“Fun fact: In re-recording his old tracks, some of which are over 40 years old at this point, Yankovic had the opportunity to do a studio version of “Another One Rides the Bus,” which he’d never actually recorded in a studio before.”
USA Network made some very watchable shows in the 2000s and 2010s. I was particularly fond of In Plain Sight and Covert Affairs. So, I’m delighted to hear that they are talking about bringing back original scripted programming again. Maybe the best way for linear television to stave off obsolescence is to, you know, be good.
“Which is why the story of “the lemonade that kills you” is really the story of the United States’ uniquely weird and patchy regulatory regime. Rather than double-check that products of all kind are safe and healthy in advance of their release to the people, our great republic relies on these kinds of lawsuits to product Americans from dangerous products. This is far from ideal, and it means the mere existence of such a suit has little bearing on its ultimate merit. The Charged Lemonade suits, for example, have received outsized press attention not because it’s indisputably lethal, but simply because it seems so absurd that something as innocuous as lemonade could (but probably doesn’t) kill you.”
“The pro-Trump lawyer who helped devise the 2020 fake electors plot and already pleaded guilty to the conspiracy in Georgia is now cooperating with Michigan and Wisconsin state investigators in hopes of avoiding more criminal charges, multiple sources told CNN.” Lock them all up.
“Now, in addition to comedy, U.S. conservatives are using action films, dramas and even kids’ cartoons to build their own alternative entertainment industry, one shielded from the alleged liberal biases of Hollywood.” And unfortunately, it’s something we need to take seriously. How to do so, I don’t know. But ignoring it and laughing at it isn’t the best idea.
RIP, Frank Wycheck, former Tennessee Titans tight end who threw the lateral on the “Music City Miracle” play.
The “How To Die In Yellowstone National Park” coloring book makes a nice gift.
“The “Billy Graham Rule” in which Christian men pledge to never be alone with a woman is more about appearance than behavior, but note that there’s no version of such a rule involving a Christian man never being unchaperoned in the presence of a banker or a corporate lobbyist or a hedge-fund manager or a white supremacist or an antisemite or a misogynist. The “Billy Graham Rule” didn’t keep Billy Graham from falling into sin while meeting alone with Richard Nixon.”
“How Former Fundamentalists Are Finding Healing On Reddit”.
“In 2021, Dominion Voting Systems filed a $1.6 billion lawsuit against Newsmax Media, claiming the far-right news channel had defamed it by falsely claiming it had rigged the election. Last week, a Delaware judge ruled that Newsmax had to turn over the personal communications and text messages of Newsmax Media journalists.”
“Lawyers for Moss and Freeman said they would ask the jury to award tens of millions of dollars in damages at the close of the trial. If the jury awards Freeman and Moss what they are seeking, his lawyer, Joseph Sibley said, it “will be the end of Mr. Giuliani.”” Is that, like, supposed to be bad? Because it doesn’t sound bad at all.
“Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville is accidentally the most effective anti-Pentagon politician in recent history. ”
“Kate Cox is a woman who has already been to the emergency room four times “for pregnancy symptoms including severe cramps, leaking fluid and elevated vital signs.” She is a woman who is simply asking to be viewed as an adult human capable of making a medical decision with her physician. And in response, the people in power are decidedly saying to her that there is essentially no medical authority that they trust more than themselves to make that decision—oh, and their decision is always no, and if an actual doctor dares to contradict them, that doctor could be facing a 99-year prison sentence.”
“The Texas abortion ban, no matter what anti-abortion activists and lawmakers say, was meant to prevent women like Cox from getting abortions as much as it was to ban young women from ending unwanted pregnancies early in the first trimester.”
And Donald Trump is the first person to blame for all of this.
RIP, Andre Braugher, two-time Emmy-winning actor best known for Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Homicide: Life on the Street.
“The case of the tomato missing for months in the International Space Station has been solved: Astronauts found the evasive produce onboard.” And justice at last for NASA astronaut Frank Rubio. Oh, and Space Tomato is the name of my next band.
RIP, Craig Watkins, former Dallas County District Attorney. Elected in the 2006 Dallas blue wave, he was a pioneer in creating Conviction Integrity units that reviewed past cases for clear miscarriages of justice. He and his office had some issues in later years, but the legacy he leaves is solid and long-lasting. Rest in peace.
“How The GOP Finally Went All In Against Ukraine“.
“The Story Behind Trump’s Gag Order Involves a Man Under Criminal Investigation for Stalking”.
“On Friday, a jury unanimously ordered Rudy Giuliani to pay $148 million in compensatory and punitive damages to two Georgia election workers he defamed.”
“It’s a stunning damages amount, one which reflects not only the vicious campaign of harassment that Giuliani unleashed by falsely claiming that a video showed the two tampering with ballots at a Georgia voting center, but the extent to which Trump’s consigliere went out of his way to make things as bad as possible for himself. Giuliani earned Howell’s wrath throughout the pre-trial phase by repeatedly ignoring evidence requests from Freeman and Moss’ attorneys. During the trial itself, Giuliani stood outside the courtroom and repeated the claims which led to the defamation claim in the first place, further enraging the judge.”
Now do this guy next.
“It turns out that abortion rights vanished in America because five conservatives barely tried to hide the fact that they could do that, simply because they could do that. And it turns out that they’re increasingly bad at covering their tracks.”
I’ve never had the pleasure of meeting Weird Al in person, but some of my friends have. He is one excellent human and a national treasure.
I was very glad to hear the verdict against Rudy, because of all the political wrongs that have me seething, the unfair defamation of two honest election workers easily ranks among the top wrongs on my naughty list. Don’t forget that Orange Foolious himself also bore false witness against Shaye Moss and Ruby Freeman. I hope they sue him next, given how extracting what they are owed from Rudy will be long and problematic with be guarantees. Also for just this egregious lie alone, anyone still backing Trump ought to be ashamed of themselves. But that would require a functioning moral compass.