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Trump campaign yanks “Freedom” clip after Beyoncé bars use of track

Donald Trump's campaign has pulled a video featuring one of Beyoncé's songs after the singer's record label and publishers moved to block it's use. 

MAGA campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung on Tuesday posted a clip of the former president exiting a plane after arriving in Michigan. Beyoncé's song "Freedom" — which has been adopted by Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign with Queen B's permission — could be heard playing over the video. "Touchdown in Michigan!! @realDonaldTrump," Cheung wrote. 

Rolling Stone reported that Beyoncé threatened Trump with a cease-and-desist over the unauthorized use, with a source telling the outlet that the former president did not obtain permission to use the track, which was featured on her 2016 album, "Lemonade." 

Beyoncé, who is rumored to be performing at the DNC on Thursday, has not commented on the digital skirmish with Trump, per The Guardian. She is the latest in a long line of musicians who have openly opposed the ex-president's use of their songs at various rallies and events. Others include Celine Dion, Phil Collins, Johnny Marr, the estates of Tom Petty and Sinead O'Connor respectively, and more.

“‘Silence’ is actually restraint”: Taylor Swift speaks out after alleged Vienna terrorist plot

Taylor Swift has broken her silence following an alleged terrorist plot in Vienna, Austria that saw her "Eras Tour" shows there canceled earlier this month.

Swift on Wednesday took to her Instagram to announce the end of the European leg of her tour, which wrapped at Wembley Stadium in London the day prior. The singer also addressed the Vienna incident, writing in the post's caption, "Having our Vienna shows cancelled was devastating."

"The reason for the cancellations filled me with a new sense of fear, and a tremendous amount of guilt because so many people had planned on coming to those shows," Swift wrote. "But I was also so grateful to the authorities because thanks to them, we were grieving concerts and not lives. I was heartened by the love and unity I saw in the fans who banded together. I decided that all of my energy had to go toward helping to protect the nearly half a million people I had coming to see the shows in London. My team and I worked hand in hand with stadium staff and British authorities every day in pursuit of that goal, and I want to thank them for everything they did for us."

The pop star continued, "Let me be very clear: I am not going to speak about something publicly if I think doing so might provoke those who would want to harm the fans who come to my shows. In cases like this one, ‘silence’ is actually showing restraint, and waiting to express yourself at a time when it’s right to. My priority was finishing our European tour safely, and it is with great relief that I can say we did that."

https://www.instagram.com/p/C-8sKGYymIC/

NPR reported that the last-minute cancellations in Vienna affected some 150,000 Swifties, many of whom had spent thousands in order to travel to and attend the concerts. 

Ahead of Swift's statement, a portion of her fan base had criticized her reticence in the wake of the cancellations, accusing her of "ignoring" fans. 

 

Former Jan. 6 committee chair: Trump “couldn’t handle losing” in 2020 — “now he’s plotting again”

Donald Trump might try to steal the election, yet again, if he loses to Kamala Harris according to Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., Axios reported.

The former Jan. 6 committee chair — who has spent nearly two years investigating Trump’s attempt to overturn the 2020 election and his role in the attack on the Capitol— revealed the former president's plausible plans during his speech at the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday, saying Trump is “plotting again.”

Thompson delivered his speech after a video played that called attention to Trump’s ideas to pardon Jan 6. rioters and reminded the DNC audience that the GOP candidate has been charged for his actions concerning the Capitol attack. 

"If re-elected, he will never be held accountable," the video stressed.

The former committee chair claimed that the rioters went as far as to attack the Capitol “because Donald Trump couldn't handle losing," and added, "Now, he's plotting again."

"His campaign proclaims that elections won't end until the moment of inauguration. 'We will win, or it was rigged. We win or else' … choose democracy, not political violence," Thompson warned, citing Trump co-campaign manager Chris LaCivita’s comments from earlier this month.

Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung had a few choice words for Thomson. "Is Bennie Thompson making the absurd claim that President Trump stole the election in 2016?" Steven Cheung told Axios in a statement, adding "Bennie is a vile and despicable piece of trash who is clearly suffering from Trump Derangement Syndrome who can't get over 2016."

“Not even a dog whistle at this point”: Trump slammed for “antisemitic” attack on “Jewish governor”

Former President Donald Trump, reacting furiously to Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro's mockery of him at the Democratic National Convention, derided the one-time vice presidential prospect on a Truth Social post as a "highly overrated Jewish Governor" who was has "done nothing for Israel and never will."

Shapiro's address, Trump wrote, was "a really bad and poorly delivered speech talking about freedom and fighting for Comrade Kamala Harris for President, yet she hates Israel and will do nothing but make its journey through the complexities of survival as difficult as possible, hoping in the end that it will fail." He also boasted about his own support for Israel, claiming to have "done more for Israel than any other person, and it's not even close."

While that ambitious claim was panned by some critics as the product of a "delusional narcissist," Trump did continue the longstanding U.S. policy of sending billions of dollars in weapons to Israel while also taking the unprecedented step of recognizing Jerusalem as its capital and moving the embassy there from Tel Aviv. After leaving the presidency, Trump has used "Palestinian" as a pejorative for weak victim and called on Israel to "finish the job" in Gaza.

But Shapiro can hardly be called soft on Israel either. During the antiwar protests in April and May, Shapiro, querying "whether or not we would tolerate this if this were people dressed up in KKK outfits or KKK regalia," called for a swift police crackdown on the students. Shapiro's revisions to his administration's code of conduct to target "scandalous or disgraceful" behavior sparked concerns that he could use the vaguely-worded language to suppress pro-Palestine speech that is often conflated with antisemitism. And as Pennsylvania attorney general, he threatened to sue companies like Ben & Jerry's for divesting from illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank.

That has not stopped Trump from tapping into the strain of thought that one's Jewishness is defined by their allegiance to the Israeli state, even though many actual Jews do not see it that way. Some commentators, and the White House itself, suggested that the former president is also sending a rather unsubtle smoke signal to his supporters.

"He will identify Josh Shapiro not as the governor, not as the great governor, not as the effective governor, but as the Jewish governor, and making him then another part of another group," said journalist Katty Kay on MSNBC's Morning Joe. "And it’s the it’s not even a dog whistle at this point. It’s a bullhorn. It’s out there and it’s blunt."

In a statement emailed to Mediaite, a White House spokesperson said that it is "antisemitic, dangerous, and hurtful to attack a fellow American by calling out their Jewish faith in a derogatory way, or perpetuating the centuries-old smear of 'dual loyalty.' President Biden and Vice President Harris believe we must come together as Americans to condemn and combat Antisemitism – and hate and bigotry of all kinds."

Trump's tactics against Shapiro may backfire, given that the latter remains popular in a vote-rich battleground state. "It’s always helpful to your campaign when you attack the governor of a state you desperately need," quipped Morning Joe co-host Mika Brzezinski. 

An ability to play kindness got Lamorne Morris a role on “Fargo,” then came the Emmy nomination

When Lamorne Morris got the call from “Fargo” showrunner Noah Hawley offering him a leading role in Season 5, he was confused at first. “You want Winston in this?” he recalls thinking, referring to the character he played for seven seasons on Fox’s eminently bingeable “New Girl,” sensitive prankster and cat lover Winston Bishop.

For the audience to connect with “Fargo” character deputy Witt Farr, Hawley knew he needed somebody with Morris's rare skill for communicating simple human kindness. The role has now earned Morris his first Emmy Award nomination. During our "Salon Talks" conversation, Morris called the new recognition "a blessing" and explained how he naturally folded comedy into performing with his co-stars.

The actor once dubbed “sweetest man alive" by Edible Arrangements told me about the enduring impact of Winston, filling in for Jimmy Kimmel the night President Biden dropped out of the 2024 race, and the surprising truth about his real deal with cats.

Watch my "Salon Talks" with Lamorne Morris here on YouTube or read our conversation below.

This transcript has been edited for clarity and length.

Let's start with “Fargo.” You were a fan, and you were watching it when you got the call about being on the show?

Yeah. In my phone, I had a list of shows to watch. “Fargo” was at the top of that list. I think I was on season three when I got the call. So I started watching everything, I was like, maybe I'll get calls about all kinds of shows, maybe they’ll put me on “Game of Thrones.”

When I got the call, it was very surreal because it wasn't an audition. It was an offer, and the director Noah Hawley wanted to meet with me. I've never been more grateful, because it's such a departure from anything you'd seen me do prior to that. “New Girl” was a bit more comical and whimsical, and “Woke,” and some of the movies. But this one, the stakes are a lot higher, it's a bit more grounded, it's dramatic. So when I got that call, I was so confused. I kept asking him, "Do you want Winston in this? Do you want this to be a 'New Girl'-y thing?"

"I'm looking for the day that somebody hires me to play a villain."

He said, "No, it is your interpretation of the script and the character, and I want your kindness to show through." He's like, "That's what we need from this character, and we need someone who's just genuinely kind." I was like, "Oh, thank you very much. I appreciate that." So they gave me the job, and then here we are, Emmy-nominated, which is a blessing.

Well, the kindness is your thing. You've already won some accolades, you were Edible Arrangement's “Sweetest Man Alive.”

Thank you for saying so, that means a lot.

As a guy who is known for his sweet roles, do you ever just want to play an absolute monster?

I do. I'm looking for the day that somebody hires me to play a villain in a horror movie. I want to do that so bad. I think it would work, I know it would work. I'm just waiting for that call.

Your character, he's the heart of this season. Winston in “New Girl” became a policeman, and now you get to be an officer of the law again in “Fargo.” What did you bring from your life and your experience to this character?

Yeah, a lot. There were a lot of things in there to unpack. [For] the character itself, I had to look into my life and figure out folks that I know who may have behaved this way, or their personalities were centered the way Witt Farr's was. I tapped in with some family members, some friends who I know who are very soft-spoken, very driven. I definitely tapped into that. I'm from the Midwest, so I'm used to hearing the Minnesota accent. The heart of Chicago accent has some similarities as well, so that was easy to pull from.

And just overall life experiences: This character is someone who owes a great debt to this woman who saved his life, and he sees that she clearly needs help but doesn't want to say anything. Without saying too much, I grew up in an environment where I definitely understood when someone's going through something and they don't want to say anything. Maybe they're too proud, or maybe they're too scared, or too nervous to admit what they're going through. I had to try to tap into that while on set.

It was easy because Juno Temple, I acted opposite her in a few episodes, and she is an intense actor in the greatest ways. She's always connecting with you. She's always making sure you're both in the same mind frame, you're in the same pocket, the objective is still happening. She definitely kept me thinking about some of the things that I had gone through, and family members had gone through, and friends had gone through in the past. She helped a lot with that process too.

You're in a cast that has all got great comic chops. You call this show a comedy, yet I've seen comedies that didn't freak me out or disturb me as much as this one. What was it like working with a cast that has a strong comedic background on a show that is both funny and dramatic?

It was a fine line to walk because it is a comedy, but it does have those absurd moments of violence. When you watch “Fargo,” a lot of the actors that they cast are straight-up comedic performers, but put in these heightened scenarios.

There is a truth in comedy. When you play something honestly, in real life it's going to be funny. With comics, especially in the improv scene, you play the straight person and you play the punchline person. There's always the quirky character, and there's always the straight person, so you're used to bouncing back and forth.

On “Fargo,” there is this throughline of truth that you have to play. If the audience laughs, then they laugh, but you're just playing it honestly, you're staying true to your character. There are a couple of moments in "Fargo" where I definitely was super dramatic, in certain ways. But every once in a while, something would come out and someone would laugh off-camera, and I'd go, "What are they laughing at?" It's like, "Oh, I guess it was funny. I don't know."

You talk about your background in improv. You studied at Second City, you got a Chris Farley scholarship. Now you're in the movie “Saturday Night.” Did you draw on your time in improv for this role? What did you know about “Saturday Night Live” before making the film?

When I started in comedy, I knew of "SNL," obviously, like everybody else did. I grew up on “Saturday Night Live,” “In Living Color,” “MADtv.” Those are my favorite shows. “Chappelle's Show.” I knew about Garrett Morris, who I'm playing in the film, “Saturday Night,” but I knew of him from “Martin,” or from “The Jamie Foxx Show.” I didn't realize that he was on the original cast of "SNL," no idea.

That was fascinating because I started obviously researching the character and speaking with Garrett, who's still with us, and who's still as funny and as sharp as ever. I remember speaking with him and learning all these things about his life. You can only do so much research online and try to figure out who this person is, but when you speak to them, you can really tap into what they were feeling during those days. So I learned a lot.

I started thinking about my Second City days, and in Second City, on the walls, you see all of the historical figures that come through those grounds. You see the faces up there and you go, well, half those folks are on "Saturday Night Live." More than half of them. I've never been on “Saturday Night Live,” I've been there to watch. Now being a part of the cast of the film, it feels to me just as great. I just have one hope that they at least allow me to host the show for an episode. I don't know who we got to talk to.

From your lips to Lorne Michaels' ears, right?

Yep. I just want to host.

“Fargo” is a very different role for you. It seems like the last few years you have, very consciously, sought out a variety of things. Now that you are an Emmy-nominated thespian —

I didn't hear that, what'd you say?

I said, "Emmy-nominated."

Oh, sorry. Thank you.

The Emmy-nominated "Sweetest Man Alive." How does this change things for you? How does it change the mess around for you?

Oh, my gosh. I don't know. Life is very interesting right now. But here's the thing, I don't want it to change anything. Obviously, I want more opportunities to have fun and play, and work with different folks that I like, and get to meet cool people. But I'm very happy with the way my life is, and my group of friends, my family.

Being on set is a treat. I look at it as a bit of a vacation because you get to go and play. The stakes are very low, that's what we do for a living. We get to have fun, we get to do things, we get to talk to people. This is supposed to be stress relieving, and so sometimes when you're on set, that's what it is. So hopefully, I just get more opportunities to do that.

"My mom shamed me the other day. She said, 'When you're hosting Kimmel, try not to swear so much.'"

And diving into other things. The podcasting space is my love letter to fans where you get a genuine look at what my personality actually is. I get to speak freely and be silly. Whether the jokes are funny or not, I'm saying them. I have a good rapport back and forth with fans because of it now, where they write me very honest critiques, "Hey, Lamorne, stop swearing so much." And I go, "Maybe I should." I'll read the comments all the time. It's just fun for me because it's not so controlled by producers, and there [isn’t] a casting process, none of that. It's just, I'm at my house, and I record, and I'm having fun.

So is one of those people who says you shouldn't curse so much your mom?

My mom, yeah. My mom writes in, she just uses different names as people commenting. "Hi, this is Steve. Stop cursing so much."

Because your mom doesn't like you to curse.

No, she doesn't. Oh no, she hates it. that's her least favorite thing. In fact, my mom shamed me the other day. She said, "When you're hosting Kimmel, try not to swear so much." She started singing a song, by the way. She's singing a song to me going, "You don't have to curse, it doesn't make you look cool." She's like, "You only look like a fool." She just keeps going on, and on, and on, and on.

And you're 40, right?

Yes, 40. I'm soon to be 41. I'll be 41 tomorrow. If anyone's going to keep you grounded, it's going to be your mother.

It was your second time guest hosting “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” last month, one of the biggest late-night shows in the world. What happens the Sunday before you start your week there?

This is when the president stepped down. I was like, "You've got to be kidding me. Jimmy, we need you. Jimmy, we need you." Nobody wants to hear from me, nobody wants to hear from Winston about what's going on in politics. It was strange. The writers there are very funny, so they at least made my experience there very even, because I don't like talking about politics. It's a tough job, I'm assuming, so it's easy to critique. It's easy to poke fun at some of the funny things that may happen, or Biden's age, or whatever, this person's record, or Trump's orange [tan].

It's easy to poke fun at those things. But I don't do that job for a reason because I'm sure it's very difficult. The writers definitely made sure we kept jokes even, down the middle. So if I'm talking about the left, I'm talking about the right. It's not my field of expertise, I just like to have fun. And I don't want it to truly be at the expense of someone, especially when I know I couldn't do that job to save my life.

"I was expecting Rob Lowe to be some maniac. I don't know why."

When you got the news on that Sunday, did you think, "Oh boy, my Monday just got a lot more interesting?

Yes. The nerves. The nerves, that was the thing. It was mainly because of backlash. Politics are so heightened these days, probably now more than ever. Doing a show like "Kimmel" where he loves speaking about politics, I just didn't want the sky to fall down on me, so I was a little nervous. But the writers, the producers there, I think they took pretty good care of me.

You're also in the second season of “Unstable.” You come into this show, you've got an established cast, everybody's got their own rhythm, their rapport. You're jumping in. What's that like?

It was good, it was fun. When you have a well-oiled machine, a bunch of funny people, it's easy. It takes kind people to allow someone to come in and be in their space. Everyone was so nice, the nicest, too nice. I was expecting Rob Lowe to be some maniac. I don't know why. I just kept thinking to myself, "Well, he's Rob Lowe, he's larger than life." I don't know. I don't know. Then he texted me, called me, and I was just like, this man is amazing. When I tell you, the nicest guy, the funniest dude.

His relationship with his son Johnny is so funny to me. I envy it, the way they bounce back and forth, they work together. The rest of the cast, the crew, they welcomed me with open arms. The writers, the showrunner, the director. This was such an easy thing to slide into. They allowed me to play, and do what I wanted to do, and we were very collaborative. I think it's a great season. If anyone hasn't seen it, you should go check it out.

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“New Girl” means so much to so many of us. It's a very special show. You don't actually like cats?

Well, it's not that I don't like cats.

No, let's talk about this. What have you got against cats?

It's not that I have anything against cats. They're so sneaky. It's not that I have anything against cats, those little devils. But here's what I have against cats. I'm allergic to cats, that's part of the problem. When something's so small and cute, you want to cuddle it. Sometimes cats don't want to be bothered, and they don't tell you, they scratch you instead. They'll just give you a quick little [scratch] to let you know that they're not in the mood.

If cats spoke, I'd be OK with cats. If cats were able to have a dialogue back and forth, then I'd be like, "Love cats." Let's say you're out there on a safari, and you see a cool little lion that's walking around. Sometimes when that happens, you go, "Oh look, that's a lion." But we all know, don't approach the lion. If a lion could speak and say, "It's cool, I'm in a good mood today. I'm not very hungry, you all can pet my back." Then I'd be like, "Man, love lions. They're very communicative." Felines, they're not. They don't speak, so I don't trust them. Cats be funny though.

You’ll also be in the upcoming "Spider-Noir" series for Marvel. Were you a comic book guy before this?

I was. Back in the day when I was a kid, I had the trading cards, the comic books. It's a huge deal for me. This is a huge deal. I've always wanted to be a part of the comic book universe. And Spider-Man obviously is one of the more iconic figures in our history. It's a blessing. It's really fun. Working with Nic Cage is going to be insane.

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Trump’s feelings hurt by Obamas’ DNC speeches: They were “taking shots at your president”

Former President Donald Trump is not happy with the Obamas after they blasted him in Democratic National Convention speeches on Tuesday.

While the nation’s first black president mocked Trump’s tireless “stream of gripes and grievances” and “weird” obsession with crowd sizes, the former first lady mocked the Republican’s previous comments at the National Association of Black Journalists. She said, “Who’s gonna tell [Trump] that the job he’s currently seeking might just be one of those Black jobs?” 

The 78-year-old Trump did muster up a response to the ridicule, if only a day later. He asked his supporters on Wednesday during a rally in Asheboro, North Carolina if they had seen the Obamas’ speeches —“Did you see Barack Hussein Obama last night? Taking little shots, he was taking shots at your president. And so is Michelle.” 

“They always say, sure, please stick to policy, don’t get personal,” Trump complained. “And yet they’re getting personal all night long, these people. Do I still have to stick to policy?” asked a clearly upset Trump.

The former president has recently received considerable criticism from his own party and campaign members who want him to stay on message, especially while questions regarding his ability to lead at his age have begun to spread.

During what was supposed to be his national security speech, Trump —who has spent much of his campaign succumbing to what Barack Obama called “childish nicknames” to show up his political opponent, Kamala Harris — took a “free poll” from his supporters on whether he too should “get personal.”

David Axelrod, the chief strategist for the 2008 and 2012 Obama presidential campaigns, told the Guardian on Wednesday that Trump is struggling to pigeonhole Harris with his insults that have varied from racial ones to ones questioning her intelligence. 

“He’s a jazz man when it comes to all of this and he gets in front of a crowd and he tries to find the groove and he throws everything against the wall,” Axelrod said. “It’s generally bile, it’s personal and it’s negative. But he’s just trying out themes.”

This might be true based on Trump’s own admission during his North Carolina rally, he told his supporters: “This calamity is on Comrade Kamala Harris. I think her name will be Comrade because I think that’s the most accurate name. You know I’ve been looking for a name. I really didn’t find one with her.” 

FBI, Chicago Police investigate who contaminated DNC breakfast with maggots

Chicago Police and the FBI are investigating who contaminated a breakfast buffet served to delegates at the Democratic National Convention with maggots. 

As first reported by local station WGN, delegates from Missouri, South Dako, Ohio, Minnesota and Indiana entered the dining area at a Fairmont Hotel in downtown Chicago around 6:45 a.m. on Wednesday. Once there, two women who had reportedly hidden themselves in the bathroom “ran out and threw maggots into the breakfast buffet.” 

This was confirmed by both the hotel and the convention’s information center. In speaking with The Guardian, a representative from the Fairmont said “a group of individuals caused a disruption at a DNC-related breakfast event at our hotel this morning” and that hotel staff “acted immediately to clean and sanitize the area, ensuring that the event could continue without further incident.” Delegates told local media that hotel staff quickly replaced the buffet with entirely new food. 

In a statement, the convention wrote that “the offenders are believed to have then left the area. One victim was treated and released on scene. Along with the [Chicago police department], FBI-Chicago is assisting in the investigation.”

Inside Taco Bell’s disastrous Baja Blast-themed Stanley Cup release that left fans disappointed

Nearly two months after Taco Bell entered the value meal wars with its biggest deal ever, the fast food chain has let down many of its most ardent fans across the nation.

Taco Bell is currently celebrating the 20th birthday of its beloved Mountain Dew Baja Blast soda, which garnered a cult following shortly after its release in 2004. As part of the Bajaversary festivities, the chain offered customers free drinks and launched its highly-anticipated collaboration with Stanley — the popular brand of food and beverage containers. The release, which dropped on Aug. 13, promised 100 lucky fans the limited-edition Stanley x Bajaversary tumbler. The first 20 fans who claimed a cup also got a free Mountain Dew Baja Blast for an entire year via a $200 gift card.

Despite the sweet perks, the launch was met with widespread disappointment from fans on Reddit and TikTok. Many claimed the release itself was one big scam after they were met with an error message upon clicking the link to enter the giveaway.

“So I had 8 ppl helping me in a circle and all we got was page not found!” said user u/CoraTurner411 on the Taco Bell subreddit. “Soooooo sad! Been drinking baja since the very 1st day :(“

Another user, u/Ok_Succotash5265, had a similar experience, saying, “Same! I contacted their [Taco Bell’s] support team, the last drop was not like that. I think someone screwed up the website. I literally watched it go live and hit it right away and nothing. Even refreshed! Have screenshots too.”

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Taco Bell to take customers down memory lane with five popular menu items from the past five decades

One user said they won a cup but couldn’t claim it: “I won but when I put in the info to it send it. It gave me an error message.”

On TikTok, angry fans echoed similar disappointments and demanded an explanation from Taco Bell regarding the Stanley tumbler fiasco.

“Taco Bell, I got beef with y’all over this Baja Blast Stanley tumbler, because why did y’all share the wrong damn link?” said TikToker @berkundy in their video. “This is how you spell tumblers? Really? ‘Cause that’s the link that y’all shared.”

@berkundy I'm not playing with you Taco Bell give me my damn Baja Blast Stanley cup!! #tacobell #bajablast #StanleyCup #stanleytumbler #tacobellstanley #bajablasttumbler ♬ original sound – berkundy

They then displayed a screenshot of a URL that appears to have misspelled “tumblers” by adding an extra “l” to spell out “tumblerls” instead.

“IT WAS A SCAM! IT ALWAYS IS just another way to get us to click their c**p website! [Taco Bell] you won't scam me again!!!” wrote one commenter under the video. 

Another TikTok user, @taliacott, detailed their experience attempting to secure a Stanley x Bajaversary tumbler: “I tried it on my f**king computer, everything, it didn’t work. I love Taco Bell so much. I just really, really wanted this.”

@taliacott #greenscreen im literally about to cry about this @tacobell @Taco bell official @Taco Bell USA™ #stanleycup #tacobell #pleasegoviral ♬ original sound – John Travoltage

Other hopeful yet frustrated participants complained about the lack of Stanley tumblers being offered along with the low chance of actually winning a cup. 

“Only 100 Stanley’s. What are the odds?” asked u/Odd_Accountant_9204 in a post made on Reddit. “According to Alexa, one billion people have the Taco Bell app…My calculations are that I have a 0.00001% chance of getting a Stanley. Do better Taco Bell.”

A separate user was skeptical of the $200 gift card, which they said seemed insufficient to cover a year's supply of unlimited Baja Blast beverages.

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“I believe the fine print somewhere said a year supply = 1 medium drink a week for a year. Idk how they get away with calling that a year supply,” user u/KirkSpock7 clarified.

Taco Bell did not respond to Salon Food’s request for comment.

The Stanley x Bajaversary tumbler hoopla comes after Taco Bell announced that it will reintroduce five popular menu items from the past five decades. They include the Tostada (which was one of Taco Bell’s original menu items when it opened its first location in 1962), Green Burrito (which gained popularity amid the ‘70s), Meximelt (which was highly sought-out in the ‘80s), Beef Gordita Supreme (which was a classic staple in the ‘90s) and Caramel Apple Empanada (which Taco Bell described as its “2000s star”).

The fan-favorite flashbacks are part of a menu test “looking back and celebrating the most mouth-watering, iconic hits through the decades,” Taco Bell said in a press release.

Returning items will be available only at select Taco Bell locations in Southern California between Aug. 15 and Aug. 21.

“Thanks to our rich history, we have a vault of craveable products our fans have become passionate about and we continuously explore ways to reintroduce the ones that deliver on the comfort and value they are looking for,” said Taylor Montgomery, Taco Bell’s chief marketing officer. “Now, we’re thrilled to unite two groups of fans: those who fondly remember these menu items and those who have yet to experience the delight of a Caramel Apple Empanada or savor their first bite of a Meximelt with this menu.”

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Pumpkin spice latte season returns to Starbucks earlier than ever

For fellow devotees of the Pumpkin Spice Latte, the wait is over — earlier than ever. Starbucks has officially launched its eagerly-anticipated fall menu today, Aug. 22, marking the earliest start to the season in the company’s history, according to reports from both PEOPLE and Delish

The centerpiece of this annual tradition is, of course, the Pumpkin Spice Latte, a drink so iconic that it has become a cultural phenomenon in its own right. This year marks the 21st anniversary of the Pumpkin Spice Latte, which will once again be available in hot, iced, or blended variations.But Starbucks isn’t stopping there. This year’s menu introduces new additions while also bringing back familiar favorites, catering to both classic and modern tastes.

Among the highlights is the Apple Crisp Nondairy Cream Chai, reflecting Starbucks’ continued expansion into the nondairy market.. Customers can also indulge in other seasonal offerings such as the Iced Pumpkin Cream Chai Tea Latte (yum), Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew, the Apple Crisp Oatmilk Macchiato and the Iced Apple Crisp Oatmilk Shaken Espresso. In addition, there are two other drinks available exclusively in the official Starbucks app: the Iced Caramel Apple Cream latte and Iced Honey Apple Almondmilk Flat White. 

Beyond drinks, Starbucks is also launching a Raccoon Cake Pop, along with pumpkin cream cheese muffins, pumpkin loaves and baked apple croissants. For those seeking a more elevated experience, Starbucks Reserve locations in select cities are embracing the season with offerings such as the Pumpkin Spice Whiskey Barrel-Aged Cold Brew, Pumpkin Spice Affogato and even a Pumpkin Spice Martini Flight, as noted by Delish.

While I would love to see more maple and pecan offerings, this is clearly a great start to the season and I look forward to drinking a truly endless stream of these highly-anticipated drinks.




 

Poll: Harris shrinks Trump’s lead in Texas — and Ted Cruz’s reelection bid is in trouble

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Vice President Kamala Harris trails former President Donald Trump by 5 percentage points in Texas, shaving off nearly half the Republican nominee’s one-time advantage over President Joe Biden from earlier this year, according to a new poll released Thursday.

The survey, conducted earlier this month by the University of Houston’s Hobby School of Public Affairs, is among the first to measure where things stand in Texas since Biden dropped his reelection bid last month. In June, the same pollster found that Trump led Biden by nearly 9 percentage points.

The latest survey also recorded a 2-point lead for U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz over his Democratic challenger, U.S. Rep. Colin Allred — virtually unchanged from the June poll. In the new survey, 46.6% of likely voters said they intend to vote for the Republican senator, compared to 44.5% for Allred.

Allred, a Dallas Democrat serving his third term in Congress, is seen as one of his party’s few legitimate hopes for flipping a GOP-controlled Senate seat, in a year where Democrats are largely playing defense across the Senate electoral battlefield.

Allred cited the poll while addressing the Texas delegation Thursday morning at the Democratic National Convention, dismissing Cruz’s modest lead as within the margin of error.

“This is a race that's going to come down to the things that we do together over the next 75 days,” Allred said. “I'm going to be giving you every single thing I've got.”

Cruz is up for reelection for the first time since he defeated Democrat Beto O’Rourke by just 2.6 percentage points in 2018 — Democrats’ closest statewide margin in decades.

At the presidential level, independent voters appeared to drive much of the shift toward Harris: Trump now leads among that voting bloc by just 2 percentage points, down from a 24-point edge in June. Harris also gained ground among women, who now favor her by a 6-point margin after narrowly backing Trump in the Hobby School’s earlier poll.

Trump’s 4.9-point lead in the Hobby School’s latest poll is similar to the 5.6-point margin by which he carried the state over Biden in 2020.

Harris campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon suggested earlier this week that the campaign does not intend to make much of a play for Texas. She noted the high cost of advertising in the state and suggested it would divert resources from other more closely contested states.

“At the end of the day, our responsibility as a presidential campaign is to ensure we get to 270 [electoral votes],” O’Malley Dillon said, fielding audience questions for an event at the Democratic National Convention. “I would love to get to a bigger number than that, but that is all we care about."

Even if Democrats lose atop the ticket, a narrow result could boost the party’s candidates in critical down-ballot races for Congress, the Texas Legislature and scores of local offices. In 2018, when O’Rourke nearly ousted Cruz, Democrats picked up 12 state House seats and flipped two congressional districts, including one where Allred unseated a longtime GOP member of Congress.

Matthew Choi contributed to this report.

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“That’s my dad!”: Gus Walz weeps tears of pride at dad’s Democratic convention speech

Gus, Hope and Gwen Walz, the two children and wife of vice presidential candidate Tim Walz, wept in joy the moment he entered the stage to accept the Democratic Party's nomination. But it was Gus' reaction to Walz talking about how he and Gwen conceived with fertility treatments that drew the most views on the internet.

"If you've never experienced the hell that is infertility, I guarantee you, you know somebody who has … it took Gwen and I years, but we had access to fertility treatments, and when our daughter was born, we named her Hope," Walz said, as cameras panned to Hope making a heart sign with her fingers. "Hope, Gus and Gwen, you are my entire world, and I love you."

Gus, overcome with emotion, stood up and clapped with the rest of the cheering crowd, then pointed towards the stage and declared emphatically: "that's my dad!" Clips of Gus' reaction went viral, with clips bearing the hashtag #thatsmydad spreading rapidly across social media.

“You know you’ve done well as a parent when your kids are as proud of you as Gus and Hope are of Tim Walz,” Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., wrote on X.

Walz has long been open about his and Gwen's need for fertility treatments to overcome the "agony" of their fertility struggles, a personal issue for many couples that has become a flashpoint as its most common form, in-vitro fertilization (IVF), comes under risk of a ban in some states. A ruling by a conservative Alabama court in February determined that frozen embryos were people and anyone who destroyed them would be held liable, drawing criticism from activists who noted that during IVF treatment, multiple embryos would be created and kept in reserve to give the patient the best chance of becoming pregnant.

The ruling could have a chilling effect on IVF, as doctors and health care clinics worry about being sued should they dispose of the remaining embryos or inadvertently destroy one during treatment. When Senate Democrats proposed legislation that would grant women nationwide a right to IVF, Republicans in the chamber blocked its passage.

Walz's children were conceived by a related treatment called intrauterine insemination (IUI), in which a partner's or donor's sperm is placed in the patient's uterus at the time of ovulation. That treatment is typically attempted before resorting to IVF, where the egg and sperm are combined outside and then placed back into the uterus.

Hope and Gus have been featured as a point of pride for Walz for much of his political career. Last year, Walz shared a video of him and Hope's adventures at a state fair, including an extreme ride the would-be VP nominee was "tricked" into getting on and a disagreement over whether turkey counts as meat or not. A few months later, he shared a photo of him and his son in a car shortly after Gus passed his driver's exam, captioning it with "proud dad moment."

Four ways to start a conversation with a loved one about suicidal ideation

If you have not personally experienced suicidal ideation, you most likely know someone or love someone who has. Hearing that someone you care for is contemplating hurting themselves or ending their life can feel alarming and even scary as it is difficult to know how to handle these important conversations. Knowing the warning signs, so you can broach the topic is important. Signs to look out for include:

  • An increase in mental illness symptoms
  • Substance abuse issues
  • Increase in impulsive or dangerous behaviors
  • Previous suicide attempts or family history of suicide
  • Withdrawing from social events or groups
  • Giving away important items or large sums of money 
  • Increased apathy about life goals
  • Irritability or mood swings
  • Self-harm (which is not always indicative of suicidal thoughts, but repeated self-harm attempts are more likely connected with future suicide attempts)
  • Traumatic brain injury

The way in which warning signs present differs for each individual, which is why knowing ways to start these important conversations, as well as what to do if the person you care for is feeling suicidal, has the potential to save lives. 

Related

As suicides hit record highs, what can we do about "contagion"?

1. Ask the Question

There is a common misconception that bringing up suicide will evoke these thoughts in others, which is simply not true. In fact, the more we discuss the topic the less likely someone will be to act out these urges. Internalized shame around suicidal thoughts creates more isolation and has a detrimental impact on mental health, but by checking in with your loved one and asking how they are doing you are letting them know it is safe and okay to open up about their struggles.

Having someone you love express that they are, or have been suicidal, can naturally cause alarm.

If your loved one says anything sounding like these statements: “I don’t want to be here anyone”, “everyone would be better off without me” or more direct statements like “I wish I could just die” make sure not to overlook these as dramatic gestures and instead explore further. Be direct and ask the person if they are feeling suicidal or if they want to hurt themselves. While some people will be open, others may feel more guarded. In these circumstances use open ended questions such as “How have you been feeling?” and leave the door open to talk any time they are ready. For those who do not want to talk, remain persistent and present, but follow their lead.

2. Try to Remain Calm

Having someone you love express that they are, or have been suicidal, can naturally cause alarm. It is important to know that just because someone has had these thoughts, does not mean they are in immediate danger when they are speaking with you. In fact, because they are speaking to you, they are more likely to remain safe. When speaking with them, it can help to use grounding and mindfulness skills for yourself, especially in these moments, such as connecting with your breath and if possible, consciously relaxing your body. These practices make it easier to remain present, while also helping to reduce stress for the person you are speaking with as well. 

3. Listen Without Judgment

When concerned for someone you love it can be tempting to try to fix the problem, or help the person look at their situation more positively. While these actions may be motivated by good intentions, it can leave the person feeling minimized or even judged. Practice “listening to hear not respond” which also allows you to learn as much as possible and not cut the person short from expressing themselves.

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It is important not to minimize the feelings the other person is sharing with statements such as:

“Everything will be okay”

“You have so much to be thankful for”

“Things are not as bad as you think, it will get better”

“You will be fine”

Rather try practicing compassion which also helps the person feel that their feelings matter and they are not a burden for sharing them, but rather are brave and respected for doing so. Some compassionate statements include:

“I hear you”

“Tell me more”

“This seems really hard, thank you so much for sharing how you feel with me”

“What would you find most helpful right now?”

4. Find Other Supports

If your loved one does express an active plan or intent to hurt themselves or take their own life, it is not your responsibility, nor is it advised, to be solely responsible for their safety. If they currently have a therapist or medical professional they are working with, this is the time to call and make sure they know what is happening. You could offer to “body double” for your loved one and sit with them while they call these supports or offer to do so if they would prefer. Trying to get them in for an appointment as soon as possible is crucial.

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In some cases, it may also be necessary to seek emergency help immediately. This can be a difficult decision to make, as research shows that hospitalization does not always improve symptoms related to suicidal thoughts — however if the person is in crisis, it is necessary. Looking up your local crisis hotline can be a good place to start, or you can call the 988 Suicide and Crisis lifeline. For veterans and military personal you may also wish to call the Veteran Suicide Hotline which has a local number designated for most areas and connects veterans with their local VA hospital.

Personal Support

It is important to remember that as someone supporting a person experiencing suicidal thoughts, you will need your own support. Whether it be a therapist, family member, friend, religious leader or support group, the impact on your own stress and wellbeing can be detrimental — made even more impactful if the person you are supporting is someone you love. Just as you want them to be open and seek out the help they need, you too deserve the same. By prioritizing your needs, you also make it more likely that when the time comes to support someone else who is struggling, you will have more emotional energy to provide and reduce the risk of compassion fatigue. Suicide impacts us all and by acknowledging its impact we all become part of the solution.

Dr. Amelia Kelley is co-author of Surviving Suicidal Ideation: From Therapy to Spirituality and the Lived Experience.

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The Woodstock of politics: Democrats strike all the right chords — and scare Donald Trump — with DNC

CHICAGO — I sat down Wednesday to indulge in my morning ritual of an espresso; this time at the Gallery Café just a couple of miles from the United Center in Chicago – the site of the 2024 Democratic National Convention. As I checked the latest news on my laptop a white gentleman with a short gray beard, dressed in red sweatpants and a dark blue t-shirt approached me and pointed at my press passes hanging around my neck. “You here covering the Democrats?”

I made a mental note to once again try to remember to remove the passes until needed. “Yes,” I said.

“I’m a Republican,” he said evenly.

“Okay,” I answered, waiting to hear what came next.

“I f***ing love those guys,” he said with a big grin. He then shook my hand, turned to leave after telling me to enjoy my coffee and dropped a suggestion about Donald Trump indulging himself in a manner not recommended for those who are not contortionists. 

I didn’t expect that. I also haven’t expected the “Happy Warrior” vibe nor the spontaneity of celebrations along with the well-choreographed celebrations at the DNC that have permeated Chicago during the convention. But make no mistake, none of it is about Kamala Harris. It’s all about President Joe Biden not being on the ticket and the hope that now “we can finally beat Trump.” Instead of the dour activities and boring speeches of past conventions that came replete with ridiculous, false claims and pedantic reflections on a reality little share, Democrats have been celebrating a generational change of leadership and have – for the moment – not shown publicly any of the infighting characteristic of the party’s infamous ability to snatch defeat out of the jaws of victory. And they’ve been doing it all with a sense of humor.

It is representative of a quote attributed to John Lennon: “The establishment will irritate you – pull your beard, flick your face – to make you fight. Because once they’ve got you violent, then they know how to handle you. The only thing they don’t know how to handle is non-violence and humor.”

Related

All of Salon's coverage of the Democratic National Convention

Prior to the convention, many pundits pointed out the shallow similarities to the Chicago Convention of 1968. There was the threat of violence, an incumbent president not running for office, and the potential for disharmony inside the party. There has, thus far, been no violence, the incumbent president has spurred the party on and instead of a romperroom of juvenile discord, so far, the Democrats look like they’re holding a political Woodstock – complete with hippies and conservatives. I half expected to see Hunter S. Thompson on the convention floor dropping acid.

Hell, even Chuck Schumer, who rarely has the energy to do more than babble incoherently while sounding like a cicada, was semi-energetic on stage.

After eight years of Donald Trump’s rhetoric, perhaps the Democrats have found an answer to Trump’s gloom and doom declarations and prognosis for this country; his petulant whining and his narcissistic, nihilistic and honestly repugnant behavior. Instead of trusting one man to solve all of our problems, the Democrats have embraced the idea that “we won’t go back” and we’re “All Together." (Note; cue the Beatles song “All Together Now.”)

In fact, the Democrats have reached back into their own progressive past to plot a course for the future. Time after time, each speaker on stage has talked about grassroots, unions, the working man and how the rich are killing the American dream by not paying their fair share in taxes. They’ve apparently struck a chord with millions who are tired of divisive rhetoric and want a better future “for our children and grandchildren,” as many speakers have opined. It has touched a nerve.

No one knows this better than Trump. He’s been riding the tide of public opinion for so long that he can sniff out a change in the current before anyone sees it. A fellow White House correspondent told me Tuesday night that Trump is panicking and increasingly angry with the Democrats for switching candidates. But, his vengeance and anger tour is apparently even wearing him out. “His latest speech was low energy. He looked dour. He looked wooden, more so than I’ve ever seen him,” I was told. Those inside Trump’s camp say he’s convinced the Democrats staged the entire “coup” that didn’t occur against Biden, as a “way to derail” Trump’s campaign. Remember, it’s always about Donald. Sometimes it’s true. The Democrats do hope to derail Donald – for reasons the Democrats have been detailing daily during their convention.

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Michael Cohen, Donald Trump’s former fixer, sat in the front seat of a Lyft he, former Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn (who testified in Congress about the January 6 insurrection) and myself were sharing to get to a Tuesday night party hosted by Maryland Congressman Jamie Raskin. Cohen heard my conversation with a colleague about Trump’s recent appearance. Since he arguably knows Trump better than anyone, Cohen was compelled to say after I hung up that he doesn’t think Trump’s manifested recent behavior is all about the election. However, he concedes it has something to do with it. After all, Trump has undoubtedly seen the events unwinding in Chicago. 

“The gloves have come off,” Dunn said. “I’m so happy. Someone needs to metaphorically slap him in the face. I’ve been waiting for someone to do it.”

The Democrats have taken it to Trump in speech after speech the first two nights. “Banana Republicans,” Congressman Raskin called them. “It’s not just the heat, it’s the stupidity,” he said to laughs. Hillary Clinton relished her chance to lambast Trump and what’s left of the GOP with a Biblical reference, the “last, least and the lost.” The alliteration continued with appellations like “Vindictive, vile villain violates voters’ vision” – truly a gem from Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Texas. The host of night two, “The View’s” Anna Navarro, offered this description; “Donald Trump can only hold two things; a grudge and a golf club.” 

The Democrats obviously hired some decent writers, but beyond the one-liners and sarcastic zingers, the Democrats have also redefined who they are – and recaptured buzz words like “family values” and “patriotism” that Republicans co-opted years ago. The result is a Democratic convention that is celebrating its diversity in a manner I’ve never seen in 40 years of covering presidential politics — and in a manner that truly frightens Trump.

But Cohen, for his part, remains convinced Trump’s wooden demeanor and his consequential meltdowns of late are not entirely because of the Democrats. “I’m a life-long Democrat,” Cohen said.  “Don’t get me wrong, I’ve never seen anything like this. The energy is overwhelming, but there’s something else bothering Donald Trump,” he declared.

On September 18, Judge Juan Merchan is scheduled to sentence Trump on his 34 convicted felonies in Manhattan court. While there is speculation the sentencing could once again be delayed, Cohen is skeptical that will happen and believes Trump may be sentenced to prison, though he also believes Trump won’t be remanded until after the November general election. 

“The way Trump thinks, is if it’s 60 or 90 days out, it’s not anything to worry about. But once he gets it on his calendar, once it gets close then he doesn’t stop thinking about it. He obsesses about it.” Cohen explained. “And if he is sentenced to prison, he knows that a significant number of Republicans will not vote for him. He’s afraid of all of that.”

Cohen believes Trump’s fueled rage and despair could eventually cause him to implode.

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Former President Barack Obama pointed out Trump’s fear even as he made a joke about Trump’s strange obsession with, ahem, “crowd size” Tuesday night. He “hasn’t stopped whining about his problems since he rode down his golden escalator. It’s been a constant stream of gripes and grievances that’s actually gotten worse now that he’s afraid of losing to Kamala,” Obama said – echoing Cohen’s thoughts.

The former president appeared on a night that contained a roll call vote on the floor hosted by  DJ Cassidy, with appearances by rapper Lil’ Jon and “Rudy” actor Sean Astin. Floor nominating votes are sometimes punctuated by energetic proclamations from individual state delegation leaders, but have never looked like a musical block party. The Democrats changed that. I haven’t seen this much spontaneous dancing since Al Gore at the 1996 convention in Chicago encouraged the entire arena to do the Macarena. Apparently, the Democrats have become better dancers in the last 28 years.

While that was historic, the masterstroke was including Republican Mayor John Giles from Mesa, AZ, as a speaker Tuesday night. He admitted on stage that he didn’t know if he would feel comfortable appearing before the Democratic Convention, which produced a litany of cheers before Giles issued a coffin-like closure statement on Donald Trump’s MAGA party. “The John McCain GOP is gone and we don’t owe a damn thing to what’s left behind,” Giles said to raucous applause. More than 20,000 people in the arena cheered wildly.

Hell, even Chuck Schumer, who rarely has the energy to do more than babble incoherently while sounding like a cicada, was semi-energetic on stage. After his speech, he huddled with reporters and told us he was as giddy as a school child about energy.

“It’s the contagious power of hope” that propels the Democrats, Michelle Obama said, proving to be a formidable speaker who was much beloved by the Democrats.

But it cannot be forgotten that none of this would have been possible without Joe Biden. Former President Obama, former first lady Michelle Obama, Hillary Clinton and others have mentioned Biden, but once again his party and this country owe him a debt of gratitude.

He isn’t feeble. He isn’t angry at the world, though he probably harbors some lingering anger with certain of his “friends”. The truth is as former President Obama stated in his closing address Tuesday night; “History will remember Joe Biden as a president who defended democracy at a moment of great danger. I am proud to call him president, but even prouder to call him my friend.”

Monday night, Biden said he was once too young to be a senator and now he’s too old to be president – a moment that was not scripted. On that night he cemented his legacy as a bridge to the next generation and he embodied the spirit of Cincinnatus who saved the Roman Republic. “Now the torch has been passed,” Former President Obama said.

Joe Biden provided the spark that ignited the energy in the Democratic Party and spawned groups like “Republicans for Harris.” He gave his vice president his unconditional support. Biden spoke stridently and passionately. (On a side note, several Democrats said that had Hillary Clinton spoken as well in 2016 or if Biden had spoken as well during the debate, we would never have had to face the specter of Donald Trump in public office).

Yes, the Democratic energy is real, though even the party faithful acknowledge there is still a long road ahead and a close election at hand. “But, look what we’ve done in the last month,” Dunn said with a smile as we rolled into a Raskin party that was complete with hippies and conservatives.

Now the challenge is to convert the energy thus far seen in Chicago into votes, and then to secure an election Donald Trump and his minions will try to disrupt. The election process will include voter suppression tactics similar to what we saw in the last election. These are high hurdles, the Democrats admit it, but there’s no denying the sense of hope and elation in Chicago. 

“We won’t go back,” the cheering multitudes proclaimed. The Democrats, for once, appear to be united behind a single issue: Defeat Donald Trump. Who knows how long the unity will last. 

But never forget that all of that was made possible by the modern-day Cincinnatus, President Joe Biden.

“Thank you Joe,” the cheering multitudes proclaimed.

After the dust settles, should the Republic for which we all stand continue to do so, Biden will long be remembered for emphasizing and displaying true patriotism and leadership by putting the country’s interest above his own. And that folks is something Donald Trump could never do.

Trump’s destiny lies elsewhere as long as the Democrats don’t blow it:

“Nameless here for evermore. . . Darkness there and nothing more. . . Merely this and nothing more. . . Quoth the Raven ‘Nevermore.’”

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America the unwell: The corporate greed threatening our stability

One thing our government doesn’t like doing is challenging the greed of health insurance companies. I can speak with some authority about holes in the ever-fraying safety net of our healthcare system, including Tricare, the military health insurance plan used by most troops, veterans, and their families, other employer-sponsored health insurance, state-sponsored care like Medicare and Medicaid, and individually purchased plans. After all, I’m the spouse of a veteran who uses military healthcare and a clinical social worker. I serve military families that rely on a variety of health insurance plans to pay for their care and believe me, it’s only getting harder.

To take one example: at least in my state, Maryland, Tricare, if it pays at all, compensates clinicians like me far less for mental healthcare than Medicaid (government medical assistance for low-income Americans). It also misleads military patients by referring them to me even after Tricare has acknowledged that I’m unable to take more of them. Other healthcare plans serving Americans go months without reimbursing me for services they authorized.

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The toll of truth: What happens when you expose medical wrongdoing?

Over the years, I’ve written for TomDispatch about many things that military families go through — most similar to what other Americans experience, although almost invariably a little more so. That includes the struggle to feed their families and stay out of debt, the search for childcare, a growing sense of loneliness and pain, and, of course (to mention something so many other Americans haven’t experienced) exposure to the violence of war and its weaponry.

Private companies — and not just medical ones — shape the contours of American life in so many ways, even if we don’t know those companies’ names. Take arms contractors who have contributed so much to the spillover of military-grade weaponry into the hands of civilian killers. Just as all too many Americans, including schoolchildren, have found themselves forced to stare into the barrel of an AR-15 rifle, so have distressed soldiers stared into the “barrels” of companies few of us have heard of that can decide whether they’ll ever get the opportunity for therapy.

Sadly, in my world, greed all too often shapes how we live, just as it’s shaped the world of… yes, the Supreme Court. And for that you can thank the magnates who so generously gifted lavish trips and perks to Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito while they handed down morally devastating decisions on so many issues, gun control and abortion among them, that will determine the nature of life and death in this country.

Americans, who are getting sicker, sadder, and ever more anxious, are so often unable to access necessities like healthcare because all too many legislators, judges and administration officials refuse to hold large companies accountable.

In a moment, I’ll tell you a bit about my own experiences as a clinician. But let me start by saying that, for me, as a therapist, wife, and mother, nowhere is the relationship between corporations and everyday life more impactful than in the ways our government allows health insurance companies of every kind to avoid truly paying for the care Americans need. (Ask me, for instance, whether Tricare paid for my family to get flu shots this year. I’ll bet you can guess the answer to that one.)

Americans, who are getting sicker, sadder, and ever more anxious, are so often unable to access necessities like healthcare because all too many legislators, judges and administration officials refuse to hold large companies accountable to the rule of law — when, that is, significant laws related to such corporations even exist.

An uphill battle to provide affordable mental health care

As a therapist, I accept most major insurance plans in the Washington, D.C., area, where I operate a small private practice out of my rural home. I set out to make care accessible to middle- and lower-income Americans, particularly those who fought in America’s wars, were impacted by them, or grew up in a military family — groups where suicide rates are significantly higher than in the general population and where depression, anxiety, and violence are rampant.

I have a social science PhD that has helped me figure out how complicated systems work, yet our insurance system (if it can even be called that) confounds me. I find myself turning away dozens of people every month because I can’t afford to lose more time and income dealing with the complications of their insurance.

My standard line for those who come to me seeking care is too often: “I’m so sorry, I wish I could help, but I’m unable to take any new patients with [insert here major healthcare plan, most of them state-sponsored or, in the case of Carefirst, D.C.’s version of Blue Cross Blue Shield, contracted by the federal government for its employees].” I then wonder what will happen to that suicidal three-times-deployed Afghanistan and Iraq veteran with young kids at home, who’s been referred to me by this country’s downsized, on-base healthcare system; or the single mother whose State Department job is supposed to offer her an insurance plan to help her manage the stress of aid work in combat zones; or unnerved asylum seekers from Russia, Ukraine, and so on (and on and on and on).

Meanwhile, in a separate area of my mind, I’m starting to try to lay the groundwork for a time when my own ability to support my family won’t suddenly be thwarted because one link in some part of our country’s fragile chain of companies that finance health care breaks for months on end.

The change health care outage

Most people I talk to around my affluent town aren’t aware that, in late February of this year, the U.S. healthcare system suffered a major setback: BlackCat, a ransomware group, hacked into Change Healthcare, a subsidiary of the corporate behemoth UnitedHealth Corporation, which (until recently at least) processed about 40% of the nation’s healthcare claims annually, including from therapists. For months after that, some major insurance companies lacked a clear route to receive medical claims from providers like me. They also lacked a way to transfer money from their own banks to doctors. Other claims payment systems take weeks or months to establish, because you have to make sure they’re in sync with the chain of companies you work with in healthcare (if you accept insurance). There’s your encrypted patient data system, your payment-processing system, the insurance company itself, and maybe a company you hire to help you with your billing. In short, the Change outage left many providers like me without a way to get paid for what we do.

Nationally, over these months, more than 90% of hospitals and many group practices (especially smaller ones) lost money — to the tune of somewhere between hundreds of millions of dollars and $1 billion daily. Tens of millions of dollars in insurance payments to providers were delayed indefinitely. Doctors, nurses, and therapists were forced to close their doors, cut staff, forego needed supplies such as chemotherapy drugs, for example, or stop seeing patients. A survey by the American Medical Association of 1,400 medical practices found that 80% had lost revenue, 55% had to use their own personal funds to cover practice expenses, and about a third were unable to pay staff. Eighty-five percent of those practices had to commit extra time to the revenue cycle. The only reason I was able to see patients is because I have a spouse with a job that covers some of our bills (as well as our mounting credit card debt).

I had a particularly difficult time getting the insurance companies that are supposed to cover the healthcare of our troops to cough up funds. Tricare took three months to begin paying me because the requirements of its subcontractor, Humana, Inc., to enroll with a new payment system were opaque even for my professional biller. Then, it took weeks more after they figured it out for Tricare to formally approve the new arrangement.

Johns Hopkins Family Health Plan, another insurance plan for military families sponsored by the Department of Defense, didn’t start paying me the thousands of dollars it owed me in backpay until late June. Maryland Medicaid went weeks or even months without covering services for three of my patients. (Lest anyone think this is unrelated to the way we treat our military families, note that Medicaid serves millions of troops, in addition to many other populations.) The only reason those patients of mine continued to receive care was because I volunteered to do it, a choice that a medical professional living in the largest economy on Earth shouldn’t have to make. A country of wealthy healthcare corporations enabled by the government, who let clinicians choose between volunteer work or turning sick people away is its own kind of banana republic.

Should we be surprised? Not in a for-profit healthcare system, where companies stand to gain by hoarding premiums long enough to garner yet more interest on them. Why would any of them feel compelled to fix such an outage in a timely fashion unless someone made them do it? — and no one did.

The Devil’s in the Details (and There Are So Many Details)

After the Change Healthcare outage, UnitedHealth’s CEO Andrew Witty testified before Congress for the first time in 15 years — a noteworthy (if insufficient) first step in raising public awareness and pressuring companies to improve their data security and prevent disruptions to healthcare. What I didn’t see was any significant discussion of why Americans need little-known companies like Change to begin with.

Change’s role is essentially to take the notes saying what we did that therapists and doctors like me write after we see patients and pass them on to insurance companies like Tricare/Humana, Medicaid/Optum, or D.C. Medicare (administered by the Pennsylvania-based Novitas, Inc.) in a format those payers are most likely to accept. If you ask me, were Change the character in the 1990s parody "Office Space" asked by downsizing consultants, “What would you say you do here?,” instead of responding, “I deal with the customers so the engineers don’t have to,” it might say, “I deal with the insurance companies so the providers don’t have to.” Essentially, Change takes my notes and sends them to the computer systems of insurers, which then (maybe) pay me. For a company that electronically dispatches healthcare claims from providers to payers, it’s done remarkably well. It was the most profitable of UnitedHealth’s thousands of subsidiaries and UnitedHealth was itself one of the Fortune 500’s top 25 companies in 2023.

So many cooks in the kitchen amount to confusion and lack of accountability for providers like me.

Prior to the Change outage, the reasons companies didn’t pay out to medical workers were often as arbitrary and unrelated to health care as you could imagine. UnitedHealth went months without paying me for therapy I did with several of its members because I wrote the number “11,” not “10,” on claim forms to indicate that I saw patients online. No matter that both numbers stood for the same thing. Worse yet, its representatives refused to tell me that this was the problem until government officials intervened on my behalf. Honestly, I don’t think we live in a “deep state” as much as in (and yes, I would capitalize it!) Deep Corporate America.

Deep corporations

Much is said these days by folks on the far right about the “deep state” and Donald Trump’s plans to gut it should he return to the White House in 2025. Speaking from the bowels of the healthcare industry, I’d say that what we have on our hands are many layers of companies (like those beneath Tricare, Medicaid, and Medicare) that decide whether and how to administer funds in ways too complicated and inhuman to truly explain. Consider it an irony then that, in 2022, the healthcare version of all of that was deepened by — yes! — a Trump-appointed judge who struck down a Justice Department lawsuit attempting to prevent UnitedHealth from acquiring Change.

Many failed states rot from the inside before they collapse, when people get so fed up with not having their basic needs met that they take to the streets. Maybe before something akin to another January 6th happens in America, more people should begin to question the assumption that private is better, that billionaires are the embodiment of the American dream, and that government, on principle, is not to be trusted. Instead, isn’t it time to hold the feet of government officials to the fire and begin a genuine crackdown on corporate greed in this country?

If that doesn’t happen, our healthcare system will prove to be just one disastrous layer in a genuine American house of cards. Unless our public officials begin to place our human rights and the rule of law first, count on one thing: somewhere along the line that house of cards, medical or otherwise, is headed for collapse.

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Copyright 2024 Andrea Mazzarino

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“Weird is really just the opposite of empathy”: DNC delegates say what’s off about MAGA is the hate

CHICAGO — When Vice President Kamala Harris's running mate, Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota, called MAGA Republicans "weird," it's unlikely he knew he was kicking off a meme that would worm its way into the imaginations of millions of voters. He probably didn't even realize it would drive Donald Trump even more bonkers than usual. The word also made journalists a little nuts, because it lacks the specificity that every writer learns from an early age is supposedly necessary for clear communication. But it turns out "weird" is less vague than it is broad, with enough connotations to cover everything wrong about Trump and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, from their speeches about electric sharks to their sniping about "childless cat ladies." 

Walz hit the "weird" theme again during his speech Wednesday night. Describing Trump's agenda, he said, "Is it weird? Absolutely. But it’s also wrong. And dangerous." In contrast, he said, "When we Democrats talk about freedom, we mean the freedom to make a better life for yourself and the people you love." Or more straightforwardly, to MAGA: "Mind your own damn business."

The Democratic National Convention offered an opportunity for Salon to ask Democratic voters directly why it resonates to hear Harris and Walz dismiss MAGA leadership as "weird." In one sense, the answers were all over the map, with people talking about everything from Project 2025 to the book-banning campaigns in states like Florida. But after an afternoon spent bugging Democratic delegates and other attendees to explain "weird," a theme emerged. Harris supporters used the word to describe not just the hateful motivations that fuel the MAGA movement but to express perplexity over why Trump and his minions waste so much energy attacking people whose only offense is being different than them. 

 "Everybody knows exactly what he meant when [Walz] called them weird, because the things they say just do not resonate with anybody anymore," Hawaii delegate Michael Gologuch Jr. told Salon. 

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Nearly everyone Salon spoke with initially laughed when we asked about the word "weird." But then most folks immediately became thoughtful.

"Honestly, we could use probably bigger words like fascist," explained Ben Godfrey, a delegate from Washington who will turn 18 in time to vote for Harris. "But this isn't the RNC. This is the DNC," he added, arguing Democrats wanted to be more "positive" as a "contrast" to the vitriol coming from Republicans. 

Especially baffling to the Democrats we spoke with was the MAGA fixation on controlling the personal decisions of others, especially women and LGBTQ people. One Idaho delegate named October flagged Vance's repeated insults of childless women. "As a childless cat lady. I just don't….. That's weird. It's weird," she said. "There's a lot of us and we vote."

Like many delegates, she was dressed in bright green. It's become the unofficial color of the Harris campaign, a tribute to the new album "brat" by British singer Charli XCX. With Charli's blessing, Harris supporters have invoked the album's "screw the haters" vibe as a rebuttal to the sexist and controlling ideology of the Trump campaign. 

"It is weird how focused they are on the negative. It's weird how focused they are on women's bodies and the things we do with them," Elaine Haney of Vermont said.

"They want to restrict how people marry. They want to restrict how people identify and express themselves. They want to ban books just because they don't agree with the content. That's weird," Sean Michael, a delegate from Ohio, told Salon. "Why do they care? It's not their business."

Related

All of Salon's coverage of the Democratic National Convention

Repeatedly, the delegates we spoke with defined "normal" and "weird" along these "mind your own business" lines. To these Democrats, what is normal is accepting people's differences with an understanding that, underneath it all, most people want the same things. "Weird is really just the opposite of empathy," Josh Hickman of Ohio said, saying it's "not normal" to be so hateful over difference. "We're neighbors, we're friends," he said. 

In her convention speech Tuesday night, former First Lady Michelle Obama echoed this sentiment. "Regardless of where you come from, what you look like, who you love, how you worship, or what’s in your bank account, we all deserve the opportunity to build a decent life," she said. "Because no one has a monopoly on what it means to be an American. No one."

Parker Short, the president of Young Democrats of Georgia, had an encounter with MAGA weird at the DNC, which went viral online. He was taped confronting Charlie Kirk, the founder of the Trump-hyping Turning Point USA, over Kirk's false claims that Trump won the 2020 election. Kirk, avoiding the question, instead invoked a transphobic meme — asking liberals "what is a woman?" — in hopes of throwing Short off his game. Short, in response, declared that it's "weird" to ask that, and walked away. 

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When speaking to Salon the next day, Short was still angry about the encounter. "The weirdest question ever," he declared. "You know what a woman is? Our next president, Kamala Harris is a woman."

The virality of the encounter between Short and Kirk underscores one aspect of "weird" that attendee Keshaun Charles of Illinois highlighted: "It's very youthful. It's very modern," he said, arguing that it's common for young people online to use "weird" to dismiss bigots and reactionaries.

As an example, he flagged Trump's recent appearance at the National Association of Black Journalists, where Trump pretended to be confused over Harris's parentage. "I don't know, is she Indian or is she Black?" Trump said, refusing to accept that the answer is and has always been "both." (Harris's father is an economist from Jamaica and her mother was a scientist from India.) "That's so weird," Charles said. "Why would you say that? Like, that's so absurd."

After Trump made those ugly statements, there was a robust debate in the punditry about what flavor of racism Trump was invoking. Was this about provoking outrage over interracial marriage? Was some pretzel logic about liberals manipulating identity to score political points? Or does he simply not accept that biracial identities are a thing?

It was probably a little from each category, but all of those distinctions can miss the larger point: It was a weird thing to say. Most Americans in the year 2024 are well aware that biracial people exist and, by and large, they are fine with that. Most don't even think about it very much, because it's such a normal part of life in a multiracial democracy. Trump's tantrum over Harris being both Black and Indian is morally repugnant, but it's also a fixation on race and genealogy that's way out of what most Americans consider normal. It is, to quote Charles, "absurd." Or, in the watchword of the election, it's weird. 

Trump’s cult of personality threatens to hasten the demise of the GOP

Today’s Republican Party and the “conservative” movement belong to Donald Trump. They are an extension of his mind, character, emotions, personality, desires, and impulses. This means that Trump’s character failings, apparent emotional and psychological unwellness and challenged intellect are theirs as well.

Donald Trump, convicted of 34 felonies, believes that he is above the law. Once the party of “law and order," today’s GOP is a de facto political crime organization Trump is the boss.

He is manifestly corrupt. Today’s Republican Party is now a practical extension of his business and brand. Like other autocrats and dictators, Trump has installed a relative, Lara Trump, his daughter-in-law, as co-chair of the Republican National Committee as a way of solidifying his control over it.

Donald Trump is an aspiring dictator who attempted a violent coup on Jan. 6—an attempt to end America’s multiracial democracy which has not stopped, and in many ways is accelerating. The Republican Party claims to have a monopoly on “patriotism” and “real American values” but is now complicit with and supports the MAGA movement's attempts to end democracy — which include support for political violence as a way of getting and keeping power.

He has shown himself, repeatedly, to be a racist, a white supremacist, and a misogynist. In the post-civil rights era, the Republican Party and the “conservative” movement have long shared those values. The rise of Trump has only amplified and emboldened such values and behavior.  

Donald Trump is an egomaniac who believes he is a martyr-prophet-warrior who is on a mission from God to become the country’s first dictator. This is part of a much larger pattern of delusional and unhinged behavior, which includes habitual lying and other fantastical claims and thinking. In turn, the Republican Party and its propagandists amplify these lies as facts as part of a strategic disinformation propaganda program.  

Related

"I do not see any light on the horizon for Trump": Lincoln Project's Rick Wilson on MAGA's retreat

In the most basic and obvious example of how Donald Trump and the Republican Party are now basically one and the same thing, the party’s platform has almost literally been rewritten to be “whatever Donald Trump wants he gets.” In all, today’s Republican Party and "conservative" movement are a personality cult with Donald Trump as the cult leader. Political personality cults are one of the defining features of autocratic and authoritarian systems of government and society.

Recent research by political scientists Benjamin E. Goldsmith and Lars J. K. Moen explores why so many Americans are attracted to the Trump political personality cult and his MAGA fake populist authoritarian movement:

What is different about Trump that has allowed him such success where others have failed?

Support from a “personality cult”—something his would-be successors lack—has, we believe, been essential for Trump’s political success. In new research, we argue that there is an identifiable hard core of extremely loyal Trump supporters that comprise his personality cult. Members of such a cult show unquestioning loyalty to a strong leader, such as Argentina’s Juan and Eva Perón or Italy’s Benito Mussolini, whom they perceive as infallible and truthful. Their devotion has religious parallels as they consider their leader a savior with unique ability to protect society against internal or external threats. Trump has himself embraced such a status in relation to his followers in statements such as “I am your voice” and “I alone can fix it,” both of which he declared at the 2016 Republican convention.

Trump’s followers are often referred to as a personality cult. Republican former representative Liz Cheney lamented that her party had “embraced Donald Trump [and] embraced his cult of personality” after her 2022 defeat by a Trump-backed candidate. Mainstream news media often refer to the idea of a personality cult in connection with Trump, but until now there has been little discussion of the idea by political scientists.

Personality cults are commonly associated with authoritarian systems, where a strong leader sits atop a regime with strict control of public information. It may therefore seem surprising to find this level of loyalty to a former president in the U.S. However, we identify a group of cultlike Trump followers by their loyalty and personality characteristics. We suggest that commanding such a personality cult lets Trump succeed, where other U.S. right-wing populists fail.

Goldsmith and Moen continue, “Devoted support for Trump demonstrates how political behavior need not be based on policy preferences or ideology. It might instead be motivated by psychological needs found in individuals seeking the guidance of strong leadership. Loyal Trump supporters put their faith in a strong leader they believe can effectively solve problems and save their country from internal and external threats. They find assurance in a leader boasting 'I alone can fix it.' We suggest Trump’s political success springs from this psychological wellspring.”

Ultimately, a political personality cult can be both a powerful advantage as well as a great vulnerability and weakness in terms of taking political power.

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In 2016, Donald Trump through the force of his personality and brand, timing, a compliant and enabling news media, white racial resentment and outright racism among white “working class” voters, and other deciding factors (most notably the help of hostile foreign actors) was able to defeat Hillary Clinton and the Democrats. Many of the establishment Republicans and conservative leadership saw Trump as a tool they could use to get even more power in a country that is increasingly hostile to their policies. Instead, Trump and his MAGA movement would absorb the Republican Party and conservative movement. There was little to no resistance; The coupling was consensual and very welcome.

Eight years later, after a coup attempt, a disastrous handling of the COVID pandemic, malignant normality, near economic collapse, and general chaos the American people are exhausted by it all. Instead of being new and novel, Donald Trump and his MAGA movement are now a known commodity and stagnant. Public opinion polls and other data show that Donald Trump has not grown his base of support (some measures show that the MAGA movement and Trump have become increasingly unpopular over the last four years if not longer).

Even with those liabilities and an increasingly bored and disinterested public, Donald Trump was well on his way to defeating President Biden in what could have been a landslide. His political fortunes would quickly change, however. President Biden made the honorable and selfless decision to step aside and to pass the torch to Vice President Kamala Harris. In the month since that decision, Kamala Harris (and now her vice-presidential running-mate Tim Walz) would catch up with Trump in the polls. Harris now leads or is tied with Trump both nationally and in the key battleground states. Moreover, Kamala Harris has more avenues to victory in the Electoral College than Donald Trump.

If these early polling trends continue (and assuming they are accurate) the 2024 election could be a landslide victory for Harris-Walz and the Democrats. In a reversal of 2016, it appears that it is increasingly Donald Trump and the Republicans who will have snatched defeat from the mouth of victory.

To say that Donald Trump is not taking this change of political events and momentum well would be an understatement to the extreme.

At his MAGA political rally-cult meetings, and in interviews and other communications, Donald Trump and his surrogates are attacking Vice President Harris with some of the ugliest old-fashioned and naked white supremacy, racism, and misogyny. Trump’s surrogates are also making vile statements and suggestions about her past intimate and dating life in an attempt to impugn her character and dignity. Trump has also made antisemitic attacks on Harris’s husband Douglas Emhoff. It has been reported that Donald Trump calls Harris a “bitch” in private—and has done so repeatedly. Trump and his propagandists across the right-wing hate media echo chamber are also dragging out the old Cold War era-slur that Kamala Harris is a “communist.” Trump’s mentor Roy Cohn would be very proud of Donald Trump’s twenty-first century red baiting.

During his speeches, interviews, and in his posts online Trump appears to be increasingly detached from reality as he makes bizarre claims about fake crowds, fake polls, and continues with his obsessions about electricity, sharks, and the fictional serial killer Hannibal Lecter.

The thought that a Black woman who is a former prosecutor and attorney general is defeating him in the polls appears to have caused Donald Trump to suffer an extreme narcissistic injury. The fact that his attacks on Kamala Harris have not found traction with the public and may have actually backfired is undoubtedly contributing to Trump’s frustration and rage.

Senior members of the Republican Party are pleading with Donald Trump to stay on message about the economy, Harris’s role in the Biden administration, and other issues that they believe can bring them victory on Election Day. Leading Republican pollsters and influentials such as Frank Luntz are warning that Donald Trump’s behavior and response to Vice President Harris’s energized campaign is a loser and “political suicide.” On NBC’s “Meet the Press” last Sunday, Senator Lindsey Graham, who is one of the corrupt ex-president’s supplicants, warned that “President Trump can win this election. His policies are good for America and if you have a policy debate for President, he wins. Donald Trump the provocateur, the showman, may not win this election.”

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It is being reported that Donald Trump is attacking (and firing) his campaign staff instead of listening to their counsel. Donald Trump is incapable of change. President Biden is no longer the nominee. The Republican Party Trump personality cult is showing its weakness and inability to pivot and adapt to the new reality on the ground. They are yoked to him.

By comparison, the Democratic Party is not a personality cult. If anything, it tends toward the other extreme, being undisciplined in terms of messaging and organizing. In all, the Democrats are a coalition that a senior political strategist told me was like trying to organize a bag of cats. By comparison, the Republicans are part of a right-wing movement that operates lockstep like a religion where victory is all that matters, and at any cost.

At this week’s Democratic National Convention in Chicago, something appears to have changed.

Salon’s executive editor Andrew O’Hehir is attending the convention. In a new essay, he writes:

That noise you heard emanating from the United Center on Monday night wasn’t just the exuberant chant of “Lock him up!” that erupted during Hillary Clinton’s speech to the Democratic National Convention — no, technically speaking Clinton did not lead that chant, though she clearly enjoyed it — nor was it the faintly cringe, carefully orchestrated “We love Joe” chant that preceded President Biden’s speech. It wasn’t even the tiny outbreak of discord toward the back of the Florida delegation, a few dozen feet behind my seat, where a few activists unrolled a protest sign in Palestinian flag colors before being vigorously tackled.

No, it was the sound of the Democratic Party’s collective id — a genie squelched and suppressed for so long its very existence seemed apocryphal — escaping from the underground cavern where it’s been trapped for ever so many years. This building, which hosted numerous championship games for the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls, was literally packed to the rafters and bursting with explosive energy on Monday evening, something that never once occurred during the Republican convention a few weeks ago, 80 miles north in Milwaukee.

Whether or not “Lock him up!” was entirely spontaneous, it felt entirely genuine: To be specific, it felt like a genuine desire for payback, a longing for revenge for the many large and small injuries inflicted on liberal vanity, the liberal conscience and cherished liberal certainties by the Trump movement over the last eight or nine years…. [W]hat’s suddenly tangible at this convention is not just a desire to win, but a longing to crush the opposition into dust. That won’t quite happen, of course, but that brand of GOP-branded hunger is something new for Democrats.

What comes next?

Vice President Harris is enjoying one of the longest political honeymoons in modern American political history. It will inevitably end. There are seventy or so days until Election Day and much hard work is to be done. Contrary to the momentum and "vibes," the 2024 election will likely be a very close one.

Donald Trump is a great man of history. This is an observation based on how he has changed the arc of American and world history. It is not a normative claim about Trump's behavior or politics.

Thus, the irony. Donald Trump, being such a man, and in control of a personality cult in the form of the Republican Party, exerts such an inescapable force that it may have doomed them to defeat in the 2024 Election and perhaps beyond.

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Suburban women care about abortion, despite what Republicans claim

Last week, Donald Trump's running mate, Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, made headlines for implying that “suburban women” don’t care about abortion rights. 

“What do you say to suburban women out there who are marinating in this propaganda?” Fox News host Laura Ingraham asked Vance, claiming that some women believe that abortion is banned nationally.

“Well, first of all, I don’t buy that, Laura,” Vance replied. “I think most suburban women care about the normal things that most Americans care about.”

The subtext being that such concerns don’t include abortion.

Related

Mobile abortion clinics are an "ingenious" solution to the post-Dobbs landscape

Notably, these comments happened the same week release of a KFF poll told a different story. According to the poll, 53 percent of Republican women voters someway or strongly oppose leaving abortion rights up to the states, in addition to 86 percent of Democratic women. Seventy-three percent of independent women voters also polled that they opposed leaving abortion to the states. When looking at women in the suburbs and urban areas, 74 percent of urban and suburban women said they opposed leaving abortion rights to the states.

Brittni Frederiksen, one of the senior authors of the KFF poll and associate director for Women’s Health Policy at KFF, told Salon the survey polled over 4,000 women of reproductive ages, between 18 to 49. When asked if they’d ever had an abortion in their lifetime, one in seven said “yes.”

"Regardless of party ID, women may want or need an abortion at some point in their lifetime."

“And this was similar across political affiliation,” Frederiksen said. “While abortion can be a very polarizing topic politically, we know that regardless of party ID, women may want or need an abortion at some point in their lifetime.”

A separate poll published in April by the Wall Street Journal found that abortion ranked above other issues in seven battleground states. Surveyed suburban women described it as a “make or break” issue in the election.

The contrast between Republican comments and polls brings to light the role so-called “suburban women” play in this year’s presidential election, and how they feel about the issue of abortion. Since the Dobbs decision overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022, 14 states have banned abortion across the country and 6 states have early gestational limits between 6 and 15 weeks.

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While all 20 states have exceptions in place for when a pregnant person’s life is in danger, six states don’t have exceptions for when a pregnant person’s health is at risk, 10 states don’t have exceptions for rape or incest, and 13 don’t have exceptions for fatal fetal anomalies. The consequences have been catastrophic; not only changing the landscape of prenatal care, but a recent analysis of Texas’s abortion ban suggested it’s led to a 13% increase in infant deaths.

“I think women, in general, are going to have a lot of sway in this election, I think we could see the biggest gender gap ever in a political presidential election,” Betsy Fischer Martin, the executive director of the Women & Politics Institute at American University, told Salon in a phone interview. “But on the issue of abortion, it is not a winning issue for Trump in the Republican Party, and that was made clear in the 2022 midterms when it unquestionably drove Democratic turnout.” 

Suburban women, Fischer Martin said, is a “general term,” and a “far cry” from the “soccer mom definition” that was used in the 1990s. Today, the term describes a “much more diverse electorate” reflecting the changing demographics of the suburbs. In other words, it’s not just middle-class women with children.

"I think women, in general, are going to have a lot of sway in this election."

“People are moving out of cities and able to work from anywhere, so those suburbs are really becoming much more diverse and different,” Fischer Martin said. “Women at different stages of their lives, women who don't have children, women who have grown children, it's a wide swath of voters.” 

As Fischer Martin said, suburban women and their stance on abortion won’t only affect the presidential election, but their presence will be apparent when it comes to voting for state ballot measures, too. This week, Montana became yet another state to put an abortion question in front of voters this November. While abortion is legal in Montana at any point before fetal viability, abortion rights advocates are pushing for extra protections in the state. 

“Since Roe was overturned, extreme anti-abortion politicians have used every trick in the book to take away our freedoms and ban abortion completely,” Martha Fuller, president & CEO of Planned Parenthood Advocates of Montana said in a statement. “The government cannot overstep into our most personal healthcare decisions, and Montanans must vote Yes [on the measure] to protect their right to abortion and pregnancy-related care.” 

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Other states that will have the issue of abortion on the ballot are Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Maryland, Missouri, Nevada, New York and South Dakota, according to KFF. These ballot measures are expected to draw suburban women voters.

“I think it's a big push, and it will draw turnout,” Fischer Martin said. “For women in the suburbs, the Republican Party has two big problems: One is the name Trump, and the other is these restrictions on abortion.”

The combination of those two is a “turn-off combo,” Fischer Martin said. 

Frederiksen, from KFF, said one of the key data points from last week’s KFF poll was that six and 10 women are concerned that they themselves, or someone they know, won’t be able to get an abortion in a “life or health circumstance.”

“Similarly, six in 10 women are concerned about the safety of a future pregnancy for themselves or someone they know,” Frederiksen said. “I think that there’s an overwhelming concern around these issues.”

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Tim Walz talks Project 2025 at DNC: “It is an agenda that serves nobody except the richest”

In the grand finale of night three of the Democratic National Convention, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz took the stage to, first, give his thanks for his Democratic VP nomination and, second, to hold Donald Trump's feet to the fire for Project 2025, the rights-negating playbook outlining Trump's intended reign, should he land in office again.

Earlier in the evening, "Saturday Night Live" star Kenan Thompson hauled out a gigantic hardbound copy of Project 2025, reading off a number of its policies as a cautionary tale of what's at risk in this election, joking, "You ever seen a document that could kill a small animal and democracy at the same time? Here it is."  And Walz dove in even further to highlight it as something that threatens a peaceful way of life for many Americans.

"Project 2025 will make things much, much harder for people just trying to live their lives," Walz said of the 920-page document that Trump has tried to distance himself from, calling its ideas "seriously extreme."

"They spend a lot of time pretending they know nothing about this. But look, I coached high school football long enough to know, trust me on this, when somebody takes the time to draw up a playbook, they are going to use it," Walz said. "It is an agenda that serves nobody except the richest and the most extreme amongst us. And it’s an agenda that does nothing for our neighbors in need. Is it weird? Absolutely. Absolutely. But it is also wrong and it’s dangerous."

Watch here:

 

 

Oprah Winfrey urges voters to “choose common sense over nonsense” at DNC

Ramping up to Minnesota Governor Tim Walz's speech during night three of the Democratic National Convention, Oprah Winfrey took the stage to urge voters to "choose common sense over nonsense" by voting for Kamala Harris, maintaining a running theme that evening of Donald Trump — positioned as a depressing and chaotic cloud that's been looming over our country for years and years — being a crashing wave of oppression that Democrats and independents, such as herself, can steer their ships away from.

"Values and character matter most of all — in leadership and in life," she said. "Decency and respect are on the ballot in 2024. And just plain common sense, common sense tells you that Kamala Harris and Tim Walz can give us decency and respect . . . Let us choose optimism over cynicism, because that’s the best of America. And let us choose inclusion over retribution. Let us choose common sense over nonsense, because that’s the best of America. Let us choose the sweet promise of tomorrow over the bitter return to yesterday. We won’t go back. We won’t be set back, pushed back, bullied back, kicked back. We are not going back."

Prior to leading the crowd in a chant of "We’re not going back," Winfrey even managed to work in a reference to JD Vance's "childless cat ladies" comment, saying, "When a house is on fire, we don’t ask about the homeowner’s race or religion. We don’t wonder who their partner is or how they voted. No, we just try to do the best we can to save them. And if the place happens to belong to a childless cat lady, well, we try to get that cat out, too."

Watch here:

 

 

  

Bill Clinton dubs Kamala Harris the “president of joy” at DNC

Deep into day three of the Democratic National Convention, former President Bill Clinton dubbed Kamala Harris the "president of joy," focusing on the happiness and hopefulness that her campaign with Tim Walz has brought about for Democrats from the jump.

Having ripped up the draft of his convention speech after watching opening night to write a new one "with a more fun, youthful, joyful approach," a Clinton aide told CNN, Clinton encouraged those listening to let in a breath of fresh air by voting for Harris, saying, "You'll be proud of it for the rest of your life."

Going on to say that he personally wants an America that's more joyful and inclusive, Clinton got in a few digs at Donald Trump as an example of someone who's made a reputation for himself as being very anti-that, saying that Trump "creates chaos" and "curates it as though it's precious art."

"Kamala Harris is the only candidate in this race who has the vision, the experience, the temperament, the will, and yes, the sheer joy, to get something done," he said. "I mean, look, what does her opponent do with his voice? He mostly talks about himself. So, the next time you hear him, don’t count the lies, count the ‘I’s."

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Doctors protest DNC, denounce Gaza health crisis caused by Israeli occupation and bombing

Six doctors protested at the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday, drawing attention to the escalating public health crisis in Gaza caused by Israel's ongoing military onslaught, which has killed at least 40,000 people, including 16,000 children. The war began after a Hamas-led attack on Israel October 7, 2023, that killed around 1,200 people, including many civilians and children.

The gathered medical professionals met on the fourth floor of the McCormick Place Convention Center and described their experiences in occupied Gaza, hoping to bring attention to the suffering and collapse of medical infrastructure. According to reporting from The Nation, pediatric intensive care doctor Tanya Haj-Hassan said she held the hands of dying children “taking their last, final gasps with no family alive able to comfort them.” Internal medicine and pediatrics doctor Ahmad Yousaf described a pregnant woman with severe burns all over her body who they knew "was going to die there and her baby would die there, and there was nothing we could do."

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Thaer Ahmad, a Palestinian-American emergency medicine doctor who recently worked at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, said that "there is no music that you can play on the main stage during this convention that’s going to make us forget the sounds and the tears of all of the children that we saw laid on the hospital floors."

This is not the first time doctors have drawn attention to the crisis in Gaza from a public health perspective. Speaking to Al Jazeera last month, Haj-Hassan raised awareness about the presence of polio virus in Gaza wastewater.

“Normally if you have a case of polio, you’re going to isolate them, you’re going to make sure that they use a bathroom that nobody else uses, make sure that they’re not in close proximity to other people, [but] that’s impossible" as the region struggles under a military assault, Taj-Hassan said, adding that "you have everybody clustering in refugee camps at the moment without vaccines for at least the past nine months, including children who would otherwise have been vaccinated for polio and adults who, in the setting of an outbreak, should receive a booster, including healthcare workers."

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“We screwed up”: Trailer for Coppola’s “Megalopolis” taken down over use of phony critic quotes

On Wednesday morning, Lionsgate dropped a trailer for Francis Ford Coppola's “Megalopolis,” offering the first official look at the science fiction drama starring Adam Driver that's said to have "polarized critics" after its May 16 premiere at the Cannes Film Festival.

In the sneak peek at the film — due to hit theaters in the United States on September 27 — a misguided marketing team made an apparent attempt to riff on the mixed buzz, using several quotes from famous film critics that were later revealed to be fraudulent — leading to the trailer being pulled down hours after it went up.

In a statement from a Lionsgate spokesperson provided to Variety, they write, “Lionsgate is immediately recalling our trailer for ‘Megalopolis.' We offer our sincere apologies to the critics involved and to Francis Ford Coppola and American Zoetrope for this inexcusable error in our vetting process. We screwed up. We are sorry.”

As the outlet points out, the trailer "aimed to position Coppola’s latest film as a work of art that would withstand the test of time," including fake quotes from critics panning several of his most famous films like “The Godfather” and “Apocalypse Now,” but none of the quotes used — such as one from Roger Ebert — could be located in their actual reviews. 

This is not the first controversy to surround the release of "Megalopolis." In July, Coppola was accused of kissing female extras on set without their consent, with The Guardian reporting on a video from the set that emerged as proof over the summer. 

 

“That’s not normal. That’s weird”: Chappell Roan sets her boundaries with fans and Hollywood

As the frenzy around Chappell Roan continues to launch her further in the public eye, the singer has one message for fans who don't respect boundaries: "I’m allowed to say no to creepy behavior."

The singer, who has had an impressive rise to fame in the last year, took to her TikTok account on Monday to explain how the lack of boundaries between fan and celebrity interactions has overwhelmed her. Her frustrations with fan interactions have partially stemmed from people harassing the singer and stalking her family.

The singer revealed last month on "The Comment Section" podcast that she has "pumped the brakes on, honestly, anything to make me more known" because "[Some fans] follow me and know where my parents live and where my sister works. She even considered quitting music if she ever experienced "stalker vibes" or if her "family was in danger," Teen Vogue reported. 

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In the video which has been viewed more than 10 million times, Roan asked her followers, "If you saw a random woman on the street, would you yell at her from the car window? Would you harass her in public? Would you go up to a random lady and say, 'Can I get a photo with you?'"

She continued, "And she's like, 'No, what the f***,' and then you get mad at this random lady? Would you be offended if she says no to your time because she has her own time?"

The singer asked, "Would you stalk her family? Would you follow her around? Would you try to dissect her life and bully her online? This is a lady you don’t know and she doesn’t know you at all. Would you assume that she’s a good person, assume she’s a bad person? Would you assume everything you read online about her is true? I’m a random b***h, you’re a random b***h. Just think about that for a second, OK?"

Additionally, in a second video, the star elaborated on how the parasocial relationship between herself and her fans has led to behavior she will not normalize or accept.

“I don’t care that abuse and harassment, stalking, whatever, is a normal thing to do to people who are famous or a little famous, whatever. I don’t care that it’s normal," she stated. "I don’t care that this crazy type of behavior comes along with the job, the career field I’ve chosen. That does not make it OK, that doesn’t make it normal. That doesn’t mean that I want it, that doesn’t mean that I like it."

Roan said, “I don’t want whatever the f**k you think you’re supposed to be entitled to whenever you see a celebrity. I don’t give a f**k if you think it’s selfish of me to say no for a photo or for your time or for a hug. That’s not normal. That’s weird."

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The singer continued, "It’s weird how people think that you know a person just because you see them online and you listen to the art they make. That’s f**king weird! I’m allowed to say no to creepy behavior, OK?"

Roan's rise in popularity skyrocketed when she joined Olivia Rodrigo on her "GUTS" world tour as an opening act and released her viral song "Good Luck, Babe!" She's only grown increasingly more popular after performances at festivals like Governor's Ball, Lollapalooza and Coachella. Her debut album "The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess" is even challenging Taylor Swift's undefeated No. 1 top on the the Billboard 200.

But despite the success, Roan has openly stated she has struggled with the speed and visibility of her career. Billboard reported that earlier in the summer the singer cried at her concert and shared to the crowd, "I think my career is just kind of going really fast and it’s really hard to keep up. I’m just being honest . . . I’m having a hard time today."

Roan has also set a boundary when it comes to Hollywood. She's reportedly turned down opportunities to act in films. In an Interview magazine chat with "Saturday Night Live" star Bowen Yang, she told him, “I say this with peace, and love, and blessings, actors are f**king crazy . . . I don’t know you, but I know that you’re not the vibe I’m talking about. Like, I get so freaked out by film people. I’ve been asked in the past couple of weeks, like, ‘You want the lead in XYZ?’ and I’m like, ‘No.'”

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Richard Simmons’ brother reveals fitness guru’s cause of death

Richard Simmons, the habitually bubbly fitness celebrity who infused positivity into the lives of millions across the world, died July 13 at his home in the Hollywood Hills — just one day after his 76 birthday — and the exact cause of his death has been under investigation ever since.

Although his body was laid to rest on July 19 at the Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park and Mortuary in a private funeral attended by close friends and family, not knowing the circumstances that led to his passing made it difficult, one would assume, to deal with his loss in an appropriately healing way, but the result of the ongoing investigation has finally come to an end, providing closure for all who loved him. 

In a statement to People on Wednesday, Simmons’ publicist Tom Estey writes, “This morning, Richard Simmons‘ brother Lenny, received a call from the L.A. Coroner’s office. The coroner informed Lenny that Richard’s death was accidental due to complications from recent falls and heart disease as a contributing factor. The toxicology report was negative other than medication Richard had been prescribed. The family wishes to thank everyone for their outpouring of love and support during this time of great loss."

Per the outlet, "earlier reports said that Simmons had fallen in his home on July 12, after feeling dizzy, and that the exercise icon had told his housekeeper he would possibly seek medical care the next day, if he still felt ill."