News Dune: Prophecy Dune Prophecy Weaves a Tale of Two Timelines The series operates on stories of the past and present for one character in particular By Vanessa Armstrong | Published on November 14, 2024 Credit: Attila Szvacsek/HBO Comment 0 Share New Share Credit: Attila Szvacsek/HBO Dune: Prophecy, the prequel series set in the same universe as Denis Villeneuve’s films, centers on the two Harkonnen sisters who were members of the Bene Gesserit in the organization’s early days, 10,000 years before Timothée Chalamet Paul Atreides landed on Arrakis. The show is inspired by the novel Sisterhood of Dune, written by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, but also goes beyond that source material. In a recent press conference Reactor attended, showrunner Alison Schapker explained why she and her writing team went beyond the events of Sisterhood. “We’re interested in Valya Harkonnen’s whole lifetime,” she said, referencing the central character played by Emily Watson, “so we’re looking at her upbringing and how she came to the sisterhood in one aspect of our series. But then in the other time period of our series, we’re seeing Valya as a person who has grown the power of the sisterhood, who is in charge, who is then faced with a crisis.” Schapker went on to explain that viewers will be “toggling between two time periods” throughout the season, with the earlier time period taking place during the events in Sisterhood of Dune. The second time period, which occurs decades later, tells a story not seen in the book, though Schapker emphasized that the later time period was created “in conjunction with the Herbert Estate and very carefully and respectfully of the world building in the novels.” The two timelines, however, both center on one character: Valya Harkonnen. “The time period that’s set in the past is very much about Valya Harkonnen’s rise to leadership in the Sisterhood and where that came from, and what the Imperium was like, and her consolidation of power in that earlier time period,” explained Schapker. “And in the present, we’re telling a story about her power being under real crisis and duress.” We can see these two moments in time unfold when the six-episode season of Dune: Prophecy premieres on HBO and Max on Sunday, November 17, 2024, at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT. New episodes drop subsequent Sundays.[end-mark] The post <i>Dune Prophecy</i> Weaves a Tale of Two Timelines appeared first on Reactor.

Column Anime Spotlight What’s With Anime’s Weird Preoccupation With Hands? From evil appendages to magical hand gestures, hand-related symbolism is everywhere in anime By Leah Thomas | Published on November 14, 2024 Credit: Toho Comment 0 Share New Share Credit: Toho Like 90% of all humankind, I was born sensible, by which I mean that I was born right-handed. But my little brother, the youngest of four stubborn siblings, outdid us all in the obstinance department when he manifested as the sole lefty in the house. He forever bumped the elbows of those who, unfortunately, sat beside him unless he was placed on the leftmost corner of any table; he couldn’t work basic scissors like a normal person; his own hand smeared graphite across every bit of homework he ever scratched out, the cursed wretch. But the truth is, during my childhood, I was a tiny bit jealous because being a lefty seemed to make a person a little more special. I had heard the rumors, however unfounded, that left-handed people are right-brained, and therefore fundamentally more creative. As a budding teen writer, I almost always imbued my protagonists with unnecessary left-hand dominance; it felt as much like a rite of bad writing passage as giving main characters heterochromia. I can’t be the only author who has thought about this weird indulgence, right? Well, either I am batshit, or my fellow righties reading this need to admit it: you’ve envied a southpaw at least once in your life. But is that envy so ridiculous, given how vital using hands is to most human beings on earth? Stories worldwide have often demonstrated a fixation with hands, especially when granting characters superhuman abilities. Wolverine’s adamantium claws are legendary, and District 9’s Wikus van der Merwe’s prawn-infected arm is what allows him to grow as a character and, um, species. Jedi use hand gestures to channel the force, and who could forget the Pale Man’s eyeballed palms in Pan’s Labyrinth?  In anime, hands seem to do even more heavy lifting than usual. Goku contorts glowing balls of Ki with his big old knuckled mitts; Naruto and company use hand seals to activate their ninja jutsu; no transformation in Sailor Moon could feel complete without graceful hand gestures. And while I simply don’t have it in me right now to wade anywhere near politics and what we usually talk about when we’re using “left” and “right” in online discourse, let’s take some time to consider the oddities of left- and right-hand dominance and postulate about the overarching symbolism of anime hands, because why not? Writing pun-ridden essays on appendages is a perfectly valid way of coping with bleak reality, right? Let’s go… The Right (and Left) Side of History Credit: Toei Animation Japan doesn’t have quite the same history of disdaining the “sinister” left that many other cultures do. Americans have often heard stories about older relatives having their left-handedness beaten or trained out of them because if the right hand belonged to God, the left must be Lucifer’s. Islamic scripture maintained a similar stance, stating that Shaytan eats and drinks with the left hand. The left hand is famously seen as the unclean hand, the hand used for wiping. In Japan, using one hand is not impolite while doing mundane tasks, but using two is more respectful when exchanging business cards during introductions or giving gifts on special occasions. When enjoying tea in traditional ceremonies, serving and drinking incorporate the careful use of both hands.  When activities call for one hand, however, it isn’t that the left hand is seen as dirtier than the right. Instead, the trouble with lefties is that they are a minority in a society that infamously encourages uniformity. Most people are right-handed, and Japan is arranged accordingly. Turnstiles, ATMs, and even vending machines almost always take cards, cash, and tickets on the right side. To be left-handed is to exist as a perpetual, if mild, inconvenience. Whereas I may have envied my brother for the attention something so basic brought him, for kids in Japan, standing out can be more of a burden.  And what better way to establish a protagonist or antihero than bestowing burdens big and small on them from the get-go? Born Lefty, Born Rebel Credit: Gainax Production Left-handed characters in anime tend to be slightly edgier than most, especially in the shōnen genre. More than an actual source of chaos, left-handedness acts as a signifier of a chaotic nature. Take Haruko of the Gainax cult-classic FLCL, who uses a left-handed guitar as a weapon more often than as a musical instrument. More manic than pixie and more nightmare than dreamgirl, but very much a product of the early aughts, Haruko, the extraterrestrial ex-girlfriend of the main character’s brother, is about as bombastic as characters come.  Roronoa Zoro of One Piece, famed ambidextrous swordsman and bounty hunter-turned-pirate, sheathes all three of his swords on his right hip. When fighting with one sword rather than three, he favors his left hand. While every character in One Piece is a bonkers exercise in batshit character art, the restraint Oda demonstrated in designing Zoro makes these tiny, consistent details feel even more deliberate. For Zoro, a fan favorite, choices like this accent his rambunctious if prickly personality.  And oh, man, on the subject of prickly: the anime universe’s most melodramatic son, Sasuke Uchiha, deuteragonist and emo foil to Naruto’s chaotic energy in Naruto, demonstrates early on in the story that he favors his left side. Among the few survivors of his murdered clan, he has good reason to be surly but certainly takes it too far as the story progresses. He goes from crotchety young ninja to villain’s right-hand man and back again with theater kid aplomb, and it takes losing his left arm in a brawl with Naruto for Sasuke to leave the dark side at last. And on the note of angsty brothers gone villainous, Dabi of My Hero Academia is the older brother of a heroic lead, the prodigal son gone mad with his thirst for vengeance. He just really, really hates his abusive dad, which is understandable, and he also happens to be left-handed. While correlation is not causation, I still keep coming back to this point: mangaka and animators incorporating left-handedness into character design isn’t the same as teenage me writing an introduction paragraph about how my charming orphan hero Wesley has one hazel eye and one blue one and he’s self-conscious about it and wears his bangs long to hide the difference but also he is left-handed and good at magic. My genius character descriptions could be altered by editing a few (but clearly magnificent) sentences. But as a rule, even mangaka who do the primary writing and illustrating for a series work with a small stable of assistants, especially if they have weekly or monthly deadlines. All characters are drawn countless times, frequently by various artists, and no matter who’s doing the work, the character designs need to be consistent. It would be far easier from a storyboarding perspective to leave the lefties out of the equation. But for whatever reason, the lefties remain, causing as much trouble for the artists as they do for other characters. Magic Hands!  Credit: Pierrot Hands are frequently associated with mysticism in the real world. Religions worldwide utilize mudra, or symbolic hand movements, in prayer and ritual. In Japan, Kuji no in, or the Nine Hand Seals, is a series of hand gestures paired with nine-syllable mantras adapted centuries ago from Chinese Taoism. Reiki, a Japanese Meiji-era form of energy healing, has seen a modern resurgence in popularity thanks to ASMRtists and a broader interest in, erm, woo-woo influencers. Reiki enthusiasts believe a practitioner’s hands can manipulate energy and chakras to heal the body and soul. Shiatsu applies similar convictions to massage, using the thumbs and knuckles to apply pressure to specific regions of aching bodies.  Mudra make frequent appearances in shonen anime even today, with a notable modern example being Jujutsu Kaisen. On the medicinal front, countless anime healers (mostly women, but that’s fodder for a future article) use their hands to get the job done. Notable examples include Sakura and Tsunade of Naruto, Wendy of Fairy Tail, Orihime of Bleach, and Kikyo of Inuyasha. And if you’re happy and you know it? When it comes to clapping, Shinto prayer requires the ceremonial clapping of hands to wake the gods and make them listen. In Natsume’s Book of Friends, Natsume claps once before returning names to yōkai. In Fullmetal Alchemist, the Elric brothers clap their hands to create a bodily circuit that allows them to use alchemy without transmutation circles. The associations are endless, but what about the people who don’t have hands? Amputees in Anime Credit: Bones, Inc. Amputation plays a frequent role in Japanese storytelling and history alike. In post-war Japan, amputees were not an uncommon sight. But given the state of Japan’s economy, prostheses were hard to come by for many, especially in the inaka. In rural villages, some people learned to make do, creating homemade limbs from bamboo and other accessible materials. The act of yubitsume, or finger-cutting, has long been part of Japanese culture. These days, those missing a pinky are assumed to have lost it after disappointing the yakuza. Severing one’s pinky is seen as an appropriate apology. I gather this practice originates from samurai chopping off their pinkies to show humility, because losing a pinky makes it much harder to hold a katana properly. Some of the greatest anime heroes are amputees. While this topic deserves a future article on anime and disability representation, for now I’ll briefly address a few unforgettable handless heroes. Edward Elric, who lost both an arm and a leg in a failed attempt at forbidden alchemy, must learn to write with his left hand. Ed’s prosthetics are custom-made by his childhood friend Winry, and he relies on them in order to function, use alchemy, and fight. Ed is a fierce, tenacious young man, but in those shattering moments when his false arm is immobilized or broken, he is terrified, almost helpless. When Ed and his brother Al return to Winry for repairs, Ed’s battle-ready limbs are replaced by realistic prostheses similar to Iron Legs. His accommodations allow him to function and excel as a disabled character, but again and again, Ed is forced to contend with the fact that life without two hands is difficult at best. In the harsh world of Fullmetal Alchemist, Ed and Al’s ultimate goal is to survive long enough to regain their lost bodies, hands included. Another notable anime amputee is Hyakkimaru of Osamu Tezuka’s seminal masterpiece Dororo. Hyakkimaru loses all of his limbs and most of his organs when his father makes a deal with demons, exchanging his firstborn infant’s body parts for prosperity in his province. Hyakkimaru must learn to function without hands, and in fact, a caretaker replaces his forearms with blades so that Hyakkimaru can defend himself and survive as he battles the demons to regain what was stolen from him. Hyakkimaru is determined to regain his hands, and everything else, during his quest for revenge against his heartless father.  But not every character can replace a hand by fighting demons or working with a fantastic mechanic. Sometimes, a hand has already been replaced by something else. Let The Right One …Win? Credit: Studio Ghibli A shocking number of anime feature protagonists whose hands have been possessed by demons, cursed by magic, or replaced by alien shapeshifters.  In classic sci-fi horror Parasyte, a shapeshifting alien parasite is foiled in its attempt to devour its teenage host’s brain and instead becomes trapped in said teen’s arm. Shinichi’s parasite, aptly named Migi (“Right”) for the hand it has replaced, fails to develop the urge to eat human beings like its kindred. But Migi has already devoured and replaced Shinichi’s real arm; without Migi, Shinichi no longer has an arm. Against their wishes, the two form a symbiotic relationship. Migi can transform into a bladed monster and even separate from Shinichi’s body when need be, but usually mimics an actual human arm to disguise itself.  In Ghibli’s Princess Mononoke, the warrior Ashitaka’s right arm is cursed after he touches a demonic boar. Thereafter, his arm has a will of its own and is imbued with bloodlust directed at iron-wielding human beings in particular.  Not to spoil a 30-year-old cult classic, but in the space Western Trigun, Vash the Stampede’s entire arm transforms into a weapon known as the Angel Arm, sometimes without his consent, though he avoids using this inhuman ability as much as possible, preferring to pass as a human outlaw. And who could forget the wretched fate of Tetsuo in Akira, whose arm becomes an all-encompassing monstrosity that he cannot control, a horrid fusion of wires and flesh that devours the world around it?  In these anime, characters can no longer fully control their own hands, a la Ash in Evil Dead II. The symbolism here is layered and complex, but in essence comes down to a very basic human fear: our own bodies can and do betray us. While in reality that often happens as a result of aging or injury, in genre fiction losing control becomes alien and extreme. I would argue that this plays on a fundamental fear of our bodies and what we might be capable of. “My hand slipped on the trigger!” is one thing. “My hand is a gun that shoots itself!” is another can of worms.  Fingers Crossed Credit: Madhouse So what the hell is the point of this essay? I can’t quite put my finger on it. When I first moved to Japan, I heard a sentiment that I have come to resent and champion in equal, conflicted measure: “Japan will not change for you; you have to change for Japan.” Of course, this country shouldn’t have to change to accommodate another white immigrant with shoddy Japanese language abilities. My issue with the statement isn’t the sentiment, but the lack of truth I see in it. In my personal experience, Japanese culture is very accommodating to guests. Japanese hospitality is, after all, world-renowned. People go out of their way to help me when I am confused in public, and are happy to teach me when I don’t know a custom. While I cannot speak for everyone, I have found the people of Japan are very patient with me, almost to a fault. So while it’s true that Japan expects its denizens to eventually get with the program and fall in line, it also recognizes that falling in line takes time and practice. From my perspective, this culture is happy to adapt to newcomers, so long as those newcomers are willing to reciprocate the effort. It takes two hands to perform alchemy. Japan isn’t saying you cannot be inconvenient. They are saying, rather, that there is a time and a place for inconvenience, problematic though that might seem. People of all kinds are usually welcome in Japan if they are open to adapting to the culture. I’m not saying this is always correct, fair, or healthy, but it is a form of negotiation. It is one way to get by. Most characters mentioned in this article disguise or cover their hands. Migi pretends to be Shinichi’s actual arm. Edward Elric wears long sleeves and gloves to mask his missing arm. Ashitaka and Vash wrap their afflicted arms in cloth bandages, and Hyakkimaru’s bladed forearms are usually hidden by hand-shaped prostheses. While we can joke all day about how easy it is to pick out a protagonist from a crowd, most anime protagonists choose when to reveal their peculiar hand-related abilities. Something is empowering about all these weird anime hands and their often unassuming nature. Maybe it’s the idea that fitting in is just within our reach if we want it…but so is unabashed, undeniable heroism.  Or maybe I need a nap. I’ll sleep on the left side.[end-mark] Quick Note: Hey, all. I hope you are coping okay. I find fixating on art during challenging times can be really cathartic, in the same way that spending time with animals or in nature can be. Feel free to chat about whatever you like below, be it anime hands or things that have helped you this month or other topics of interest. がんばって、ね。 The post What’s With Anime’s Weird Preoccupation With Hands? appeared first on Reactor.

It’s a common (and very annoying) thing to experience.

The AI was forced to watch millions of hours of Minecraft footage, like a parent of any 8-year-old.

The Daily Show’s Jordan Klepper managed to mangle not one but two ramifications of President-elect Donald Trump nominating Army veteran and Fox News host Pete Hegseth for Secretary of Defense. First, Klepper gave a false impression of what Hegseth meant when he said women should not be in combat roles, and second, he claimed the first false impression means that “in Trump’s America,"  if women “want to risk their lives, they're going to have to get pregnant.” After a less solemn look at Hegseth’s history of selling grenade-shaped soap and live on TV ax-throwing bloopers, Klepper shifted gears by introducing a trio of Hegseth soundbites, “But look, Pete's tenure isn't just going to be about smelling like bourbon while evading ax murder charges. No, as Secretary of Defense, he has plans to protect us from its greatest enemy.”     In the first clip, Hegseth declared, “We only have one military, and if the military goes woke, then it is less equipped to fight the wars it needs to fight.” In the second, he added that “Social justice, politically correct, environmental, LGBT non—, CRT, DEI nonsense that divides the force, makes it weaker.” Finally, Hegseth was seen proclaiming, “I'm straight up just saying we should not have women in combat roles.” After some jeering from the studio audience, Klepper suggested, “That's right. No women in combat roles. In Trump's America, if women really want to risk their lives, they're going to have to get pregnant.” First of all, everyone—Hegseth very much included—understands that 2024 is not 1724 and the lines between combat roles and non-combat roles are less clear than they once were, but Hegseth was talking about roles “where strength is a differentiator.” Just like Klepper shouldn’t make things up about Hegseth, he shouldn’t make things up about pro-life laws either. Despite all the liberal fear-mongering and poor reading comprehension, there is nothing in them that could be considered life-threatening. Here is a transcript for the November 13 show: Comedy Central The Daily Show 11/13/2024 11:07 PM ET JORDAN KLEPPER: But look, Pete's tenure isn't just going to be about smelling like bourbon while evading ax murder charges. No, as secretary of Defense, he has plans to protect us from its greatest enemy. PETE HEGSETH: We only have one military, and if the military goes woke, then it is less equipped to fight the wars it needs to fight.  Social justice, politically correct, environmental, LGBT non—, CRT, DEI nonsense that divides the force, makes it weaker.  I'm straight up just saying we should not have women in combat roles.  KLEPPER: That's right. No women in combat roles. In Trump's America, if women really want to risk their lives, they're going to have to get pregnant. Now, tough ask. Talk to the man. 

The New York Times is chaperoning the post-election mental breakdown of the young feminist left, after a Trump win which that bitter cohort sees as an emerging real-life Handmaid’s Tale. Gina Cherelus, who covers “dating, relationships and sex” for the Times, wrote “4B Movement Surges in U.S. Interest After Trump Wins Election” for the Style section on Friday. And what is “4B”? You’ll be sorry you asked: Following the results of Tuesday’s election, Jada Mevs, a 25-year-old living in Washington, D.C., is encouraging women to take action by signing up for a self-defense class, deleting dating apps, getting on birth control and investing in a vibrator. As a response to Donald J. Trump’s election as president for a second time, and the failure of three referendums that would have protected abortion rights in Florida, Nebraska and South Dakota, Ms. Mevs and others are calling on women to join 4B. It’s a radical feminist movement that started in South Korea and encourages the rejection of heterosexual dating, marriage and sex, as well as childbirth. (The phrase “4B” stands for four tenets that start with the letter “B” in Korean: no dating, no sex, no marriage, no childbirth.) One cheer for Cherelus for writing “radical feminist” – which also begs the question why the Times is promoting radical feminism as in an ostensible news story: "While it is too soon to know how popular such a stance could become in the United States, there are already women online who are adopting such ideas in a defiant display of self-protection." Yet the Times has never showed any concern for keeping women safe as far as keeping biological men out of women’s bathrooms, locker rooms, and other female spaces. Stripped of the manifesto trappings, the U.S. version of "4B" boils adown to the right to abort, with a dash of man-hating for bitter spice: “If we can’t control what they do in terms of legislation and abortion rights, we have to do something for ourselves,” Ms. Mevs said. “Starting with cutting out the male influence in our life, and making sure we’re taking the safety precautions as well, visiting OB-GYNs and making sure we are best prepared for when January comes and the years after that.” Ms. Mevs, who posted a video on TikTok explaining why she believes women should adopt this mind-set, had already begun decentering men in her own life around two years ago as a way of turning her attention back onto herself. Now, she said, her reasons have expanded to protecting her safety and health. Cherelus added her own hysteria that "[w]ith the overturning of Roe v. Wade and Mr. Trump’s opposition to abortion, there’s concern that his administration could enact a federal abortion ban. Couple that with the spread of online misogyny, known as the manosphere, and its subset of incel culture, among self-described involuntary celibates who disparage women, there’s increased concern that women’s rights will be further eroded. Which makes it odd that so many women voted against their own rights last week! Alexa Vargas, a 26-year-old lab technician living in Boston, has incorporated the ideas of the 4B movement into her lifestyle. She had already been abstaining from dating and sex for more than two years, and following the results of the U.S. election she decided to commit to the movement. The reporter noted differences between the U.S. and Korean movements, specifically that the U.S. version was more about abortion, not a commitment to a lifestyle change. But the paper of record also fed into male-fearing paranoia: There are concerns that the 4B movement might entice violence among men who disagree with a woman’s right to abstain from the four B’s, a reason Ms. Mevs is looking into boxing classes. She emphasized that women have never been guaranteed safety following rejection. “If women doing this affects the entire country, good, and that’s the message,” she said. “If you want this country to run effectively, maybe you need to give women back their rights. It is as simple as that.” Of course, there were no dissenting voices, no suggestion that "4B" is incel-type disparagement of the opposite sex, only with the sexes reversed and the celibacy voluntary.

It’s been a week since Donald Trump’s landslide re-election and some Democrats are using words like “realignment,” “self-reflection” and “regret.” It seems most on the losing side are rethinking their far-left policies on immigration and the entire social agenda. Let’s wait and see, because for the left these are matters held as near-religious doctrines. One group apparently having no regrets, remorse or even self- reflection are the media, which overwhelmingly favored Kamala Harris for president. They can’t grasp that not everyone has the same worldview as theirs. This attitude is why their TV ratings, readership and credibility continue to decline. It is the only business that refuses to admit the people who live in the vast red territory between New York and California are worth understanding and should be fed a balanced news diet. CNN.com may have put it best: “Trump’s return to power raises serious questions about the media’s credibility.” If initial media reactions to Trump’s sweeping victory are not enough to help them understand their bias problem, what is? CBS News reporter John Dickerson shed tears during a post-election appearance on Stephen Colbert’s show, saying he would struggle not to think about his boys when describing election results to young Americans. Colbert claimed a majority of voters “don’t care” about democracy. Tell that to the near record number who cast ballots. The reliably liberal women on “The View” called Trump’s victory “pathetic and disturbing,” labels that have been applied by some to them. On MSNBC (which some conservative critics have called MSDNC for its promotion of all things Democrat), Joy Reid blamed white women for Kamala Harris’ loss in North Carolina. What happened to the gender gap touted by the media? CNN commentator Van Jones said a lot of people were “hurting” because of the election results and that African American women know something about “being talked down to.” The media have been talking down to Middle America for years, implying they are ignorant for not embracing the agenda of the far left. Also on CNN came this laugher from “PBS News Hour” White House correspondent Laura Barron-Lopez, who said one reason Harris lost is that, unlike Trump, she did not have a “media ecosystem” to help her. According to numbers compiled by the Media Research Center, coverage of Harris was 78 percent positive and only 22 percent negative, while the numbers for Trump were the reverse, 15 percent positive and 85 percent negative. Talk about a media ecosystem! There is so much more that is vile, disgusting, scatological and crude, but you get the picture. The polls were wrong again, none more in error than the Des Moines Register poll. That poll, constantly touted by the media as reliable, claimed Harris was ahead of Trump by three points just days before the election. Trump won Iowa for a third time. The margin was 14 points for Trump. Pollster J. Ann Selzer, who was described as “renowned” by the newspaper, said she would be reviewing her data to determine how she got it wrong. One hopes she shares the results with the rest of us. In a memo to his staff, Conde Nast chief Roger Lynch pledged to “uphold the principles of independent journalism.” Given the media’s slanted reporting for Harris and against Trump the notion that journalists reflect ideological independence in their work will be a hard sell for most Americans who have lost faith in the institution. Few Democrats are suggesting it was their policies most voters rejected and need to be changed. If Democrats remain on the road of denial the 2024 results are likely to be repeated in future elections. Readers may email Cal Thomas at tcaeditors@tribpub.com. Look for Cal Thomas’ latest book “A Watchman in the Night: What I’ve Seen Over 50 Years Reporting on America" (HumanixBooks).

Once a voice of reason, Sam Harris has only allowed his Trump derangement syndrome to progress, clouding his judgment and leaving him open to ridicule from those who used to respect his tempered point of view. According to Dave Rubin of “The Rubin Report,” Harris is “a very well-known atheist, old-school liberal” and “was sort of the leading voice of independent thinkers on the left that were calling out woke nonsense.” “But something happened to him related to Trump that seemingly has pushed him the wrong way,” Rubin says, noting that on a recent episode of Harris’ “Making Sense Podcast,” he laid it all out there. “I would point out that it actually isn’t necessary if you think Trump is so bad that you would vote for virtually any other human being over him, which is really the position I’m in. I just think he’s such an abnormal person. Psychologically and ethically, I mean in terms of the degree to which he is interested only in himself and his fame and wealth,” Harris told his listeners. “I don’t know how you could still believe that,” Rubin comments in response. “Donald Trump who did get shot, Donald Trump, a man who got shot in the ear, a man who’s put his life on the line, a man who has been under investigation this entire time, which now have all wrapped up suddenly that he’s going to be next president of the United States, that somehow he’s all in it for himself.” But Harris wasn’t finished, going so far as to call RFK Jr. a “bully” in the same episode. “I understand how satisfying it is to find a new bully to beat up the other bullies who’ve been making you miserable. Okay, but the problem is, this new bully is worse, right? This new bully has no principles, this new bully has no journalistic or academic or scientific conscience to appeal to,” Harris said. “Whatever might be wrong with a person like Anthony Fauci or Francis Collins or any of the other doctors who have been demonized right of center for their approach to setting COVID policy, at least they are real doctors and scientists who have some professional scruples and reputations to protect,” he continued. “RFK Jr. has none of that. He’s just a cowboy taking shots at the establishment,” he added. Elon Musk even chimed in after Harris’ podcast aired, writing in a post on X that “Sam Harris is, ironically, irrationality personified.” Rubin agrees. “That is such an extraordinarily bad take, I almost don’t know what to say,” he says. Want more from Dave Rubin?To enjoy more honest conversations, free speech, and big ideas with Dave Rubin, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

The Connecticut special-education teacher who threatened people who voted for President-elect Donald Trump in a viral video has resigned — and she tried to explain herself in a tearful on-camera interview.Annie Dunleavy of Chapman Elementary School in Cheshire spoke in person with WTNH-TV, tearfully at times trying to explain herself. Her interview demeanor certainly was a stark contrast to what was seen in her viral video in which she threatened Trump voters.'The message I was trying to get across, and it came off very wrong was ... if this is going to give people the almost permission in their minds to enact violence against women or anybody, I wanted to basically just say, like, I’m not going to go down without a fight.'In that video, she claims that "people of color and poor people and gay people and all the people that I care about aren't gonna be safe in America — neither the f*** are you guys. Just because you won doesn't mean we don't remember who the f*** you voted for. You're not in the clear."She added, "Please don't test your gangster on me because you will end on a stretcher. Gone. Forever. So serious. Nobody f***in' talk to me unless you wanna swing. If you wanna fight, text me, call me, whatever. Anybody else stay the f*** outta my face."The threatening clip ends with her saying, "And if you voted for Trump, literally please delete me, block me, get rid of everything of me — or step to me, so that I know what’s up, and I can handle you how I see fit. Please, just come forward, we f***in' know. Just tell me. Or leave."In her interview with WTNH, however — which included the interviewer reading some of her threatening words aloud to her — Dunleavy acknowledged, "It sounds very extreme, and again, I was in a moment of high emotions, and I shouldn’t have ever posted the video. But ... the message I was trying to get across, and it came off very wrong was ... if this is going to give people the almost permission in their minds to enact violence against women or anybody, I wanted to basically just say, like, I’m not going to go down without a fight."The station said Dunleavy also declared that "I will fight for myself, and if someone was to try to hurt me, I would protect myself.”Another clip of the interview shows Dunleavy in tears: "I mean, you know, it's my life's dream to be a teacher. I consider those kids my kids because I don't have any of my own. And they fill that for me, and it's so fulfilling, it's so rewarding. ... I know that what people see right now, I don't look like that person, but I truly would do anything to help any child and any family in need."WTNH added that Dunleavy said she's been getting threats and has moved out of her home. She added to the station that Cheshire police — which had launched an investigation into her viral video — told her Wednesday she won't face any charges.You can view the interview snippet with Dunleavy here. WTNH prefaced the snippet by indicating she "apologized to her students," and the station noted in its story that Dunleavy "is sorry" — but there is no apology from her in the station's video snippet. Perhaps an apology will be part of the full interview with Dunleavy, which WTNH said will air 10 a.m. Sunday.'I can't unsee the video ... and I can't walk into that school. ... I’m literally shaking, I can't walk into that school and hand my kid off to that person.'Samantha Rosenberg, chair of the Cheshire Board of Education, said in a written statement that the board recognizes “the intense emotions this situation has stirred," the station reported.“The Board of Education is united in finding the teacher’s behavior reprehensible and unacceptable, and we are horrified and deeply offended by statements made in the video,” the statement reads in part, WTNH reported.Prior to Dunleavy resigning, Cheshire Public Schools' Superintendent Jeff Solan said she was placed on leave until the outcome of an investigation, WFSB-TV reported. Solan added that once the video went viral, the district received a large number of calls — mostly from people outside the Cheshire community — and that business couldn't be conducted as usual with the teacher on campus.WTIC-TV reported that the Cheshire Town Council held a meeting Tuesday night, and some parents said they weren't happy with what was expressed in the video.WTIC reported that Amy Bourdon — a Cheshire mom whose son with special needs attends school in the district — said, "I saw a woman in crisis, and then when I replayed it a couple of times, I got up from my table and went and locked my front door."Bourdon — who is a Republican, WTIC said — added that "we are the targets. Our lives have been targeted by an individual that cashes a paycheck from the town of Cheshire every week."Lorie Barnes told WTIC that “I'm tired of being a Trump supporter and whispering."Barnes, who's lived in Cheshire all her life, added to WTIC that her grandson will be moving from England and entering the Cheshire school district — and now that terrifies her."I can't unsee the video ... and I can't walk into that school. ... I’m literally shaking, I can't walk into that school and hand my kid off to that person," Barnes told WTIC.You can view a news station video report here about the controversy.Other outbursts from anti-Trump teachersAs Blaze News has previously reported this week, a Southern California high school teacher on the day after the election lashed out in a classroom at a student who was wearing a Trump hat. Blaze News this week also noted that a teacher at a different Southern California public high school went on a profane rant in his Advanced Placement world history class against Trump the day after the election and was placed on administrative leave.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

It might not be the full-scale nuclear war that predates Fallout 4 and its recent, fan-made, and highly praised successor Fallout London, but the disaster that gives us new survival RPG Atomfall has still left Britain in a bad way. Scrapping through a quarantined society, you’ll have to face everything from cults to rogue government agencies as you do your best to survive. Previously loosely scheduled for March 2025, we now know exactly when we can get our hands on this next taste of the British wasteland. Continue reading British apocalypse survival RPG Atomfall confirms release date MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best survival games, Best RPGs, Best open-world games