more than $400 billion, has been named by President-elect Trump as co-chair of an austerity commission dubbed the "Department of Government Efficiency." The nongovernmental DOGE could propose major cuts to social programs and other federal spending, as well as recommend other changes that could benefit Musk personally.

DOGE: How Elon Musk could use his new meme "department" to target government employees and programs

In her letter, obtained by The Washington Post, Warren said Musk may not share the same interests as the American public.

“Putting Mr. Musk in a position to influence billions of dollars of government contracts and regulatory enforcement without a stringent conflict of interest agreement in place is an invitation for corruption on a scale not seen in our lifetimes,” Warren wrote. “As your Transition Team Ethics Plan makes clear, the role of government is not to line the pockets of the wealthiest Americans; a strong, enforceable ethics plan for the world’s richest man is a necessary first step for delivering on that promise.”

Warren's letter comes after Reuters reported earlier this month that the incoming Trump administration may also scrap a crash-reporting requirement for autonomous-driving systems, a move that would benefit Tesla, which reports by far the most incidents.

Karoline Leavitt, a spokesperson for the president-elect, dismissed Warren's concerns with what some indigenous groups consider a racist slur, telling the Post that Musk is part of a "qualified team of innovators, entrepreneurs and geniuses."

about Elon Musk

“We refused to compromise on the art”: Badfinger’s remixed “Head First” finally gets new life

When it comes to rock ‘n’ roll’s greatest tragedy, there’s really no contest. Badfinger — those power-pop pioneers and Beatles heir-apparents — take the sweepstakes every time. The group’s out-and-out sacrifice and destruction on the altar of greed resulted in the twin suicides of Pete Ham and Tom Evans, Badfinger’s gifted singer-songwriters. But before they took their exit from this corporeal plane, the duo made one last stab at greatness in the form of "Head First."

Five decades after the album’s original production, Ham and Evans’s surviving bandmate Bob Jackson has deftly prepared a new mix for "Head First." Working with Andy Nixon, Jackson has remixed the album for new generations of listeners. While the Welsh band’s story is pocked with despair and unmet potential, their remarkable achievements during their heartbreakingly brief time together continues to attract new fans, year after year.

And what’s not to love? In the early 1970s, they churned out a spate of hits marked by a searing originality with such titles as "No Matter What," "Day After Day" and "Baby Blue." They also scored memorable turns with a cover version of Paul McCartney’s “Come and Get It” and (as the Iveys) “Maybe Tomorrow.” Characterized by high-energy musicianship and strikingly original songwriting, Badfinger’s possibilities seemed utterly limitless.

Why '70s soft rock came back, and why it's not going anywhere

As with so many acts, their financial naivete proved to be their ruination. Ironically, it was a cover version that proved to be Badfinger’s undoing. A collaboration by Ham and Evans, the soaring ballad “Without You” emerged as an international hit in the hands of Harry Nilsson. No less than Paul McCartney, a consummate hitmaker in his own right, pronounced Nilsson’s version as “the killer song of all time.” As Nilsson’s cover lorded over the charts, “Without You” promised to generate enormous royalties for Badfinger — the likes of which Ham and Evans could scarcely imagine.

By the time they convened at Apple Studios . . . the band was already in disarray.

As it turned out, their dreams of untold riches were theoretical at best. In 1970, Badfinger’s manager Bill Collins turned over the reins to Stan Polley, a shrewd negotiator who, for all intents and purposes, seemed to be the hard-nosed advocate the band sorely needed. In a move that would have tragic ramifications, the bandmates agreed to a deal with Polley that gave him full, irrevocable authority to negotiate all contracts on their behalf.

As fledgling recording artists with the Beatles’ Apple Records, Badfinger churned out a succession of albums, eventually signing a seemingly lucrative deal with Warner Bros. in 1974. By the time they convened at Apple Studios that December to record "Head First," the die had been cast. The band was already in disarray, with longtime lead guitarist Joey Molland having taken his leave. When Warner Bros. learned about the extent of Polley’s fiscal depravity, they mothballed the album.

By April 1975, with the band’s future in tatters and teetering on bankruptcy, Ham killed himself. His suicide note didn’t pull any punches. “I will not be allowed to love and trust everybody,” he wrote. “This is better. Pete. P.S. Stan Polley is a soulless bastard. I will take him with me.” Evans would follow suit in 1983, killing himself with the financial realities of the band’s Apple era still hanging over him.

For Jackson, the recording sessions associated with "Head First" make for pleasant, albeit all short memories. In just over a fortnight, Badfinger regained their magic with such standout tracks as “Lay Me Down,” “Hey, Mr. Manager” and “Rock ‘n’ Roll Contract.” The latter tracks are bitter reminders that the band’s fiscal woes were never too far out of earshot.

"Head First" finds new and refreshing life in Jackson and Nixon’s hands.

The crisp new remix for "Head First," out now on CD and vinyl, owes a debt to Jackson’s relentless efforts to see the project through to fruition. As he recently explained to me, “I’ve been working for 50 years to make it happen — literally since Warners shelved the album and all of the mayhem that ensued from that.” Over these many years, Jackson has been on a quest to trace the location of the LP’s original multi-tracks. Even as recently as a year ago, Jackson felt as though “there was no hope. I thought I’d lost my chance. But getting hold of the multi-track stems changed everything.”

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"Head First" finds new and refreshing life in Jackson and Nixon’s hands. In particular, Jackson is proud of the album’s high quality in spite of the prevailing conditions. “Even though we were being rushed into the studio,” he recalls, “we didn’t want any kind of compromise when it came to the music. We were only given a very short time, as you know, less than two weeks, and we had to do everything in that time, including rehearsing, arranging, and recording the numbers. We refused to compromise on the art. We wanted to make it absolutely as good as we could.”

Five decades in the making, "Head First" is a testament — not only to Jackson’s steadfast commitment to seeing the project through, but also to the enduring power of Badfinger as one of rock’s most innovative and enduring acts. And if nothing else, Jackson reminds us, perhaps the band will also serve as a cautionary tale about what happens when “naïve artists become exploited by unscrupulous management. Hopefully, the music business, in general, has continued to learn some lessons from the story of Badfinger.”

If you are in crisis, please call the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988, or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741.

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“Trump has no real mandate for what he is planning”: The push for Christian nationalism may backfire

Donald Trump has promised to be a dictator on “day one” of his administration. Based on his already-announced plans and those in process, Trump, like other autocrats and authoritarians, means what he says. His words and statements should be understood both literally and figuratively. Trump’s (and the Republican Party’s and the “conservative” movement’s) models of leadership are Vladimir Putin and Viktor Orbán. Trump and his MAGA presidential administration and movement will attempt to remake American society in their mold — and do so very quickly.

Trump’s White Christian voters are the base of his support. He would not have been elected without them. Professor Ryan Burge, an associate professor of political science at Eastern Illinois University, told The Salt Lake Tribune, “It’s hard to overcome the white God gap…in a place like Pennsylvania or Michigan and Wisconsin.” White Christians are now literally and metaphorically Trump’s biblical "arrows" and "armor." For example, on Jan. 6 White Christian extremists were in the vanguard of the attack on the Capitol and attempt to end America’s multiracial pluralistic democracy. Christian extremists also play a central role in the right-wing paramilitary and “militia” movement more broadly. Research by Robert P. Jones of PRRI shows that White Christians (specifically, members of the White Christian Right and Christian Nationalists) are more likely to be authoritarian and to endorse the use of political violence than are other Americans.

Given his behavior and values, many in the mainstream news media remain perplexed by Trump’s popularity among White Christians. After over eight years and Trump’s imminent return to the White House, this response is now mostly performative; an act of willful ignorance and denial. Ultimately, the explanation is basic and the root of politics and power: Trump has promised and is giving White Christians what they want, and in return, they are supporting him.

Trump wants unlimited power. White Christians (especially the Christian Right and Christian Nationalists) want the power to control what they describe as the “7 Mountains” or spheres of society: religion, government, family, education, media, business and arts and entertainment. They seek to impose their theocratic vision on the United States and its people. Trump did not seduce or trick White Christians into supporting him and the MAGA movement. It was a mutual agreement based on shared interests.

Reversing the "weaponization of Christianity": How "religous freedom" can be used to fight Trumpism

The American people are going to find out very soon what life will be like under such a regime. It will be no heavenly paradise.

The Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush is the president and CEO of Interfaith Alliance. An ordained Baptist minister, he works with affiliates, networks, and leaders in Washington, D.C., and across the country to forge powerful alliances among people of diverse faiths and beliefs to build a resilient, inclusive democracy and uphold religious freedoms. He hosts the weekly podcast and radio show “The State of Belief”, distributed by Religion News Service, holding weekly conversations with inspiring spiritual leaders, civic exemplars, artists and activists. Prior to coming to Interfaith Alliance, Rev. Raushenbush served as senior vice president of the Auburn Seminary and as the founding and executive editor of HuffPost Religion. He is regularly invited to offer commentary on issues of religion and civil rights in national outlets including CNN, CBS, ABC, MSNBC, NPR, New York Times, Washington Post, the Guardian and Religion News Service. He has published two books and contributed essays to several volumes on faith in public life.

In this conversation, Rev. Raushenbush explains how the deeply corrupt and dangerous relationship between the Christian Right, Trumpism and the larger authoritarian project came into being and how it imperils American democracy and freedom. He warns that many members of the Christian Right literally believe that Trump has been sent to them by God so that they can impose their will on American society and see themselves as being in a type of holy war against the “Satanic” forces of “the Left,” “secular society,” and “liberals and progressives.” At the end of this conversation, Rev. Raushenbush reflects on what it means to be a “good Christian” in this time of democracy crisis and the Age of Trump.

This is the second of a two-part conversation:

Given his values, behavior and politics, how was Donald Trump able to win a majority of White Christians across almost all denominations? How do they reconcile such a decision given their supposed faith commitments and beliefs?

For those who are not true MAGA believers, but who voted for Trump, I think there is a sense of fear of a changing nation. They feel like they are no longer sure of their place in American society. They believe that people like them are being displaced by some type of Other. They are worried about not being at the center of American identity going forward and instead being just one small part of a wider tapestry in America.

Trump has been very clear in his promises to represent White Americans and White Christian Americans, specifically. Trump is basically saying — and, in some cases, has literally said — “I am your protector and defender. I will save you, Christians.” Trump tells them that he is their savior and salvation and that if they don’t choose him then Christians are going to be victimized and oppressed in America. He says, “I will put you in positions of national power.” Trump is also putting the Christian Right in positions of great power in his administration. They are expecting that the Christian Right’s version of Christianity, White Christian Nationalism, will be made the official religion of the country under Trump.

"There is deep hypocrisy here for those on the right who are always condemning 'big government' infringing on their 'freedom,' but then seek to make public schools into places where their particular religion is imposed on all students."

Today’s White Christian Nationalists are very extreme and emboldened by Trump. They see women in power and they want to subjugate them. They see gay people living their lives and being happy and they want to take that away. It is a personal offense to them. Gay people — especially transgender people — should not exist in the world that these Christian Nationalists want to create. They hold up the Bible as proof that transgender people are some sort of violation of God’s Will. The Christian Right sees Trump as a way of imposing power over all of American society and life. Many of their leaders truly believe that God has sent Trump to them. Trump is a way for the Christian Nationalists to create their version of America — white male-dominated and controlled by people like them. As we saw on Jan. 6, there is a very militant, violent and dangerous component to Christian Nationalism in the Age of Trump, where they are willing to do whatever it takes to get and keep power. They believe they are in a type of holy war against satanic forces, which they equate with “the left,” and that Trump is a tool of prophecy.

Once somebody summons God or faith in a discussion of politics and society as some type of ultimate truth claim or proof there is nothing more to discuss, because you can't win that argument. That is one of the main reasons that religion and real democracy are incompatible.

If someone is summoning God to use that as a way of dictating to others, imposing their will on them, then there is no room for compromise. There's no way to forge a consensus or even have a meaningful conversation.

I believe that there are many ways that faith can positively impact democracy, but it must be in a way that is mindful and respectful of the role of religion and communities of faith within a broader democracy. This is quite different from imposing one’s religious views on others. Dr. King and the Civil Rights Movement and Black Prophetic tradition are an example of how to do this.

Please translate for those people who are not conversant in the language of the Christian Right, specifically, and the Christian fundamentalists and other Biblical literalists more broadly. For example, they consistently describe the Democrats, liberals, progressives, and “the Left” as being “Satanic” and “evil.” Trump of course does not believe any of this stuff, but it is a powerful weapon he used for great impact. The Christian Right also talks about and uses “spiritual warfare” in support of Trump and MAGA. People, especially in the mainstream news media and political class, tend to laugh at and mock such thinking and language. It is deadly serious and one of the ways that Trump was able to take the White House.

Those who are unfamiliar with the world of the Christian Right, with how these fundamentalists and literalists see reality and politics, are missing so much of the intentionality behind Trump and his use of language. For example, Trump said that Harris is a “Jezebel.” In a biblical framework, Jezebel and her people must be destroyed.

Christian Nationalists and other members of the Christian Right literally believe that they are talking to God and that God is telling them what to do. In their minds, God is telling them to make the country into a White Christian Theocracy. This “kingdom of God” is not metaphorical. When these Christian Nationalists talk about “God’s armor” and “arrows” their allusions to violence are not metaphorical. We saw this on Jan. 6.

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They have a worldview where a person is either on God's side or you're on the Devil’s side. The Christian Right describes their strategy and goal for taking over American society as “the Seven Mountains.” These mountains encompass every aspect of life and society. It's not only government. It's also entertainment. It's economics. They are trying to take over the levers of society. These plans are very real and are accelerating thanks to Trump’s victory in the 2024 election.

What is “Christian Nationalism”? Why is it a bad thing and antithetical to a healthy democracy and society?

Christian Nationalism has been mainstreamed now; not too long ago it was on the fringe of both politics and the church. Trump’s nominees and other leading Republicans now brag that they are Christian Nationalists. Christian Nationalists are people who believe that the United States was founded for Christians, that Christians have a continued privileged position in this country, and that maintaining the blessing of God for this country is dependent on the US maintaining specific kinds of Christian identity and Christian laws.

In truth, of course, America was NOT founded as a Christian nation. The First Amendment guarantees against exactly that kind of theocracy, with the non-establishment clause — it is one of the most important and positive things that the founders of this country said and did. Additionally, from a Christian theological perspective, the idea that God favors one country over another goes directly against Jesus' teachings. There is no basis in Christian thought for it and it is blasphemous at its core.

Christian Nationalism has a deep and ugly history in this country, even if ugly, racist language is not always used directly or publicly by its leaders or followers. White Christian Nationalism supported White-on-Black chattel slavery and saw it as part of the “civilizing” mission for Christians. White Christian supremacy was also the backbone of the Confederacy and the Ku Klux Klan. Christian Nationalists opposed the Civil Rights Movement and supported Jim Crow. In total, Christian Nationalism is a white identity movement that emphasizes patriarchy, xenophobia, nativism, and White Christian supremacy.

The Jesus Christ of the Bible is not a gangster capitalist. The society, politics and community he modeled was that of a humane society that showed care and concern for the poor and the vulnerable. There are many progressive Christian faith communities. But the public face of Christianity in America at present and since at least the 1980s is the Christian Right. How did this branding and capturing of American Christianity take place?

Much has been written about this. The basic story I would offer is that in the 1970s and 1980s, certain personalities rose to prominence through their skillful use of the news media, in particular cable news. Billy Graham and Jerry Falwell are the most prominent examples. These very conservative Christian voices, almost all of them white men, created their own media empires. The mainstream news media piggy-backed onto those figures and networks, finding them compelling and attention-grabbing. They wanted access to those voices. Falwell was represented by many as representing “Christianity,” rather than just one particular subset of American Christians. The Christian Right continued to grow those networks and present itself as the face of “real” Christianity in America.

Trump has basically said to this movement: I have something you want, which is political power, and you have something I want, which is the people who can help give me that power. They made a Faustian bargain together. You can spend a billion dollars like Harris and the Democrats did to try to mobilize voters, or you can leverage the preexisting media apparatus, congregational networks, and other trusted voices on the Christian Right to do that work for you — to get their people to support you at the polls. The White Christian leaders told their faith community that Donald Trump is going to protect them from Armageddon and Satan. Predictably, they voted for Trump.

What is actually happening right now in states like Oklahoma, Texas, and Florida where the Christian Nationalist regime is taking over? Specifically, what about these “Trump Bibles”? It sounds like a bad joke, but it is all very real.

Trump created and sold a Bible that also features various “sacred” American documents such as the Declaration of Independence, alongside the text of the Bible itself. Putting secular documents together with the Holy Bible is technically an act of blasphemy. The Bible certainly does not need the Constitution to validate its spiritual power and authority, and the Constitution does not need the Bible to validate its own authority.

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It has now been mandated that public schools in Oklahoma must incorporate the Bible into their curricula. The legislatures in Texas and in Florida have passed laws that allow schools to replace school counselors with untrained “chaplains.” These chaplains are not prohibited from proselytizing to students. This agenda is being pushed by extreme right-wing Christian political activists. Imagine this scenario: a child is in crisis and needs a professional and properly trained counselor to help them. Instead, they are directed towards an untrained chaplain, who can use that opportunity to proselytize too or religiously coerce the child — and certainly won’t be able to provide them with the type and level of care that they need. Most parents would likely object to that, viewing religion as a matter for the home.

There is deep hypocrisy here for those on the right who are always condemning “big government” infringing on their “freedom,” but then seek to make public schools into places where their particular religion is imposed on all students. In Louisiana, the schools, up to the college level, are under pressure to display the 10 Commandments in the classroom. This is an agenda for government-mandated prayer. It’s bad for schools, bad for teachers, bad for parents and bad for children.

The Constitution has the Establishment Clause, which prohibits the government from “establishing” a national religion. There is separation of church and state in this country. There are to be no religious tests for public office. The Framers were explicit in this regard. Yet, here we are.

The white Christian Nationalist agenda is advancing. We are also seeing so many efforts to ban books and to make it illegal to teach the real complicated history of this country — because it may hurt white people’s feelings, or undermine their political worldview. This is an Orwellian Theocratic project.

What does it mean to be a “good Christian” in this time of crisis and trouble?

If you can't find a way to love your neighbor right now, then consider not describing yourself as a “good Christian.” Being a good Christian in this moment means embracing and harnessing the radical power of love. This can play out in both public and private ways. Publicly, it will mean standing in solidarity with the individuals and groups who are going to be targeted by Trump and his MAGA movement. We are in a moment that Jesus’ teachings and the teachings of the prophets were meant for. What does it actually mean to say blessed are the poor and woe to the rich? What does it really look like to welcome the stranger? What does it mean to do as Jesus did when he broke bread with the outcast and forgotten and called them his beloved? What does it mean to not judge but to love? How do we use the teachings of Jesus against those who claim his name but show themselves as hypocrites when it comes to his teachings and actions? In Matthew 23 Jesus says: "Woe to you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to make one convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as fit for hell as you are!”

What about the self-described “good Christians” who voted for Donald Trump?

Being a good Christian is not a label or an identity. Being a good Christian is shown through one’s actions. That is what the Bible actually teaches us. Matthew 7 warns: “You shall know them by the fruits — a good tree (faith) shall bear good fruit; a bad tree will bear bad fruit.” What we are seeing with MAGA Christian nationalism is a bad tree and bad faith. When you see people attacking the Capitol with crosses used as bayonets, they are showing you the lethal fruit of their faith. When you see people spewing hate at trans people, causing people to die by restricting their access to abortion care, rounding up immigrants — they are showing you the poisonous fruits of their faith. When you see people attacking Black people, Jews, Muslims and other religious minorities, making excuses for rapists and misogyny and taking away economic protections for the poor and the weak — they are showing you the corrupt fruits of their faith.

What, if anything, gives you hope in this time of darkness and dread?

As long as there are good people who continue to work together towards a vision of democracy that uplifts and protects the dignity and equality of every person, then I will have hope. Trump has no real mandate for what he is planning — the actual plans that he has on these issues are unpopular and many people are about to remember exactly why he reached record levels of unpopularity when he last served as president. My biggest fear, on the other hand, is that we will allow ourselves to be intimidated into silence and obedience. As long as we can overcome this fear and continue to join together to speak out and take against the Christian nationalist agenda, I believe we can and will eventually prevail.

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Elon Musk, now worth over $400 billion, leads Trump’s super-rich administration

Elon Musk’s net worth has topped $400 billion, making him the first person in the world to reach that threshold and far ahead of the other billionaires tapped for President-elect Donald Trump's incoming administration.

Musk, CEO of Tesla and co-leader of Trump's new DOGE nongovernmental advisory group, has seen his fortune increase 77% since the Nov. 5 election to $447 billion, USA Today reported.

Musk received a bump of $62.8 billion on Wednesday — the biggest one-day jump on record, Bloomberg reported. It came in part from an insider share sale at SpaceX, Musk's space exploration startup, and from Tesla shares, which rallied to a record high.

Why tech billionaires dress like that

Tesla shares make up the bulk of Musk’s fortune and have gained 71% this year, per Bloomberg. Tesla's stock has been boosted by expectations that Trump will make it easier for self-driving cars to launch and eliminate tax credits for electric vehicles that help Tesla competitors, Bloomberg reported.

SpaceX, a privately-held company, makes most of its money contracting with the government and could get more support under the Trump administration. Jared Isaacman, Trump’s choice for head of NASA, has praised SpaceX as “the most innovative, literally impressive organization that I’ve ever seen.” Isaacman, a fellow billionaire tech executive, made the first commercial spacewalk on a SpaceX flight in September. According to CNN, he has an extensive partnership with SpaceX, both as a customer and collaborator.

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Trump was worth $5.5 billion as of mid-November, per Forbes. According to Fortune, his incoming administration is likely to introduce America’s richest Cabinet in history.

Stephen Feinberg, co-CEO of private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management and worth $8 billion, has reportedly been offered the position of deputy defense secretary. Warren Stephens, head of financial services firm Stephens Inc., is worth $5.1 billion and has been tapped as ambassador to the United Kingdom.

Howard Lutnick, worth $2.2 billion, is head of financial services firm Cantor Fitzgerald. Lutnick is Trump’s nominee for commerce secretary and co-chair of the Trump transition team. Isaacman, appointed to lead NASA, is worth $1.7 billion, Fortune reported.

Vivek Ramaswamy, a former GOP presidential candidate in the 2024 race, is founder of pharmaceutical company Roivant Sciences and worth $1 billion, per Fortune. Trump tapped him to lead the "Department of Government Efficiency" along with Musk.

Frank Bisignano, president and CEO of fintech company Fiserv and worth $1 billion, has been tapped as commissioner for the Social Security Administration.

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RFK Jr. could hijack the conversation about Luigi Mangione — and set health care back for decades

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. sure is lucky in his timing. The former Democrat turned MAGA conspiracy theorist has a series of meetings with Senate Republicans and insurance company executives this week in an effort to create a clean pathway to confirmation as Donald Trump's secretary for Health and Human Services (HHS). He was already benefitting from credulous coverage from mainstream news organizations repackaging his open hatred of medical science as "tough" on Big Pharma or "promoting" healthy diets, all of which is flat-out false. As journalist Michael Hobbes noted on Bluesky, "Pundits keep pretending that RFK Jr is 'anti Big Pharma' but that is just what anti-vaxxers say to make their ideas seem palatable. He constantly promotes Ivermectin and Hydroxychloroquine, both of which are produced by pharma companies." Then the nation's attention was drawn to the killing of UnitedHealth CEO Brian Thompson, gunned down on a New York City street on his way to a shareholder meeting.

People's anger at the health care system can easily be hijacked, turning them away from the real source of their pain — for-profit insurance companies — and towards conspiracy theories, such as Kennedy's false claims that vaccines are dangerous and don't work.

The alleged shooter, Luigi Mangione, has turned into a folk hero in some corners, as people point out that health insurers kill exponentially more people when they deny coverage simply to make more money. Wherever one falls in the moral debate over the public reaction, there can be no doubt that the shooting has ignited a national discussion about the widespread frustration and lack of trust Americans have in our health care systems. There are two directions the conversation can go now. This could be an opportunity to educate the public about the evils of for-profit health care and to create political will to replace private insurance companies with government-run systems that save money and lives. Or it could be a chance for nefarious forces to redirect people's attention to conspiracy theories, paranoid nonsense, and outright delusions. Trump, Kennedy and their fellow MAGA conspiracists want the second option. Progressives should be forceful in seizing this moment to keep Kennedy from using it to set back American healthcare by decades.

Trump's instinct to seize on conspiracy theories to sow division and paranoia kicked in again on Monday, telling reporters there are "problems" with vaccine and, "If you look at autism, so 30 years ago we had I heard numbers like 1 in 200,000, 1 in 100,000. Now I’m hearing numbers like 1 in 100. So something’s wrong. There’s something wrong. And we’re going to find out about it." Of course, the actual answer is well-known in scientific communities, where the issue has been studied for years, showing vaccines are safe and rising rates of autism are largely about shifts in diagnostic techniques. But Trump understands that fascism is more popular in societies where people reject facts and science, and so cannot help but seize on every opportunity to spread more lies.

The precarity of the situation goes right back to the incoherent politics of Mangione himself. Before he was caught, a lot of pundits, both left and right, assumed the shooter must be a leftist, because of the anti-capitalist bent of the "deny, delay, and depose" messaging left on the bullet casings at the scene. After he was arrested, however, it became clear he had a Joe Rogan-style mish-mash of opinions, all over the political map. Writer Mark Harris called him "a very recognizable type of young male ideology tourist." As Peter Rothpletz at the Guardian explained:

Mangione’s Twitter/X account is a kaleidoscopic fever dream with no clear ideological rudder. It seems he has a genuine interest in health and wellness. “Wokeness” and masculinity are occasionally discussed; so too are climate change, psychedelics and the potential risks and rewards of artificial intelligence. Pornography, in Mangione’s mind, “should be regulated no less than alcohol, cigarettes, and travel” – and certain sex toys should be banned. He likes Joe Rogan but disdains Jordan Peterson.

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A lot of people are like Mangione in this regard, ready to latch onto random explanations for their discontent, with little regard to whether it's factual or logical. People's anger at the health care system can easily be hijacked, turning them away from the real source of their pain — for-profit insurance companies — and towards conspiracy theories, such as Kennedy's false claims that vaccines are dangerous and don't work. In many ways, Kennedy's lies are even more attractive. Changing the gargantuan insurance industry is a daunting task. Convincing yourself you don't need medicine if you just drink raw milk is a much lower bar for entry, even if it's utterly idiotic.

Over the weekend, CNN interviewed Kennedy booster Zen Honeycutt, who founded the anti-science group Moms Across America. She believes "we won't even need health care" if Kennedy gets rid of vaccines and other crank bugaboos like genetically modified foods. "We won't be going to doctors," Honeycutt said with a straight face, "because we won't be sick." Like most of these conspiracy theorists, she paints a picture of halcyon days before pasteurization, vaccines and modern farming practices. In reality, of course, life expectancy was under 50 years old in 1900, because of the prevalence of diseases that are now easily prevented.

Kennedy hasn't said anything about Mangione, even though the alleged murderer hinted at his support for Kennedy's failed presidential run on Twitter back in July. But Kennedy doesn't need to. The widespread interest in Mangione and his motivations is enough to focus people's minds on their health care anxieties, priming more of them to back Kennedy's conspiracy theories as merely a "bold" way to tackle the health care issue. Kennedy makes it worse with his misleading "Make America Healthy Again" slogan, which has led to alarmingly high levels of support among voters who clearly have no idea that Kennedy's anti-vaccination and anti-regulation agenda would make Americans much sicker.

With the shooting in the news, progressives have a chance to capture people's attention and direct it toward real solutions. Unfortunately, that is being stepped on by the exaggerated horror the Beltway press and mainstream politicians are exhibiting over the dark humor that some on social media responded to the shooting with. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., offered what should have been a non-controversial take, that the "visceral response" from the public "should be a warning to everyone in the health care system." She explicitly said "Violence is never the answer," but argued it was inevitable when people "lose faith in the ability of their government to make change." In response, both Republicans and Democrats disingenuously lashed out at her, pretending that she was valorizing murder, instead of trying to prevent it by discussing root causes.

Reversing the "weaponization of Christianity": How "religous freedom" can be used to fight Trumpism

Republicans do not oppose violence, which is why they are currently celebrating Daniel Penny, who was acquitted of murder despite killing a homeless man in front of a subway car full of witnesses. What they are worried about is that this shooting might lead to real shifts in public opinion around health care, to the point where voters might finally be ready to back an option like Medicare-for-All. They're just exploiting the Pollyannaish tendencies among Democratic leaders to shame progressives into silence. This is no different than when Republicans pretend it's disrespectful to talk about gun control after a mass shooting. Republicans use these shaming-and-silencing techniques because they know they would lose any open and honest debate about policy. There is no reason for Democrats to go along with it.

One way or another, Americans are talking about health care right now. If progressives stay silent, that leaves a vacuum that will only be filled with the conspiratorial nonsense Kennedy peddles. It would be nice if the occasion for a public debate about health care were kicked off by something other than a cold-blooded murder, of course. But waiting for a less icky opportunity means ceding the ground to people who want to make the structural problems much worse. Kennedy may present like a man out to "reform" the healthcare industry, but in reality, he's meeting with insurance executives at Mar-a-Lago. Kennedy's ideology is a neat fit for a predatory insurance industry. He blames vaccines and "poor" diets for people's illnesses — a blame-the-victim mentality that suits the executive goal of denying even more health care to ordinary Americans.

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TikTok changed the shopping game. Then came a potential ban

TikTok Shop, launched in September 2023, has become an e-commerce behemoth as its platform edges toward leaving the U.S. On Black Friday, TikTok Shop tripled its sales from the previous year, bringing in more than $100 million in just one day.

But a new law requires the app's parent company to sell it or be banned in the U.S., which TikTok says could happen by Jan. 19. The Chinese-based app hasn't had much luck so far convincing the courts to let it remain in the U.S. On Monday, it asked the Supreme Court to weigh in.

TikTok, which has 170 million American users, says its departure could result in a loss of more than $1 billion in revenue for small businesses and as much as $300 million in earnings in one month for creators. A survey in March showed that most users would move to YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels if TikTok leaves.

Additionally, TikTok operations contributed $8.5 billion to the U.S. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2023. The platform’s advertising, marketing and organic reach contributed much more to the GDP, adding $24.2 billion. GDP is often used as a measure of economic output and activity.

Social media has changed the way we spend

What’s selling on TikTok Shop

TikTok Shop items are as diverse as its sellers. However, certain product categories are far more popular than others.

According to Statista research, beauty and personal care items took the top spot in the volume of products sold worldwide in 2023, clocking in at 370 million. Womenswear and underwear came in second, selling close to 285 million products.

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Food and beverage products came in third, selling 138 million items. Home supplies on TikTok Shop sold about 137.5 million items. Rounding out the top five, fashion accessories on TikTok Shop sold about 98 million items in 2023.

In 2024, sales continue booming. “January 1 through the end of November, there's already been 6.1 billion in sales in just the U.S. in TikTok Shop, which is insane. Think about how many years it took for Amazon to get to that kind of scale. The fact that they've done it in year one is just mind-blowing,” said Alex Nisenzon, CEO at Charm.io, a brand discovery and analysis platform that tracks and analyzes about 4 million direct-to-consumer brands across things like social media following and engagement, reseller distribution and more. The company recently released its second data set, which tracks daily sales of every product sold on TikTok Shop.

Beauty and personal care, womenswear and underwear continue to make up the majority of sales on TikTok Shop. “The top category by far is beauty and personal care. There's been about 1.27 or just under 1.3 billion in sales in beauty and personal care, and in womenswear and underwear,” Nisenzon said.

"Think about how many years it took for Amazon to get to that kind of scale. The fact that they've done it in year one is just mind-blowing"

More categories are rising in popularity in 2024: health, sports and outdoor and phones and electronics were right behind the others, according to Nisenzon.

Top items on TikTok Shop

The best-selling items on TikTok Shop can vary, depending on the category.

Here’s a look into some of the top items being sold on the platform, with thousands of sales each:

1. Homeika Cordless Vacuum. It’s not just small or cheap items that are selling well on TikTok Shop. The Homeika Cordless Vacuum Cleaner has sold over 196,000 items.

2. DrBiocare Collagen. You might not expect supplements to be one of the hottest buys on TikTok Shop, but DrBiocare Collagen has sold more than 154,000 items.

3. Light Up Acrylic Message Board. As a novelty purchase, the Light Up Acrylic Message Board is finding success on TikTok Shop, selling over 127,0000 items.

4. Oregano Oil. Another supplement is finding popularity. Micro Ingredients Oregano Oil with Black Seed Oil sold over 116,000 items.

5. All Season Blanket. Cozy vibes are popular year-round as evidenced by the All Season Blanket selling more than 108,000 items.

6. Honeypot Lip Mask. Keeping with the trend of beauty and personal care as top sellers on TikTok Shop, the honeypot lip mask looks straight out of Winnie the Pooh and has sold more than 91,000 items.

How TikTok Shop changed e-commerce

TikTok Shop allows sellers to promote directly to their audience and they have a number of ways to do that. Whether using in-feed videos, live streams or the Showcase tab, brands can build a following, enhancing the “know, like, trust” factor and making it more seamless to sell.

“We've seen this massive trend happening in social overall, where consumers are really interested in what influencers or what they call now ‘creators’ are doing,” Nisenzon said. “And now it's translated to a direct shopping experience that's really taken off in a material way and kind of influencing what people are buying based on it. I think that it's really flipped on its head how new brands go to market. I think it's really demonstrated a willingness of consumers to find new products in ways that they weren't really discovering them before.”

This coincides with Gen Z moving away from Google as a primary search engine in favor of using TikTok and YouTube.

"Consumers are eschewing traditional search engines in favor of platforms like TikTok Shop that offer more personalized recommendations"

"In the discovery phase, consumers are eschewing traditional search engines in favor of platforms like TikTok Shop that offer more personalized recommendations,” said Olivia McNaughten, senior director of product marketing and partnerships at GRIN, a creator management platform. “When considering a purchase, influencer testimonials serve as an elevated ‘word-of-mouth’ marketing, allowing consumers to see the product in action while hearing from creators they trust.”

When you search using TikTok, you’re training the algorithm to know what you like or are interested in and get curated videos based on what you’re looking for.

Through a simple search, you are recommended videos in the “Top” tab. From there, you can go to the “Shop” tab to find related products. For example, you can search “cats” and find a parade of cute and silly videos featuring felines. Heading over to the “Shop” tab you can see cat toys, a cat scratching board, cat pin and other products ranging from the practical — a cat bed — to the ridiculous, like a cat crystal ball.

Given the algorithm and highly curated feeds, you can discover products you didn’t even know you wanted until you saw them.

TikTok Shop has its critics

TikTok Shop has proven to be a massive growth vehicle for online creators and sellers. Some brands are connecting with a new, younger audience there. While there are tons of success stories, at the end of the day TikTok Shop is still a third-party platform.

In other words, you’re not in control of everything. That’s especially true with the question mark regarding TikTok’s future. What might start as something beneficial can turn sour, some users said.

“When TikTok Shop first launched last year, it presented a fantastic opportunity for our Liddle Speaker, driving strong sales through live shows and boosting our brand visibility. However, the landscape has shifted,” said Dan Cass, inventor of the Liddle Speaker, a portable Bluetooth speaker with a high-fidelity microphone for voice and zoom video calls.

“TikTok has negatively impacted our business by fostering an economic imbalance that favors companies based in China," Cass said. "The platform has become a hub for copycat products, leveraging American influencers and content creators to drive their economic growth.”

What’s next?

TikTok Shop has proven to be a major competitor in the e-commerce space, pulling in a staggering amount of money in just a short time. As boundaries between creators and followers start to blur, the opportunity to become a seller comes into focus. Now it’s easier than ever to search and shop on a platform you might already be spending a lot of time on.

But the appeals court that ruled against it cited national concerns raised by members of Congress who backed the law that could lead to its ban. Some have speculated that the Supreme Court could do the same.

Until we know an answer, TikTok Shop will continue to rake in the cash.

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Marjorie Taylor Greene called out for belief that vaccines cause Autism

Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene shared a new controversial theory on Monday, following up past hits like "the U.S. government is controlling the weather" and "wildfires are being caused by space lasers," with a fresh take on what causes Autism.

In a post to X which was, shortly after, hit with a corrective community note, Greene wrote, “I fully believe vaccines cause Autism. It’s another example of crimes against humanity. And innocent babies, children, and their families are the victims."

A bold statement but, as the note now attached to it on Elon Musk's platform proves, it's simply not factual.

"It's so stupid": Biden slams Marjorie Taylor Greene's suggestion that he can "control the weather"

Sourcing 19 links to outside resources disproving Greene's claim, the correction to Greene's statement kicks off with: “Vaccines do not cause autism. The scientific literature on this is so extensive, that claiming otherwise can only be explained through sheer ignorance, or some sort of nefarious political purpose.”

As Newsweek points out in their coverage of Greene's latest theory, she also reposted a video of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump's pick to be the next secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, which echos her belief.

"Yes, Autism is caused by vaccines," Kennedy says in the clip. "The CDC's own data, they did a study in 1989 and the looked at the Hepatitis B vaccine . . .There was a 1,350 percent elevated risk for Autism among the people who got their vaccines."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website states that "studies have shown that there is no link between receiving vaccines and developing autism spectrum disorder."

I fully believe vaccines cause Autism.

It’s another example of crimes against humanity.

And innocent babies, children, and their families are the victims. https://t.co/uR4T1kEsoX

— Marjorie Taylor Greene 🇺🇸 (@mtgreenee) December 16, 2024

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Sydney Sweeney’s body-shaming is another symptom of men wanting to control women’s bodies

Sydney Sweeney is the latest female celebrity in the line of fire of online fanboys and trolls.

The "Euphoria" star was recently photographed by The Daily Mail in her Florida Keys home, lying out in her bathing suit, which was met with hundreds of comments on Sweeney's figure and overall appearance. In the photo, Sweeney has made some clear muscle gains as the actress was "immersed in training" for a Christy Martin boxing biopic that just wrapped filming.

The endless comments targeted Sweeney, rating her "a five at best," or calling the actress a "catfish" or "butterface" which means that a person has an attractive body but an unattractive face. To these men, Sweeney's body is no longer the set ideal they had of her from shows like "Euphoria" where she had controversial nude scenes, her romantic comedy "Anyone But You" or lingerie campaigns for SavageXFenty.

Ariana Grande's health: A timeline of the obsession surrounding her body image

Sweeney, however, wasn't fazed by the criticism and instead compiled the comments and posted them in a video on Instagram that also included various impressive clips of the actress training at the gym. The actress is seen pushing around tires twice her size and wearing boxing gloves, quickly hitting bags with accuracy and speed. The video also shows Sweeney flexing her biceps.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DDiLd20Pvov/

The targeted hate is similar to comments other high-profile female celebrities have received in the past. During Margot Robbie's "Barbie" press tour, online discourse about her "mid" looks had reached millions of views on X. People were dissecting the actress' face and body, trying to understand why she no longer looked like she did in "The Wolf of Wall Street." The discourse raged on despite Robbie playing Barbie, the living version of doll perceived to embody feminine perfection.

The shaming Sweeney and Robbie received is similar because men online have upheld these actresses as the pinnacle of beauty standards. The second they no longer fit into this rigid form of femininity — there was a swift backlash. To these men online, Sweeney's physical attractiveness has always been contingent on her body. But now that her body has transformed into a muscular build — so she can portray a female boxer — she no longer looks how they want her to.

A tweet from Mia Brett pointed out that, "6mo ago Sydney Sweeney was used as a prop by the right [because] she existed as a traditionally blond attractive woman but now that photos were released of her looking great just w/ no make up every conservative man is throwing a fit [because] women can’t exist for ourselves."

Another person, Emily May stated, "Men saying Sydney Sweeney isn't hot is just a reminder that men, collectively, always turn on you the second you are no longer a fantasy for them to consume."

While this targeted hate is rooted in a campaign against Sweeney, other celebrities who have experienced body-shaming like Ariana Grande have had different experiences. The "Wicked" star has been on a global press tour to promote the movie musical, which prompted people to speculate on her mental health, body image and diagnosing her with eating disorders.

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The speculation about Grande's body and mental health came to a head in an interview this month when Grande was asked how she deals with society's beauty standards and the criticism on her body, Billboard reported.

Grande said, "In today's society, there's a comfortability that we shouldn't have at all, commenting on other's looks, appearance, what they think is going on behind the scenes or health or how they present themselves."

While Grande and Sweeney's experiences with relentless comments about their bodies have been different, society remains the same. The troubling pattern shows that the work Sweeney and Grande put into their bodies is not enough unless men online approve, using a very narrow, gendered standard of attractiveness.

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The ultimate 2024 gift guide for food and travel lovers

It’s the season for gifting, and for foodies and travelers, the options are endless. From budget-friendly finds to luxury splurges, we’ve curated a list of the best, most giftable items to help narrow down your possibilities. Whether you’re considering a stellar bottle, a beautiful knife, a high-quality suitcase or ranch-raised beef, you’ll find something fabulous here.

Stocking stuffers

Stocking stuffers can be simple or over-the-top, but they must be small enough to fit (with room to spare for more treats).

Spontaneity Dice: An upgraded version of flipping a coin, these dice are perfect for lovebirds or indecisive friends.
Meliora Forever Instant Cocktail Cubes: Elevate any home bar with these cubes—just add water for easy mixed drinks. The variety pack includes options for tequila, vodka, whiskey, and more.
Gneiss Spice Chili Crisp Mix: Perfect for the spicy food lover, this mix makes a delicious condiment in just five minutes—a great backup for the homemade kind.
Hazy Fudge: A bourbon- and cabernet-infused fudge spread that chocoholics can eat with a spoon. Think of it as grown-up Nutella.
Wildgrain Gift Card: For the friend who loves fresh bread or pastries but doesn’t have the time to bake. These arrive frozen and ready to bake whenever the mood strikes.

How to make holidays any time, any place

Elevated beverages

Terra Kaffe TK-02 Coffee Machine

For the coffee aficionado who can’t skip their morning café stop, the Terra Kaffe TK-02 Connected Super Automatic Espresso Machine is a game-changer. From espresso to drip coffee and complex beverages, this hands-off machine does it all. An optional app allows for customization, preprogramming, and saving favorite settings.

Stündenglass Gravity Hookah and Cocktail Infuser

A true showpiece, the Stündenglass Gravity Hookah functions as a gravity bong, hookah, and even a cocktail or food smoker using high-quality wood chips. Its versatility and high-quality construction make it an unforgettable gift for adventurous foodies and smokers alike.Budget-friendly alternative: Crafthouse by Fortessa’s Smoking Box, a more compact and nonsmoking option for infusing food and drinks.

Ippodo Aficionado Set

Tea is a classic, affordable gift, and Kyoto-based Ippodo’s Aficionado Set elevates it. Featuring three flavorful green teas—Gyokuro, Sencha, and Obukucha—it’s ideal for serious tea drinkers. Pair it with Be Still Tea’s beautiful Steeping Tea Cup for a complete gift.

Twrl Milk Tea Deluxe Holiday Gift Box

For boba lovers, Twrl Milk Tea’s Deluxe Holiday Gift Box has everything: Laoshan Black and Sheng Pu’erh teas, brown sugar boba, honey popping boba, straws, and four plant-based canned milk tea flavors. It’s a fun and flavorful DIY milk tea kit.

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Travel experiences

Hand and Stone Massage

For a traveler who needs some post-journey relaxation, a gift card for Hand and Stone is perfect. With nearly 600 locations nationwide, they can enjoy a massage at home or on their next adventure.

Around the World in Los Angeles

Ruksana Hussain’s book, “Around the World in Los Angeles,” is a delightful guide for LA-based travelers looking to explore their city’s hidden gems. From restaurants to architecture, it’s the perfect starting point for an epic local adventure.

Bean Box World Coffee Tour

The Bean Box World Coffee Tour is a coffee lover’s dream. With 12 sample-size bags of coffee (1.35 lbs total), each labeled with region and tasting notes, it’s a delicious journey around the globe. Pair it with cookies from Little Red Kitchen Bake Shop for an extra-special gift.

Home Cooking Essentials

Le Creuset 7.25-Quart Round Dutch Oven

Le Creuset’s Dutch oven is the gold standard for good reason. Durable, versatile, and built to last, it’s the ultimate gift for home cooks who love to roast, bake, or braise.

COSPRO 3-in-1 Electric Salt & Pepper Grinder Set

This electric grinder set features multiple grind settings, one-handed operation, and a sleek charging station. Pair it with Gneiss Spice’s Pacific Sea Salt, Alaea Salt, and Smoked Peppercorns for a complete gift.

Circulon ScratchDefense Nonstick Cookware Set

For someone who needs a cookware upgrade, the Circulon 11-piece ScratchDefense set is a thoughtful choice. Nonstick, oven- and dishwasher-safe, and guaranteed against scratches, it’s perfect for daily use.

Bosca Olive + Steel Chef’s Knife with Leather Sheath

This olivewood-handled chef’s knife is a work of art. Its versatile blade easily slices through steak, vegetables, and fruit, while the Italian leather sheath makes it ideal for travelers.

Specialty Ingredients

Wildly Virgin João’s Arbosana Olive Oil

This small-batch, unfiltered olive oil is perfect for drizzling on burrata or sourdough. Its elegant bottle makes it a show-stopping gift for foodies.

Burlap & Barrel Chef’s Collection

For the spice enthusiast, Burlap & Barrel’s Chef’s Collection offers unique options like sun-dried tomato powder and ground black lime. This curated set inspires creative cooking.

Tropical Fruit Box

A curated box of exotic fruit—like pink pineapples, white guava and Dominican avocados—brings global flavors right to the table. It’s perfect for the adventurous foodie.

Eagle Rock Ranch Deluxe Rancher Box

Packed with ribeyes, hot dogs, and NY strip steaks, this box from Colorado’s Eagle Rock Ranch is a carnivore’s dream and a standout gift for barbecue enthusiasts.

Peter Luger Extra Thick-Cut Bacon

Famous for their steaks, Peter Luger also makes incredible thick-cut bacon. It arrives vacuum-sealed and frozen—perfect for elevating brunch or a steakhouse-style dinner.

Outdoor travel and adventure gear

Kulkea OTRmost Hydration Pack
For the adventurer who dreads lugging a water bottle around on hikes, the Kulkea OTRmost Hydration Pack is the ultimate solution. Even those who don't mind carrying a bottle will appreciate its lightweight design, adaptable straps, and easy-access pockets for essentials like phones. It holds 1.75 liters of water and fits like a dream — hydration on the go has never been this effortless.

Saris Trunk Bike Rack
Bike racks can be a pain—requiring hitches, roof mounts, or Herculean lifting skills. Enter the Saris BONES EX 2 BIKE TRUNK RACK: a nearly universal option that fits 90% of the top 50 car models in the U.S. The best part? It arrives fully assembled and doesn’t need a hitch at all. It’s the perfect gift for the cyclist in your life, ensuring smooth adventures every time they hit the road.

Mechanic Shop Femme’s Guide to Car Ownership

I’m definitely biased with this gift recommendation, but can you blame me? I wrote Mechanic Shop Femme’s Guide to Car Ownership to help the average car owner get a handle on all things cars. From buying a car to how to find a good mechanic and car insurance, it covers car ownership throughout the lifecycle of a car. There’s a whole chapter on car emergencies, how to recognize that an emergency is, in fact, happening, and what to do about it. If you have a road tripper on your gift list, this is the gift for them (and pretty much anyone who owns a car, but I digress).

KURU Footwear CHICANE Outdoor Adventure Shoes
For hikers and outdoor enthusiasts, the right footwear can make or break an adventure. KURU’s CHICANE shoes deliver all-day comfort, built-in support, and moisture-wicking liners. Available in mesh or leather, these versatile shoes transition seamlessly from rugged trails to everyday wear. Gift these to the walker or adventurer on your list for miles of happy exploring.

Sympl Travel Backpack
Backpacks often have one fatal flaw: they’re hard to organize. The Sympl Travel Backpack solves that with a fully-open design that splits into compartments for effortless packing. A front pocket keeps tech and chargers tidy, while a hidden waterproof pocket safeguards passports and wallets. It’s a sleek and practical gift for travelers, backpackers, or professionals on the go.

Fantastic seafood

Fulton Fish Market – Fulton's Finest Hits
For foodies who love seafood, Fulton Fish Market’s Finest Hits box is a dream come true. It features Atlantic salmon, wild halibut, wild ahi tuna (two portions of each), and a pound of colossal wild scallops. The seafood arrives frozen and vacuum-sealed, making it easy to enjoy immediately or store in the freezer for later indulgence.

Boston’s Best Lobster Roll Kit
Lobster rolls without the hassle of cooking live lobster? Yes, please! Boston’s Best Lobster Roll Kit from Legal Seafood includes everything you need to make eight mouthwatering rolls: 2 pounds of Maine knuckle and claw meat, eight open-top buns, a half-pint of lemony mayo, and butter for that perfect finishing touch. It’s a gift that’s sure to wow any lobster lover.

Island Creek 2 Dozen Oysters
Oyster fans know the struggle of finding high-quality ones, but Island Creek Oysters deliver every time. This gift includes two dozen East Coast oysters that are sure to impress even the pickiest connoisseur. Want to take it up a notch? Add a tin of caviar at 50% off for a truly decadent present.

Topsail Steamer Shark Bite Steamer Pot
Topsail Steamer’s unique seafood buckets make for a memorable gift. Each bucket doubles as a steamer, filled with options like crab legs, shrimp, lobster tail, sausage, clams, corn, and potatoes, plus a seasoning packet. Just follow the instructions for a perfectly cooked seafood feast. The buckets arrive fresh (not frozen), so an e-gift card might be the best option for flexibility.

Tasty eats and treats

Tovala Smart Oven and Fresh Food Delivery
After trying countless food delivery services, I was skeptical when I stumbled upon Tovala. But this one stood out. The meals were flavorful, textures were spot-on, and prep never took more than five minutes. Pair that with the Tovala Smart Oven, which makes cooking as simple as scanning a QR code, and you have a winning combination. The oven isn’t just for Tovala meals—it’s preprogrammed to cook a variety of frozen meals from your local grocery store and works for regular recipes, too. A perfect gift for the busy foodie in your life.

Salt & Straw Pick Your Pints Pack
Ice cream lovers will swoon over Salt & Straw’s adventurous, artisan flavors. From honey lavender and strawberry honey balsamic with black pepper to pear and blue cheese, and even smoked mac and cheese, there’s something for every palate. Gift them a custom pint pack, and they’ll savor the joy all season long.

H&H Bagels – Bagels, Cream Cheese & Nova Scotia Salmon
Nothing says New York City like H&H Bagels. A dozen chewy, classic bagels paired with Nova Scotia smoked salmon and whipped cream cheese makes for an unforgettable brunch spread. Whether they’re topping them with butter or going all-in with lox, this gift is bound to delight bagel aficionados everywhere.

Travel tech

Insta360 GO 3S
For adventurers who want to capture every moment, the Insta360 GO 3S is a game-changer. This compact action camera records stunning 4K video, with options for POV or wide-angle shots. It’s waterproof and perfect for underwater adventures like scuba diving. With added video stabilization and an Action Pod that extends battery life to 140 minutes, this is a must-have for any travel enthusiast.

Headphones for Every Traveler
A good pair of headphones can transform any travel experience. The Bose Ultra Open Earbuds sit comfortably on top of your ear instead of inside, delivering excellent sound quality. For those who prioritize comfort while sleeping or running, SleepPhones Wireless offers a soft headband design that stays in place. Glasses wearers will love Lucyd eyewear, featuring built-in audio for calls, music, or podcasts—no bulky headphones needed. With so many innovative options, the traveler in your life is sure to appreciate these audio upgrades.

Ilios Beauty Ring Travel Bundle
Content creators and remote workers, rejoice! The Ilios Beauty Ring Travel Bundle is your lighting savior. Designed for portability, it attaches to your suitcase and doubles as a lighted makeup mirror. Whether it’s a video call or filming on the go, this bundle ensures you’re always perfectly lit.

Pluto Pod
Say goodbye to cramped necks and restless flights with the Pluto Pod. This travel pillow combines neck support, an eye mask, and noise-blocking features into one cozy, portable design. It’s like a mini sensory deprivation pod, perfect for catching some z’s mid-flight.

Mophie Powerstation
We’ve all experienced the dreaded dead battery while on the go. Enter the Mophie Powerstation Plus, a sleek power bank capable of charging up to three devices at once. It promises two full charges and comes equipped with USB-C and Apple Lightning connectors, making it a practical gift for anyone who’s always in need of a boost.

Cookbooks

Harlem Brew Soul Cookbook
Beer and soul food collide in this unique cookbook from Celeste Beatty, founder of Harlem Brewing Company. With over 80 recipes, stunning illustrations, and a dive into African brewing history, the “Harlem Brew Soul Cookbook” is an inspired gift for food and drink lovers alike.

Kung Food: Chinese American Recipes from a Third-Culture Kitchen
Born from Jon Kung’s social media cooking fame, “Kung Food” combines Chinese, American, and other global flavors in a collection of mouthwatering recipes. Think fragrant chili oil, Hong Kong borscht, and more. It’s the perfect gift for a home cook ready to spice up their repertoire.

EXAU Gift Set: For the Enthusiast
For the olive oil aficionado, this gift set is pure gold. Featuring two bottles of EXAU’s premium Italian olive oil and a copy of "The Olive Oil Enthusiast," this set combines education, recipes (hello, olive oil brownies!) and practical tasting tips. It’s a gift that’s as delicious as it is thoughtful.

Travel essentials

Peridot Robes Jungle Peach

Hotel and spa robes almost never fit—one size fits all, my ass. Peridot Robes crafts high-quality, small-batch robes from fabric remnants in ethical sewing rooms. They’re comfortable, fit like a dream, and make a marvelous gift for any plus-size people on your list. Opt for the Jungle Peach robe or a gift card so they can choose their own (in the right size).

BAIA Everything Beauty Bag

For the traveler who needs every beauty essential at their fingertips, there’s the BAIA Everything Beauty Bag. Complete with a dimmable, removable LED mirror, it functions as both an organizer and a vanity for when one isn’t handy. A built-in luggage strap slides easily over suitcase handles, making it a smart pick for makeup lovers short on packing space.

WOLF Maria Medium Zip Case

For the friend who travels with their jewelry, the WOLF Maria Medium Zip Case is a must-have. Made with beautiful leather and gold hardware, it holds a lot of jewelry while keeping it organized and tangle-free. The specialty lining prevents tarnishing, ensuring treasured pieces stay pristine on the road.

Nomatic Method Check-In Suitcase

A quality suitcase is a must for any traveler, and the Nomatic Method Check-In Luggage delivers. Lightweight and durable, it features 360-degree silent glide wheels, an expandable design, and a compression panel to maximize packing efficiency. A hidden pocket for a GPS tracker adds peace of mind, and it pairs perfectly with the matching carry-on size.

Cadence Capsules

Tired of leaky travel-size bottles? Cadence Capsules are the ultimate solution. These modular, magnetic containers simplify packing your self-care essentials. Completely leakproof and available in three sizes, they’re perfect for storing hair care, skincare, or any travel necessities. Optional extenders are available for added convenience.

Spirits and fine drinks

Alcohol is a time-honored gift for colleagues, hosts, and friends alike. Level up your gifting game with some of the best bottles around.

Splurge

For momentous occasions and sophisticated palates, Tears of Llorona Tequila is worth every penny. This small-batch extra añejo tequila was originally from private stock, never intended for sale. It’s high-quality tequila with a price tag to match and will be savored by any lucky recipient.

For vintage spirit or whiskey lovers, the BHAKTA Armagnac Decade Set offers a journey through the 1980s. Each of the 10 50 ml bottles comes from a single year, creating a unique tasting experience. The set includes a tasting journal for notes, all presented in a gorgeous gift box.

Bricoleur Vineyards’ Brut & Caviar Celebration Set will delight your favorite bougie friend. The brut, aptly named “Flying by the Seat of Our Pants,” pairs beautifully with the included 1 oz. tin of custom Bricoleur x Tsar Nicoulai caviar and a mother-of-pearl spoon. Just add chips and crème fraîche for a full indulgence.

The St. Supéry Estate Vineyards & Winery Elegant Blends duo features two standout wines: the 2018 Napa Valley Estate Élu (red) and the 2022 Napa Valley Estate Virtú (white). Both are highly rated and come in a stylish gift box, making them an excellent choice for wine lovers.

Great Value

Uncle Nearest 1884 Small Batch Whiskey is a meaningful gift with a story. Blended by Victoria Eady Butler, great-great-granddaughter of Nathan “Nearest” Green (the first known African American master distiller), it honors Green’s legacy and his contributions to Jack Daniel’s whiskey. Pair it with engraved glasses for a complete gift.

Pollinator Gin, crafted by Claire M Marin, started with a beekeeping hobby and evolved into a spirit distilled with wildflower honey. A portion of sales supports bee conservation efforts, making it a thoughtful gift for eco-conscious gin lovers.

Hochstadter’s Slow & Low Coffee Old-Fashioned is a ready-to-drink cocktail that packs a punch at 80 proof. Perfect for coffee and whiskey enthusiasts, it’s available in bottles or convenient four-packs of cans.

Forget everything you think you know about cider. Ironbound Farm and Ciderhouse’s Harrison Heritage Collection features ciders made from the nearly lost Harrison apple, a variety they’ve been instrumental in reviving. It’s a game-changing gift for cider lovers.

For non-drinkers, the Free Spirits Company Trifecta is a standout option. The set includes nonalcoholic bourbon, tequila, and gin, providing the building blocks for an array of mocktails.

iichiko Special is a five- to seven-year-aged shochu, a distilled Japanese spirit made from barley and fermented with koji. Its elegant bottle design and smooth taste make it a great gift for lovers of aged liquors.

Equiano Original Dark Rum is an award-winning blend of barrel-aged African and Caribbean rums. Named for Olaudah Equiano, a freedom fighter who liberated himself by selling rum, it’s a meaningful gift. A portion of profits supports freedom and equality causes.

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“The White Lotus” third season teaser promises mystery and a pill-popping Parker Posey

HBO dropped the first official teaser for the third season of "The White Lotus" on Monday, and although creator Mike White's return to a slam dunk format of casting a mixed bag of celebrities as eccentrically stressed resort inhabitors is minus the comedic chops of Jennifer Coolidge, the addition of Parker Posey in her stead gives reason enough to watch.

Rounding out an ensemble that includes Leslie Bibb, Carrie Coon, Jason Isaacs, Walton Goggins, Patrick Schwarzenegger and series alum Natasha Rothwell, Posey plays Victoria Ratliff, vacationing at an exclusive Thai resort with her husband and three children when she finds herself in the middle of some manner of mystery upsetting enough to have her bemoaning the loss of her Lorazepam, forced to drink herself to sleep to make do.

"The White Lotus": Here are the real hotels featured on the show, but can you afford them?

When it was announced in January that Posey would be joining the show this season, it was all very hush hush as to the role she'd be playing and, until now, all we could glean from press photos was that her character was fond of parasols, which tracks.

"I can't tell you anything. I signed an NDA. I can't say anything," Posey said in an interview with Entertainment Tonight at the beginning of 2024. "It'll be six months in Thailand. It's the third [season], so that's when they get all the juices going, I guess. I got to read it. I love it. I'm really excited."

But with this new teaser, the pieces are coming together in a very parasol + pills = Posey kind of way.

Watch below and get ready for the Max premiere on February 16.

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Why does red wine cause headaches? Our research points to a compound found in the grapes’ skin

Medical accounts of red wine headaches go back to Roman times, but the experience is likely as old as winemaking – something like 10,000 years. As chemists specializing in winemaking, we wanted to try to figure out the source of these headaches.

Many components of red wine have been accused of causing this misery – sulfites, biogenic amines and tannin are the most popular. Our research suggests the most likely culprit is one you may not have considered.

The common suspects

Sulfites have been a popular scapegoat for all sorts of ailments since it became mandatory in the 1990s to label them on wines in the U.S. However, not much evidence links sulfites directly to headaches, and other foods contain comparable levels to wine without the same effects. White wines also contain the same amount of sulfites as red wines.

Your body also produces about 700 milligrams of sulfites daily as you metabolize the protein in your food and excrete it as sulfate. To do so, it has compounds called sulfite oxidases that create sulfate from sulfite – the 20 milligrams in a glass of wine are unlikely to overwhelm your sulfite oxidases.

Some people point the finger for red wine headaches at biogenic amines. These are nitrogenous substances found in many fermented or spoiled foods, and can cause headaches, but the amount in wine is far too low to be a problem.

Tannin is a good guess, since white wines contain only tiny amounts, while red wines contain substantial amounts. Tannin is a type of phenolic compound – it's found in all plants and usually plays a role in preventing disease, resisting predation or encouraging seed dispersal by animals.

But there are many other phenolic compounds in grapes' skin and seeds besides tannin that make it into red wines from the winemaking process, and are not present in white, so any of them could be a candidate culprit.

Tannin is also found in many other common products, such as tea and chocolate, which generally don't cause headaches. And phenolics are good antioxidants – they're unlikely to trigger the inflammation that would cause a headache.

A red wine flush

Some people get red, flushed skin when drinking alcohol, and the flushing is accompanied by a headache. This headache is caused by a lagging metabolic step as the body breaks down the booze.

The metabolism of alcohol happens in two steps. First, ethanol is converted to acetaldehyde. Then, the enzyme ALDH converts the acetaldehyde to acetate, a common and innocuous substance. This second step is slower for people who get flushed skin, since their ALDH is not very efficient. They accumulate acetaldehyde, which is a somewhat toxic compound also linked to hangovers.

Leftover acetaldehyde not converted into acetate can cause hangover symptoms. Compound Chemistry, CC BY-NC-ND

So, if something unique in red wine could inhibit ALDH, slowing down that second metabolic step, would that lead to higher levels of acetaldehyde and a headache? To try to answer this question, we scanned the list of phenolics abundant in red wine.

We spied a paper showing that quercetin is a good inhibitor of ALDH. Quercetin is a phenolic compound found in the skins of grapes, so it's much more abundant in red than white wines because red grape skins are left in longer during the fermentation process than white grape skins.

Putting enzymes to the test

Testing ALDH was the next step. We set up an inhibition assay in test tubes. In the assay, we measured how fast the enzyme ALDH breaks down acetaldehyde. Then, we added the suspected inhibitors – quercetin, as well as some other phenolics we wanted to test – to see whether they slowed the process.

The chemical structure of quercetin, which may cause red wine headaches. Johannes Botne, CC BY-SA

These tests confirmed that quercetin was a good inhibitor. Some other phenolics had varying effects, but quercetin glucuronide was the winner. When your body absorbs quercetin from food or wine, most is converted to glucuronide by the liver in order to quickly eliminate it from the body.

Our enzyme tests suggest that quercetin glucuronide disrupts your body's metabolism of alcohol. This disruption means extra acetaldehyde circulates, causing inflammation and headaches. This discovery points to what's known as a secondary, or synergistic, effect.

These secondary effects are much harder to identify because two factors must both be in play for the outcome to arise. In this case, other foods that contain quercetin are not associated with headaches, so you might not initially consider quercetin as the cause of the red wine problem.

The next step could be to give human subjects two red wines that are low and high in quercetin and ask whether either wine causes a headache. If the high-quercetin wine induces more headaches, we'd know we're on the right track.

So, if quercetin causes headaches, are there red wines without it? Unfortunately, the data available on specific wines is far too limited to provide any helpful advice. However, grapes exposed to the Sun do produce more quercetin, and many inexpensive red wines are made from grapes that see less sunlight.

If you're willing to take a chance, look for an inexpensive, lighter red wine.

Andrew Waterhouse, Professor of Enology, University of California, Davis and Apramita Devi, Postdoctoral researcher in food science and technology, University of California, Davis

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Union membership can reduce the odds of death, study finds

According to a new study published in the journal Social Science & Medicine, the time spent in a union can lead to lower mortality rates. Specifically, for each additional year a person spends as a union member, their odds of mortality decrease by 1.5 percent. The findings highlight not only the economic benefits of union membership, but also point to the health benefits.

The researchers looked at data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics, which they noted is considered to be “gold standard longitudinal study of earnings and employment dynamics” in social sciences. It was ideal for the study because it specifically measured union employment. By analyzing 40 waves of this data, they found a significant association between cumulative unionization and lower mortality rates.

Ill-gotten gains: Why does American society coerce us to work while sick?

In the study, researchers theorized there a few explanations for this. The first is that unions can have an influence on workplace safety conditions. Another is that is that unions usually increase economic compensation, and reduce the rate of temporary work and poverty. Finally, unions tend to provide fringe benefits such as health insurance, paid sick days, vacation days, and retirement plans.

“In this paper we have demonstrated the protective association against mortality that a unionized career provides,” the researchers concluded. “Using high quality population representative data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics, we followed cohorts born between 1935 and 1965 through their careers and into middle- and older-adulthood between the years 1969 and 2019.”

In 2023, the U.S. life expectancy declined to 76.4 years, the shortest it had been in nearly two decades. Researchers of the study noted that the U.S. is facing a “severe crisis of worsening mortality,” which experts have previously said could be addressed by policy changes.

about public health

Joe Rogan is “genuinely concerned” about drone sightings in New York and New Jersey area

If you're worried about mysterious drone sightings seen across New York and New Jersey, you're not the only one. Joe Rogan is too.

These drones that people have spotted in the last several weeks have triggered an FBI Investigation and speculation online from figures like Rogan.

On Sunday, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said on ABC News, “There's no question that people are seeing drones. I want to assure the American public that we in the federal government have deployed additional resources, personnel, technology to assist the New Jersey State Police in addressing the drone sightings.”

Joe Rogan podcast controversy underscores bigger problem driving misinformation: Analysis

Mayorkas reiterated that the federal agency is on the case and the drones are not a threat to public safety. "No foreign involvement with respect to the sightings," he said.

But Rogan doesn't quite believe in the government's response and took to X to share his thoughts about the situation over the weekend. "I want to believe it's adderalled up incels holed up in a basement f***ing with 'the man' more than I want it to be aliens. #iwanttobelieve," he wrote.

I want to believe it’s adderalled up incels holed up in a basement fucking with “the man” more than I want it to be aliens. #iwanttobelieve

— Joe Rogan (@joerogan) December 13, 2024

Rogan shared another post, this time with a video attached. His caption reads, "This is the first video about these drones that has got me genuinely concerned." The video features John Ferguson, a Kansas-based government contractor who builds systems and vehicles like drones, saying that the drones aren't a threat but, "The only reason why you would ever fly an unmanned aircraft at night is if you're looking for something."

This is the first video about these drones that has got me genuinely concerned. https://t.co/yzRoie2lUn

— Joe Rogan (@joerogan) December 15, 2024

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Spicy YouTube show “Hot Ones” sold by BuzzFeed after $82.5 million deal announcement

It's the end of an era. BuzzFeed is selling First We Feast, which is the studio that owns "Hot Ones," the incredibly popular celebrity talk show featuring increasingly scorching levels of chicken wings and an assortment of increasingly exceptionally spicy hot sauces.

As Todd Spangler with Variety notes, BuzzFeed has sold First We Feast for $82.5 million to a "consortium of buyers" including First We Feast founder Chris Schonberger and "Hot Ones" host Sean Evans, in addition to "podcast media company Crooked Media, Rhett & Link’s Mythical Entertainment and Soros Fund Management, the investment firm founded by billionaire financier George Soros." The talk show, which launched on YouTube nearly a decade ago and now has 14 million subscribers and upwards of four billion views, was also apparently in contention for a live Netflix iteration prior to this announcement.

“Hot Ones” finale: Ben Stiller defends “Zoolander 2” — and a scene cut from the first film

Due to this sale, First We Feast will now operate independently, with Schonberger as CEO and Evans as chief creative officer, as well as the show's host, of course. Schonberger said in a statement that “Today’s announcement marks an exciting new chapter in First We Feast’s history . . . Being part of this incredible journey has been one of the greatest joys of my life. Our proven expertise in developing compelling formats, iconic IP, and best-in-class interviews makes us uniquely positioned to build on the brand’s momentum and supercharge our growth.”

Evans said “As we approach the 10th anniversary of ‘Hot Ones’ next season, I’m constantly amazed by the passion and loyalty of our fans, who have made this journey so special. Not only is ‘Hot Ones’ a hit show, but it’s an experience — a cultural touchpoint that audiences want to be a part of, whether they’re watching, tasting the sauces, or sharing in the challenge with friends.” He concluded by saying "the future is spicy and I can't wait to see what's next."

The next season of "Hot Ones" debuts next month.

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Caring for patients from conflict zones

In recent months, I’ve taken a growing interest in reading the accounts of health care workers from conflict zones, areas of the world caught in a crossfire of warring factions, where men, women, and children bear the collateral damage wrought by bombs and bullets. Health care workers’ harrowing stories are some of the most unvarnished ones we have to hear, and as a physician myself, I take them in with equal measures of inspiration and disbelief. Hearing about the types of duress they have been under, I have often wondered how I could help.

At first, I thought I could not. Beyond sharing an understanding of our bodies’ inner workings and an instinct to be compassionate towards those who are ill, I find unimaginable what many of my colleagues are thrust into doing. For example, in Gaza they are salvaging or amputating blast-riddled limbs, performing surgeries to staunch catastrophic bleeds with no prior surgical training, maintaining resolve in the face of the indiscriminate suffering of innocent lives which might otherwise be helped with the most basic of medicines, and stemming the resurgence of a debilitating virus that has long been presumed to be eradicated. The sliver in the Venn diagram of where our practices of medicine overlap is inconceivably slim. Yet I have found that they do nonetheless — the embers stoked by these confrontations reach even me, half a world away.

Health care workers in Gaza ask why the international community ignores their suffering

I work in a clinic in Toronto that largely serves patients who are newcomers to our country, many of whom are seeking asylum. The relationship between patients and doctors is frequently one born of unfortunate and unpredictable events. Patients arrive to our clinic from disparate places such as Ukraine, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Haiti, and Pakistan. What funnels someone to me after their long and complicated journey is often an abnormality unseen or unfelt to them: an opacity on a chest X-ray. This white haziness in their lungs, where there should only be the empty blackness of air, is commonly the mark of a tuberculosis infection. In the vast majority of people, such TB is latent and cannot be spread to others in this inactive state.

The specter of armed conflict inflicts damages on people beyond the litany of physical wounds that need tending.

Pinpointing how someone becomes sick involves a careful examination of their life’s circumstances. Overcrowded environments, poor living conditions, economic insecurity, malnutrition, and limited health care infrastructure all, in some form or other, contribute to the spread of TB and other diseases. That much we know. While I had simply accepted many of these elements as hard realities of a life lived on the margins, I now find myself considering how they are intensified by a factor I had always thought outside of my grasp: warfare.

This is because, through the experiences of dispossessed patients, the world’s conflicts fall sharply into focus. I recall a woman from the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, for instance, who told me that the disordered aftermath of a dubious national election last year incited clashes between military and rebel groups and displaced at least 7.2 million people. Another patient, fleeing decades of fighting in the contested region Kashmir and later avoiding persecution as a gay man in Pakistan, recounted being detained in a center for refugees in a separate country for 10 years. And I was told that in Haiti, where gangs violently tussle for control of a country in tumult, hospitals are scoured and looted for supplies, leaving them barren and all but functionless. The specter of armed conflict inflicts damages on people beyond the litany of physical wounds that need tending. It exacerbates the rates of various diseases. But the fallout of certain ones — including TB, HIV, and hepatitis B — is not always felt immediately. They shape a life in gradual and insidious ways: over years and spanning lifetimes, beyond borders and across oceans.

The interaction between doctors and patients outside of conflict zones has different stakes. But it is not without hurdles. When, and if, an individual can escape the grips of a conflict-ridden region, what can await them in places of purported safety is a different type of hostility. “Communicable diseases like HIV and TB have skyrocketed in this small Ohio town,” Vice President–elect J.D. Vance told CNN on the arrival of Haitian immigrants to Springfield, in his state of Ohio. What ought to be a lesson of courage is easily twisted, instead, into the threat of unfettered incursion and sickness.

Witnessing an extreme degree of anguish and resilience surely rearranges your emotional DNA.

Perhaps spreading faster than any microbe — and potentially as harmful to our health — is the scourge of misinformation. Organizations such as GLAAD and Equality Springfield, which deeply understand the discrimination encountered by HIV-infected persons, stepped in to counter the disparagements. In the county where Springfield is located, active cases of TB marginally increased from 3 to 4 between 2022 and 2023, while HIV cases increased from 142 to 178 between 2018 and 2022 — as they might in any other jurisdiction (such as Toronto) that embraces people from beleaguered countries. Some of the most motivated patients I see are the ones who only now have the chance to receive health care.

Many of the reflections I read from these health care workers end with a changed perspective. Witnessing an extreme degree of anguish and resilience surely rearranges your emotional DNA. That happened to me after I traveled to Port-au-Prince, not long after the 2010 earthquake that devastated Haiti’s capital, to help run makeshift medical clinics in the scattering of schools and churches that still stood. Aspects of humanity both utterly terrible and incredibly uplifting filled those weeks. Although I’ll never forget those scenes, my realizations of needing to live more fully and generously and appreciatively only materialized when I returned home to some relative comfort — as usually seems to happen to those who undertake, and then write about, their expeditions.

When the plane touched down in Miami, I was thinking about the thousands of people whom we helped but who nevertheless had to remain there, sorting through the rubble of their lives, plunged into ruin by a force over which they had little control. Could they see their lives differently? Not, perhaps, as I could, having the chance to take in my lessons and grow my optimisms outside of a place in crisis.

This has made the clinic in Toronto — with the patients who arrive there — a place where I can share and nourish a thing as powerful as any medicine needed during a conflict: hope.

Arjun V.K. Sharma is a physician specializing in infectious diseases and tuberculosis at the University of Toronto whose writing has appeared in the Washington Post, L.A. Times, and the Boston Globe, among other outlets.

This article was originally published on Undark. Read the original article.

about public health

“I apologize for any inconvenience”: Another judge cancels retirement to prevent a Trump replacement

A U.S. appeals court judge has decided after "careful consideration" to postpone his retirement in apparent response to President-elect Donald Trump's election victory last month, HuffPost reported Monday.

In a Dec. 13 letter addressed to President Joe Biden, Judge James Andrew Wynn of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit announced that he had changed his mind and would not be retiring after all. Wynn, 70, had previously announced in January 2024 his intention to step down.

“Categorically unacceptable”: Advocates say Dems letting Trump appoint "radical extremist" judges

"I write to advise that, after careful consideration, I have decided to continue in regular active service as a United States Circuit Judge for the Fourth Circuit," Wynn wrote. "As a result of that decision, I respectfully withdraw my letter to you of January 5, 2024. I apologize for any inconvenience I may have caused."

Reuters reported that Wynn, who was named to the bench by former President Barack Obama, is the first Democratic appointee to postpone their retirement from active service since Trump's win. It comes after the Senate failed to confirmed Wynn's successor.

Two U.S. district court judges, Max Cogburn and Algenon Marbley, have also postponed their retirements, likewise depriving Trump of an opportunity to pick a replacement. Republicans have in turn cried foul, with allies of the president-elect accusing the judges of misconduct.

about the politics of courts

“They don’t get it”: Kristin Chenoweth slams conservative group’s “Wicked” LGBTQ boycott

Broadway's original Glinda, Kristin Chenoweth, is defending "Wicked" from a boycott sparked by a conservative group

The group, One Million Moms, released a statement warning parents and urging them not to take their children to Jon M. Chu’s movie musical because it is supposedly “pushing the LGBTQ agenda on families, particularly children.”

The statement adds, "Of course, the musical contains a tremendous amount of witchcraft and sorcery, and that content prompts most parents to avoid taking their children to see 'Wicked.' But the film also shows not-so-discrete [sic] crossdressing [sic] and men crushing on men, which parents may not expect."

"I don't toot glitter": Kristin Chenoweth on embracing her failure, anger and questions for God

Under an Instagram post about the boycott, Chenoweth commented, "Everyone knows the ‘one million Moms’ are a mere few hundred. Maybe. iI’s called entertainment. Artistry. I am a Christian woman [who] originated the role of Glinda and all the silliness that these women spew out of hate. No no no. I can’t help it : I try to love 'em anyways. For they don’t get it. For anyone who wants to see girl power, then go so 'WICKED.' Onstage or in a movie theater."

In Chu's musical version of the movie, Ariana Grande has taken up the Glinda mantle alongside Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba as they play young adult enemies to BFFs at Shiz University. The box office hit has even led to fans shipping the characters romantically together.

Erivo told the Gay Times, "I think [Elphaba] loves Glinda, I think she loves love. And I don’t think there’s anything wrong with celebrating the deep connection the both of them have,” Erivo said. “They do have a real relationship. It is true love, which is probably why people are shipping it. What they build with each other is an unbreakable bond and love.”

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Luigi Mangione documentary underway in collaboration with “Going Clear” director, Alex Gibney

It's been less than two weeks since UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was gunned down in broad daylight outside a midtown Manhattan hotel. Yet, documentarians are already fast at work with the creation of projects centering on his suspected killer, Luigi Mangione.

As Mangione remains in custody at a Pennsylvania state prison facing extradition to New York for a charge of second-degree murder, as well as two gun charges and forgery, Alex Gibney’s Jigsaw Productions and Anonymous Content released details on a documentary underway that will focus on Mangione's infamy and how it reflects on society as a whole.

Is the public's support of Luigi Mangione a symptom of empathy fatigue?

“From the crime’s seemingly meticulous execution to the alleged killer’s manifesto and his Ivy League background to the public’s unapologetic apathy towards the victim, the investigative deep dive will ask how killers are created, what this killing says about our society and the values we place on who lives and who dies,” an announcement released on Monday details.

As Variety points out, The UnitedHealthcare project marks the third collaboration between Anonymous (“Spotlight,” “The Revenant”) and Jigsaw, which saw the release of "Wise Guy: David Chase & The Sopranos" in 2024. Gibney's works as director include "The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley" and "Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief," winner of three Emmys in 2015.

A second Mangione-focused documentary was announced on Monday, produced by Stephen Robert Morse, who directed the Emmy-nominated 2016 "Amanda Knox" for Netflix. In a statement on the doc reported on by Vulture, Morse hypes it, writing, “This case is complex and raises important questions about vigilantism, the devastating cost of a privatized healthcare system and the inevitability of violence when peaceful change is seen as impossible. My goal is to present a balanced exploration of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson’s assassination, showing all sides of the story while respecting the profound loss of life and its impact on everyone involved."

Leading the charge on Mangione documentaries is "Mangione Manhunt: From Midtown to Altoona," a 30-minute FOX 5 documentary now streaming, with buzz of others to come. Paging Dave Franco . . .

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Former FBI informant Alexander Smirnov pleads guilty to lying about Bidens

A former FBI informant whose claims were cited by Republicans in their effort to impeach Joe Biden pleaded guilty Monday to fabricating allegations of corruption involving the president and his family, the Associated Press reported.

Alexander Smirnov was indicted in February for peddling false claims about Biden and his son, Hunter, supposedly receiving millions of dollars in bribes from a Ukrainian energy company, Burisma. The indictment was brought by special counsel David Weiss, a Trump-appointed prosecutor who led the investigation into Hunter Biden, who was himself charged with failing to report taxes and lying about his drug addiction while obtaining a firearm.

It was first reported last week that Smirnov had agreed to enter a guilty plea as part of an arrangement with prosecutors.

"Enough is enough": President Joe Biden pardons son Hunter Biden

Smirnov's unverified and now-debunked claims were frequently cited by congressional Republicans, who accused the FBI of covering up allegations of wrongdoing level against the Bidens.

Following his arrest earlier this year, Smirnov told investigators that his assertions about the Bidens had come from "officials associated with Russian intelligence," including a claim that Hunter Biden had been secretly recorded while staying in a Ukrainian hotel; as the AP notes, the president's son has never visited the country.

Prosecutors are asking that Smirnov be imprisoned for up to six years for lying to investigators and evading taxes. He will be sentenced next month.

about the Bidens

Lesley Manville had the best year of her career. Her varied roles suggest it’s only the beginning

Unless you’re Kim Kardashian playing a high-powered publicist/devil-worshipping witch, hilariously named Siobhan Corbyn, it’s hard to stand out in a Ryan Murphy show. (To anyone who tapped out of “American Horror Story” long ago: Yes, that’s a real thing that happened last season, and she was somehow the best part.) Let’s just say there’s a lot of Murphy programming on television these days, and the majority of the series are long-winded, long-running or just plain long in the tooth. And while I've been trying my hardest for years to abandon Murphy’s projects altogether, they keep reeling me back in with their exceptional, unexpected casting.

She has largely eschewed the typical parts for women her age, choosing instead to veer toward the peculiar and thrilling.

While Kardashian’s role was as delicious and ephemeral as a piece of cotton candy, Lesley Manville’s part in Murphy’s series “Grotesquerie” was the real substantial meal. Manville, one of the industry’s most unassuming titans, initially seemed like an odd fit for a Murphy project — especially one that, on its face, was more like a combination of the television mogul’s favorite buzzwords (Murder! Apocalypse! Adultery! Sex! Nuns!) than an actual show. But unpredictability has long been one of Manville’s strong suits, and the cruel, hard-nosed Nurse Redd fit perfectly into her diverse set projects from this year alone.

"Grotesquerie": Niecy Nash-Betts on her role and that killer finale — "It scared me on the page"

Alongside “Grotesquerie,” Manville had a banner year in 2024. Not only did she work with Murphy, perhaps television’s most reliable madman, but she collaborated with some of the most prestigious directors working today. In Alfonso Cuarón’s Apple TV+ limited series “Disclaimer,” Manville gave a knockout performance as a grieving mother, navigating her pain through stoic anger and going toe-to-toe with Cate Blanchett’s character in the process. Manville emerged elsewhere in an almost unrecognizable bit part in Luca Guadagino’s latest film “Queer,” a role that any actor would covet but few could pull off with the same conviction. That’s not even mentioning the fact that Manville is still a staple across the pond, popping up in Masterpiece mystery series and Britbox shows like "Sherwood," making noteworthy turns look as easy as taking out the bins.

While Manville has been working steadily for 50 years, her Oscar-nominated performance in Paul Thomas Anderson’s splendid 2018 romantic drama “Phantom Thread” sparked a long-deserved professional surge. This decade alone, Manville has taken on several of what most actors would consider to be career-defining roles. But in 2024 alone, Manville has reminded us that all great artists are beyond definition. She has largely eschewed the typical parts for women her age, choosing instead to veer toward the peculiar and thrilling. For her, it seems less about the material as a whole than it is her connection to a character; who she can be, and what she can extract from between the lines. When some would assume she’d slow down, Manville has only sped up, and her prudent desire to continue honing her craft has made her into one of the most captivating actors in the business.

Lesley Manville as Nurse Redd in "Grotesquerie" (Prashant Gupta/FX)Before she broke through in America, Manville was a familiar face on British television for decades, cropping up in multi-episode arcs on BBC series and in quirky TV movies. (The curious might enjoy looking for her microscopic part in this strange holiday special, “Christmas Present.”) However, the Mike Leigh films “Secrets & Lies” and “Another Year” most acutely displayed the scope of Manville’s talent. She was soft and complex in Leigh’s sensitive slice-of-life films, supplying the nuance necessary to perform Leigh’s dialogue with the right amount of recognizable benevolence. Her characters were at once temporal and evergreen, believable glimpses of the human condition put to film.

Manville has brought that same stirring humanity to all of her roles, but most notably in her work this century. Following “Phantom Thread,” Manville scored the delightful titular role in 2022’s “Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris,” a warm, spongy slice of mom cinema. But watching Manville’s sensational performance in that movie did come with a slight amount of apprehension. After scoring an Oscar nom for playing Cyril, the resolute sister of a renowned couturier in “Phantom Thread,” would Hollywood push Manville out of her spotlight and relegate her to sweet little grandmother roles made for matinee viewing?

Manville brought a scene-stealing warmth to “Back to Black” that would have been otherwise lost in the dark emotional dearth of such a vulturous piece of cinema.

Blessedly, such ostracism has not been the case, and one has to assume that much of that is on Manville’s part. She parlayed an Oscar nomination and a close partnership with an esteemed director like Anderson into more challenging roles, ones that demanded Manville live inside of them and work to develop her characters in ways that were similarly organic to how she cultivated Cyril. Manville spoke to Decider after the finale of “Grotesquerie” earlier this year, mentioning how excited she was to play a dual role that required her to be both savage and sexy. In her most memorable moment from the show’s 10 episodes, Manville’s Nurse Redd tells Niecy Nash-Betts’ Detective Lois Tyron a twisted love story that upends the series’ narrative to that point. Watching the sequence again, it’s hard to imagine any actor other than Manville conveying Nurse Redd’s distressing intimacy at such a high caliber.

Manville brought a similar urgency to another tragic tale earlier this year, playing Amy Winehouse’s grandmother Cynthia in Sam Taylor-Johnson’s biopic “Back to Black.” The less said about that movie the better, but among its handful of bright spots are Manville’s performance and her chemistry with Marisa Abela, who plays Winehouse. Cynthia and Amy share a special bond, as Cynthia seems to be the only one who truly understands her granddaughter. To illustrate that closeness, Manville brought a scene-stealing warmth to “Back to Black” that would have been otherwise lost in the dark emotional dearth of such a vulturous piece of cinema.

Lesley Manville as Nancy Brigstocke in "Disclaimer" (Apple TV+)

In a career that refuses definition, it seems impossible that Manville’s work in “Disclaimer” won’t go down as some of the finest in her time.

Darker though was “Disclaimer,” perhaps one of the bleakest and most challenging works of art this year. While I found it brilliant and still unshakeable even months later, Alfonso Cuarón’s series divided audiences and critics. Well, divided them on everything that was not Manville’s performance. To give too much away would be to rob you of the opportunity to experience one of the year’s most formidable displays of craft yourself, but it’s also simply just difficult to classify such a remarkable bit of showmanship. Manville’s character Nancy Brigstocke sets forth the series’ inciting events, long after the death of her son Jonathan in an accidental drowning years prior. Cuarón tells the story nonlinearly, and because of this decision, we as viewers have the opportunity to watch Nancy’s full arc and be shaken to our cores by Manville’s gripping turn. Watching a mother receive news of the death of her son is difficult enough as it is, but seeing Nancy’s life come apart as she turns inward is — and I don’t use this word lightly — harrowing.

Sure, Manville also gets the juicy opportunity to face off against Cate Blanchett, whose character is tangentially involved in Jonathan’s death. (How, I can’t tell you). But “Disclaimer” is more than acting for Emmy clips and YouTube rabbit holes when you’ve had too much wine. Nancy’s grief ties the series together and exemplifies its most thorny themes. Manville has the rare opportunity as an actor to make something spectacular out of sheer, inexorable somberness. In a career that I’ve already noted refuses to be defined, it seems impossible that Manville’s work in “Disclaimer” won’t go down as some of the finest in her time.

Yet, one of the best things about this stage of Manville’s career is that she has the chance to surprise audiences again and again. Just over a month after her performance in “Disclaimer” rattled the bones of unsuspecting viewers, Manville popped up again in Luca Guadagnino’s “Queer,” looking like she had been playing around in a Guadagino film wig chest and selected the Mark Rylance’s unit from “Bones and All.” In the film’s third act, Manville appears as the eccentric Doctor Cotter, a botanist living in the South American jungle in the 1950s, whose stringy, gray hair is almost long enough to trail behind her. Cotter assists wayward sometimes-lovers William Lee (Daniel Craig) and Eugene Allerton (Drew Starkey) in getting ahold of yagé, a plant with hallucinogenic properties that Lee believes will finally connect the two men.

Daniel Craig, Drew Starkey and Lesley Manville in "Queer" (A24)After a psychedelic trip that stretches far past the boundary lines of traditional intimacy, Cotter approaches Allerton to request that he and his companion stay with her longer, and in the process, Manville’s character becomes pivotal to unlocking the film’s emotional heart. “For most people it’s an opening of a door,” Cotter tells Allerton. “But for you two, it was something else. It’d be a shame not to see where it might take you.” Seeing Allerton resist her pleas, Cotter continues, “What are you so afraid of? Door’s already open, can’t close it now. All you can do is look away. But why would you?”

With this bit of dialogue, Manville’s two best roles of her landmark year reveal their close connection. In “Queer,” Cotter knows how petrifying it can be to open yourself up to love, while in “Disclaimer,” Nancy is trying to hold onto love as it slips through her fingers, bereft realizing that she has nowhere left to put it. These characters are two sides of the same coin, and for Manville, they represent an eclectic personal taste, being explored in fascinating new ways while staying rooted in the touching humanity that made her such a halting force to begin with. How fitting that such telling performances cap off her best year yet, considering that they’re also definitive proof that Manville will always be worth watching, even if there’s no telling what she’ll do next.

about Lesley Manville's incredible career

Burn notice: Millions of popular Stanley travel mugs recalled over potential hazards

If you happen to have purchased immensely popular Stanley travel mugs for your pals this holiday . . . you may want to double-check the particular model you bought, as it might just end up harming you or someone else.

How the ex-marketing whiz behind Crocs helped turn Stanley into the "it" cup

The United States Consumer Product Safety Commission announced Dec. 12 a recall pertaining to 2.6 million Stanley Switchback and Trigger Action Travel Mugs because of potential burn hazards. As the recall notice states, "These mug's lid threads can shrink when exposed to heat and torque, causing the lid to detach during use, posing a burn hazard."

Oversized water bottles, Stanley brand chief among them, have become immensely popular recently due to purported health benefits. The recall impacts all sizes and colors of the mugs and all consumers "should immediately stop using the recalled travel mugs and contact Stanley to receive a free replacement lid, including shipping."

Thus far, 91 incident or injury reports have been received, which resulted in "8 burn injuries worldwide," including 11 of which required "medical attention." The mugs were sold at many major retailers, such as Amazon, Walmart, Target and more, both in-store and online.

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“Shredding the Constitution”: California Democrat fears MAGA effort to rewrite founding document

A top California Democrat is moving to rescind his state's call for a constitutional convention, fearing that it could be used by President-elect Donald Trump and his allies to push through far-right revisions to the country's founding document, The New York Times reported.

“I do not want California to inadvertently trigger a constitutional convention that ends up shredding the Constitution,” state Sen. Scott Wiener told the Times. He is introducing legislation Monday that would retract his state's previous seven calls to amend the country's system of government amid concerns that Republicans, who control all three branches of the federal government and a majority of state legislatures, would use a convention to roll back the rights of women and racial minorities.

The biggest threat to our democracy that you haven't heard of

Article V of the U.S. Constitution states that a convention can be held, and proposed amendments duly considered, if "two thirds" of the states request one; any amendments passed at such a convention would then require the approval of "three fourths" of state legislatures.

By some counts, that's already happened. As the Times notes, the Constitution does not specify whether the calls for a convention must be rooted in the same demand, or what form a convention should take, nor does it state there is any expiration date once a call is made.

According to one database, cited by the Times, it would appear that more than the required 34 states already have standing requests for a convention. A congressional resolution introduced by Rep. Jody Arrington, R-Texas, argues that the threshold was indeed met in 1979 and therefore Congress should formally call for a convention.

One possible target for Republicans could be the provision barring any person from serving as president "more than twice." Speaking Sunday at the New York Young Republican Club, Steve Bannon, a former Trump White House adviser, raised the prospect of the president-elect staying in office after his second term expires, though he also suggested there may already be a loophole in the 22nd Amendment.

“Donald John Trump is going to raise his hand on the King James Bible and take the oath of office, his third victory and his second term,” Bannon said, per The Independent, citing the legal analysis of a Trump-allied attorney. “And the viceroy Mike Davis tells me — since it doesn’t actually say consecutive — that, I don’t know, maybe we do it again in ‘28? Are you guys down for that? Trump ‘28?! Come on, man!”

about Trump and the Constitution

Trump’s corporate coronation: The rich rush to curry favor ahead of inauguration

In May of 2023, the world watched as Charles III was crowned King of England after his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, passed away at the age of 96. Very few people alive could have remembered her coronation almost 71 years before and most Americans' only familiarity with that medieval ritual comes from viewing Netflix's "The Crown."

The UK Parliament prepared a detailed briefing on the history and protocol of coronations and it's quite fascinating. Much of the ceremony is symbolic these days, but the intent is clear. It is designed to make it clear that the new king is the legitimate monarch, ordained by God. Back in the day, this required that all peers pledge their fealty to the king one by one. It was apparently a long and tedious process. But since they abolished most of the hereditary peerage back in 1999, they shortened the process this time, with the Archbishop of Canterbury pledging to be "faithful and true" and Prince William kneeling before his father and saying, "I pledge my loyalty to you and faith and truth I will bear unto you, as your liege man of life and limb. So help me God."

Then they called upon the people to pay homage and everyone in the Abbey said together:

God save King Charles.
Long live King Charles.
May The King live forever

Back in medieval times, this would all be followed by a huge banquet and it was a given that to remain in the King's favor nobles and vassals would need to offer the king a monetary tribute.

I couldn't help but think of all this as I read about all the billionaires and foreign leaders making the pilgrimage to Donald Trump's golden palace down in Mar-a-Lago. The coronation (or what we used to call the inauguration) hasn't happened yet, but he's already being feted like a medieval king. And unlike the British monarchy, which has eliminated the paying of tribute to the king, here in America — where we supposedly cast off such practices in our revolution — our new president is busily collecting payments and demanding fealty from his liege lords and foreign allies. And he's making it very clear that he will not be happy if they don't come across with plenty of lucre to fill his royal coffers.

Trump may scrap a crash-reporting requirement that makes Tesla look bad: Reuters

We have, of course, observed every Republican who can get his or her hands on some formal wear rushing down to pledge their undying loyalty. And we saw the unpleasant spectacle of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau being treated like a vassal by Trump, who declared that if Canada doesn't like his tariffs they can become a state and Trudeau could serve as governor, as if that would be a much greater privilege. He also met with his fellow far-right autocrats, Argentine President Javier Milei and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, and has reportedly invited several foreign leaders to the inaugural, including Chinese Premiere Xi Jinping (who has declined the invitation.) No head of state has ever attended the inauguration according to State Department historical records because the United States used to pride itself on its peaceful transfer of power not being like a coronation in which foreign leaders paid tribute to the president. That's a very quaint idea today.

Day after day, Trump holds banquets at his Florida palace where wealthy, powerful people come from all over to pledge themselves to him.

But nothing compares to the media moguls and corporations who are racing to outdo each other to get into Trump's good favor or spare themselves from becoming the object of his anger. We all know that the man who never leaves his side these days is Elon Musk. He spent over a quarter of a billion dollars to help Trump get elected, has a great deal of business with the federal government and has an apparent burning desire to turn the country into the same grotesque shadow of its former self as he's done to his social media company X. Trump is clearly thrilled to have the richest man in the world acting as his majordomo.

Musk's closeness to Trump may have inspired other billionaires to try to get in on the action. The Wall St. Journal reported on this embarrassing phenomenon last week under the apt headline: "The Week CEOs Bent the Knee to Trump." It describes the scene as Trump went to Wall St. to celebrate his Person of the Year Time Magazine cover:

Gathered behind red velvet ropes were senior executives at Visa, Meta Platforms, Goldman Sachs, Charles Schwab and Citadel, according to people who were present. Real-estate and aerospace magnate Robert Bigelow was spotted in the crowd, as was investor Bill Ackman…

Titans of the business world are rushing to make inroads with the president-elect, gambling that personal relationships with the next occupant of the Oval Office will help their bottom lines and spare them from Trump’s wrath.

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As the Journal reports, Meta's Mark Zuckerberg and Amazon's Jeff Bezos, both billionaires who own media companies made ostentatious trips to pay tribute to the new president after having been on his enemies list in the first term. They each pledged a million dollars to Trump's inaugural (which is basically a personal slush fund with virtually no ethics requirements) as has OpenAI's Sam Altman.

In fact, media owners and corporations are making many grand gestures to curry favor with the new president. The owner of the LA Times effectively took over its editorial board insisting that it be more Trump-friendly. And in one of the most egregious examples to date, over the weekend, ABC settled a defamation lawsuit with Trump in which he had sued them and anchor George Stephanopoulos. Legal observers say there was no chance in hell that Trump would have prevailed on the merits and, in fact, has failed spectacularly in similar lawsuits. Yet ABC News agreed to pay 15 million dollars to his (as yet non-existent) library fund and forced Stephanopoulos to apologize.

Day after day, Trump holds banquets at his Florida palace where wealthy, powerful people come from all over to pledge themselves to him. They clearly believe that it is not in their interest to oppose him in any way, instead they are giving him huge gifts and throwing themselves at his feet in what is surely a vain hope that he will return their loyalty. But they don't really understand the dynamic. They are there to serve the king, not the other way around. If it pleases him to dispense his favor then he may do it. But it's all about him, not them.

The real question is why these vastly wealthy people are so eager to be subjects. You would think with all their money they could afford to have some pride and integrity. But maybe that's really the one thing that money can't buy.

from Heather "Digby" Parton