News Matchbox Teyonah Parris Is the Latest Star to Buckle Up for the Matchbox Cars Movie The real treasures were the cars we made vroom sounds with along the way By Molly Templeton | Published on December 9, 2024 Comment 0 Share New Share The Matchbox cars movie is coming whether you like it or not. First it came for John Cena; then, Jessica Biel and Sam Richardson signed on. If you are now trying to figure out what sort of Matchbox car each of these actors would best personify, I’m right there with you. But something else appears to be afoot in this film. According to The Hollywood Reporter, it is “an action-packed, globetrotting adventure and centers on a group of childhood friends who must work together to stop an impending worldwide disaster and rediscover their friendship along the way.” So… will they drive cars? Is this a quiet and children’s-toy branded attempt to create a franchise to rival the Fast and Furious films? What does Vin Diesel think about this? At any rate, the latest addition to what we can only assume will soon be a new MCU (Matchbox Cinematic Universe) is Monica Rambeau herself: Teyonah Parris, who along with her Marvel appearances (in WandaVision and The Marvels, pictured above) also starred in They Cloned Tyrone, Dear White People, and Candyman. Matchbox comes to us unbidden from director Sam Hargrave, who made the unfortunate Extraction for Netflix, and writers David Coggeshall (Orphan: First Kill) and Jonathan Tropper (the creator of Warrior, and also a novelist). Tropper’s involvement is the most interesting thing happening behind the camera; it’s basically impossible not to think of how Mattel brought arty Greta Gerwig on to make millions out of Barbie. It remains to be seen if tiny toy cars can be made to create the same magic.[end-mark] The post Teyonah Parris Is the Latest Star to Buckle Up for the Matchbox Cars Movie appeared first on Reactor.

Column Babylon 5 Rewatch Babylon 5 Rewatch: “Acts of Sacrifice” Ivanova handles a delicate diplomatic situation, while Mollari discovers his newfound power and influence comes with a price… By Keith R.A. DeCandido | Published on December 9, 2024 Credit: Warner Bros. Television Comment 0 Share New Share Credit: Warner Bros. Television “Acts of Sacrifice”Written by J. Michael StraczynskiDirected by Jim JohnstonSeason 2, Episode 12Production episode 212Original air date: February 22, 1995 It was the dawn of the third age… We open on a battle between the Narn and the Centauri. A Narn heavy cruiser opens a jump gate to retreat, as the Centauri are kicking their asses, but then they detect a civilian ship being attacked by the Centauri. The cruiser runs interference to allow the civilians to escape through the gate, sacrificing themselves in the bargain. Cut to B5, where G’Kar is showing the footage of the battle to Sheridan and his senior staff by way of asking for Earth’s support. The Centauri promised not to target civilians, and this is a very straightforward breaking of that promise. Mollari was supposed to be in this meeting, but refused to attend, saying only that the transport ships they fired on had weapons, not civilians. As lies go, it’s pretty transparent, and nobody in the room believes it. Sheridan can’t promise anything, but he’ll talk to his superiors on Earth. G’Kar says that’s all he asks. If Earth Alliance supports the Narn, he’s sure the other powers will fall into line. A Lumati ship is arriving at B5, with an emissary who will be exploring the possibility of the Lumati becoming allies with Earth, maybe even joining the League of Non-Aligned Worlds. Because Sheridan is too busy dealing with Narn-Centauri issues, he delegates the task of playing diplomat with the Lumati to Ivanova. Sheridan tells Ivanova to do whatever it takes to get the Lumati on board, an order that you just know will bite everyone on the ass before the episode’s over… G’Kar makes the same appeal to Delenn that he made to Sheridan: requesting support. However, Delenn is less optimistic about her government’s willingness to help than Sheridan is. The Minbari nearly committed genocide in their last war, and it will take a lot for them to go to war again. Also, G’Kar has often plotted and schemed against the Centauri and sworn to wipe them out. In a few years, will Mollari or some other Centauri be asking for Minbari support against Narn aggression? Allan has to break up a fight in the casino between a group of dudebro Centauri boasting about Centauri victories against the Narn and a group of Narn who don’t appreciate that. Two Lumati arrive and are greeted by Ivanova. One is Correlimurzon, the actual diplomat. The other is Taq, his aide. The pair have a telepathic link, and Taq speaks for Correlimurzon, as it would be a loss of face if the diplomat spoke directly to an inferior race. So that’s going well. Mollari has a meeting with a Centauri merchant, who wants a favor and is willing to do Mollari any number of favors in return. He is obviously the latest in a series, and after Mollari dismisses him, he tells Vir to keep the rest away until tomorrow. He is disgusted with the fact that the same people who barely acknowledged his existence a year ago now are sucking up to him, like he’s a wishing well with legs. Credit: Warner Bros. Television Another fight breaks out between the Centauri dudebros and the pissed-off Narn, this time in a corridor. Again, Allan has to break it up, but one Narn refuses to drop his weapon when Allan orders him to, and Allan is forced to shoot him. G’Kar is livid, but so is Sheridan. B5 is neutral territory, and crap like this makes it that much harder to convince EarthDome to support the Narn. Ivanova’s tour of B5 takes the Lumati to medlab, where Correlimurzon is appalled to see that they treat inferior species, as that interferes with evolution. Franklin is equally appalled by the Lumati’s callous attitude. In the casino, Mollari sees Garibaldi and invites him over, handing him a bag of money. It’s repayment for all the times Garibaldi loaned him money when he was running short. Garibaldi is less than enthusiastic about that or, indeed, about even talking to Mollari. For his part, Mollari is enjoying good fortune for the first time in a long time, and the only real friend he has to share it with is Garibaldi, to whom he offers a “chemically inoffensive” drink. Relenting only slightly, Garibaldi makes a half-hearted promise to come back and share that drink with him when he’s off-duty. Spoiler alert: he never makes it. G’Kar appeals to the Narn on the station to avoid violence, as that only makes it harder to recruit allies. The Narn agree, but it’s a rectal infusion of smoke, as the moment he leaves, they drag the Centauri dudebro out, tied and gagged, and stab him to death, leaving his body where it will be found. Later, we see Franklin doing the autopsy on the Centauri dudebro. While there’s no definitive proof of who stabbed him to death, it’s pretty obvious that it was a pissed-off Narn. Sheridan tells Garibaldi to hold off on telling Mollari. He’ll need to know eventually, but right now, it’ll just make matters worse. The Lumati show up unannounced to Ivanova’s quarters, with Ivanova trying and failing to explain the concept of privacy to them. While Correlimurzon shows an unhealthy interest in Ivanova’s clothing, he also states that Ivanova has only shown him the good parts of the station. They want to see everything. Ivanova demands that he stop pawing her things and offers to take him anywhere he wants. Naturally, he wants to go to downbelow. Sheridan is disappointed to learn from Liaison Officer Franke that EarthDome will not be providing support for the Narn. They’re staying out of the conflict. Sheridan then contacts Delenn, and the pair of them work out a plan to surreptitiously rescue Narn civilians from the war zone, and also to get food and medical supplies to them—mostly leftovers that would be disposed of or otherwise not missed. Delenn agrees. Credit: Warner Bros. Television Na’Toth sees the Narn gang buying Drazi blades and figures out what’s up, which she reports to G’Kar. For his part, G’Kar immediately goes to confront the Narn, Na’Toth backing him up. G’Kar challenges the leader of the Narn gang to combat, because that always seems to work for some stupid reason, and G’Kar beats him handily. (Na’Toth at one point has to stop another Narn from shooting G’Kar in the back.) The Narn agree to stand down, though the ringleader manages to stab G’Kar with a poisoned blade. G’Kar knocks him out, then walks out under his own power, not letting Na’Toth help him until they’re out of sight. Ivanova explains about the lurkers to Correlimurzon: that they’re people who came to the station hoping for work and/or a better life, they failed to get either, and didn’t have the money to buy passage elsewhere, so they eke out their lives down here. Correlimurzon is impressed with the humans’ good sense to isolate their undesirables down here, away from everyone else, so they can’t pollute the gene pool. Ivanova tries to explain that that’s not the case, but it’s enough so that Correlimurzon is finally willing to speak to Ivanova directly, saying that there will be an alliance. She later meets with them in the captain’s office to sign the alliance agreement, but Ivanova is gobsmacked to learn that the Lumati seal such alliances with sex. Correlimurzon starts to take his robes off right there in the captain’s office, making it clear that they really really don’t get privacy. Ivanova makes an excuse to leave and promises to seal the deal later. Na’Toth turns the Narn ringleader over to Garibaldi, promising that he’ll confess to killing the Centauri dudebro. Garibaldi arrests him, but is worried about how Mollari will react. Ivanova discusses her dilemma with Franklin. She really doesn’t want to have sex with Correlimurzon, obviously, but she already told Sheridan that it was a done deal, and she has no idea what to do—at least until Franklin offhandedly mentions that the Lumati don’t know anything about human anatomy, which gives her an idea. G’Kar, barely recovered from being stabbed, goes to meet with Sheridan and Delenn. Hopeful that they will tell him that their governments will support the Narn Regime, he is instead devastated to learn that they won’t. At first, Sheridan and Delenn’s alternate plan to provide covert aid to the civilian victims of the war is met with dismissive annoyance by G’Kar, but he puts a brave face on and thanks the captain and the ambassador. Once he leaves the meeting, he breaks down with both laughter and tears. Ivanova invites the Lumati to her quarters. She says she wants to have sex the human way, but then demurs, figuring that Correlimurzon wouldn’t be able to handle it. As expected, the Lumati claims he can handle anything the humans can, and says he’ll do it her way. So Ivanova does an interpretive dance all around Correlimurzon, while scatting and uttering various 1990s relationship clichés. Correlimurzon is nonplussed, but agrees to sign the treaty. He leaves. Taq stays behind a moment to shake Ivanova’s hand and give her a smile that makes it clear that he knows exactly what she did, even if his boss doesn’t, and also leaves. Credit: Warner Bros. Television Sheridan and Garibaldi go to Mollari, who surprises them by not making a public fuss. He says that the Centauri dudebro is a known pain in the ass, and has no family, and no one will miss him. If the Narn is extradited to the Centauri, his possessions and assets seized and auctioned to support the Centauri war effort, that will be enough. Sheridan congratulates Ivanova on a successful negotiation. He also passes on a gift to Ivanova that Correlimurzon left for her. It includes a card that says, “Next time, my way.” Garibaldi heads to the casino, and finally joins Mollari for the drink. Garibaldi is both surprised and grateful that Mollari did what he could not to escalate the situation with the Narn and the dead Centauri dudebro. Mollari says he’s happy to help his friend, even if he is that for only a little while. Get the hell out of our galaxy! Sheridan is, to his credit, unhesitating in his support of the Narn, and the nanosecond EarthDome turns him down, he goes to Delenn to find an alternative method of supporting them. Ivanova is God. Ivanova comports herself well on her diplomatic mission, succeeding in completing it successfully despite the apparent requirement for non-consenting sex… The household god of frustration. Garibaldi finally gets paid back by Mollari for all the times he staked him when he was on a losing streak. It takes a bit for him to be genuinely grateful, with good reason. If you value your lives, be somewhere else. Delenn, notably, does not mention to G’Kar another reason why the Minbari might not help the Narn: Delenn herself has seen her influence reduced considerably. Once she might have been able to command the resources to help the Narn all on her own, but those days are now gone. In the glorious days of the Centauri Republic… Mollari’s days apparently now include an endless stream of people asking for favors from the newly influential ambassador. Credit: Warner Bros. Television Though it take a thousand years, we will be free. G’Kar is trying desperately to help his people, but the road is made considerably more difficult by politics and his own people’s unwillingness to play nice. This includes G’Kar himself, as his past behavior is cited as a reason why Delenn isin’t sure the Minbari can provide aid… Welcome aboard. The two Lumati are played by the great character actor Ian Abercrombie and the great singer/songwriter/actor Paul Williams. Christopher Darga plays the Narn troublemaker while Paul Ainsley plays the Centauri dudebro. Glenn Morshower plays Franke, and the ill-fated Narn military officers are played by Sandey Grinn and Jennifer Anglin, who are among the regular gaggle of background actors the show used a lot. Finally, we have recurring regulars Jeff Conaway, back from “The Coming of Shadows” as Allan, and Joshua Cox, back from “All Alone in the Night” as Corwin; both will be back in “Hunter, Prey” next time. Trivial matters. This is Mary Kay Adams’ second and final appearance as Na’Toth, and the character’s penultimate appearance. Na’Toth will next be seen in season five’s “A Tragedy of Telepaths,” played by her original actor, Caitlin Brown. Adams will, however, continue to be listed in the opening credits for the rest of the second season. Garibaldi was seen loaning money to Mollari to pay off his gambling habit all the way back in “The Gathering.” The echoes of all of our conversations. “Mr. Garibaldi, in my time very few people on this station have listened to me or taken me seriously—until recently. Now I have friends I never knew were there. But you—you always listen to me, you are always kind to me, even when you had nothing to gain. And now that things are changing, and I look around for someone to share my good fortune with, there is no one. Except you. My good, close friend Garibaldi.” —Mollari baring his soul to Garibaldi. Credit: Warner Bros. Television The name of the place is Babylon 5. “When you have been crushed beneath the wheel for as long as we have, revenge occupies your every waking thought.” All right, let’s get the pink elephant in the room out of the way: I was dreading rewatching this episode because the final scene between Ivanova and the Lumati made me laugh in 1995, but the memory of it three decades later made me shudder. And then I watched the episode, and I did laugh again, but this time the laughter caught in my throat. While Ivanova’s solution was a clever one to get her out of being forced to have sex against her will—pretty damn close to the textbook definition of a rape—that doesn’t change the fact that she was being forced to have sex against her will. Brava to her for the solution, which has the added benefit of being hilarious (and Claudia Christian played it beautifully), but the entire notion as written is problematic as hell. J. Michael Straczynski pointed out online back in the day that the notion of using sex to close a deal is something that has been seen throughout human history in places like ancient Egypt and parts of the Middle East, and even in parts of medieval Europe. The problem is that in those places, both parties knew going in that that was the endgame, as it were, and that’s not remotely the case here. There’s also a very oogy component to all this, that the prize Correlimurzon gets is to have sex with the hot chick. (A component that is borne out by Correlimurzon pawing over Ivanova’s clothing in her quarters, setting us up for frat-boy behavior rather than the behavior of a diplomat doing what he’s culturally obligated to do.) Straczynski also said that if Sheridan was the one negotiating, the same demand would’ve been made, and sorry, that doesn’t wash. I don’t buy for a nanosecond that he would’ve ever even considered writing that, and also saying it on an online forum is easy. I didn’t buy it when J.K. Rowling tried to convince us that no, really, Dumbledore is gay, and I don’t buy it here, either. As for the rest of the episode, it’s truly excellent. I love that Mollari is finding out that being influential and powerful isn’t all it’s cracked up to be (kind of the same lesson the emperor learned too late in “The Coming of Shadows”), and his scenes with Garibaldi are superb, full of pathos and sorrow, as he realizes that it really is lonely at the top. Of course, if we feel sorry for him for too long, we can always cut back to the opening scene of the Centauri firing on civilians and G’Kar’s righteous indignation at the way the war is progressing. While this episode is full of excellent performances, Andreas Katsulas is the one who owns it. G’Kar is trying so desperately to do right by his people, and it’s a constant struggle, not aided by his own people complicating matters. Katsulas beautifully plays G’Kar’s anger, his sorrow, his desperation, and especially the complex series of emotions he goes through when Sheridan and Delenn give him the news of the aid they can provide. On the one hand, he went to this meeting so sure that the Minbari Federation and Earth Alliance were going to provide aid, and he’s so disappointed that they’re not. What Sheridan and Delenn are offering is a pittance by comparison, and you can see that it takes him several seconds to realize that both the captain and ambassador are taking a huge risk by acting against their government’s wishes to still help the Narn people. But it’s not nearly enough, either… Also the Lumati plotline is generally pretty good, too. I love and heartily approve of the shot taken at the Star Trek spinoffs’ appallingly brutal application of the Prime Directive (see my rants on the subject in the rewatches of The Next Generation’s “Homeward” and Enterprise’s “Dear Doctor” in particular) by having the Lumati act the same way Trek protagonists do when dealing with “inferior” species. And for all that the “sex” scene is yucky, I love that Taq very obviously figured out what Ivanova was doing and gave her that knowing smile and handshake at the end. Next week: “Hunter, Prey.”[end-mark] The post <i>Babylon 5</i> Rewatch: “Acts of Sacrifice” appeared first on Reactor.

If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. TikTok and its parent company, ByteDance, has today filed a motion in the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, seeking an injunction to block the enforcement of the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act. The companies argue that the legislation, which effectively bans TikTok in the US, violates constitutional protections, including the First Amendment, and constitutes a “bill of attainder” that unfairly targets them. (A bill of attainder is a legislative act that declares a person or group guilty of a crime and imposes punishment without a judicial trial, which is prohibited by the US Constitution.) We obtained a copy of the motion for you here. TikTok, a platform used by 170 million Americans, claims the law singles out their platform for alleged risks without clear evidence, relying instead on speculative threats and post hoc government justifications. Key Arguments: First Amendment Violation: TikTok contends that the law imposes the “most sweeping speech restriction in this country’s history” by banning a platform where millions of Americans share content. The company emphasizes that courts must rigorously scrutinize government restrictions on speech, even when national security is invoked. Lack of Evidence: The motion highlights that the US government has admitted it has no evidence of China manipulating TikTok’s content or accessing sensitive US user data. TikTok states that its US operations, including its recommendation algorithm and user data, are securely housed in Oracle’s US-based cloud. Under inclusive Legislation: The petitioners argue the law arbitrarily exempts other foreign-controlled applications, raising doubts about its true intent. They allege the Act is crafted solely to ban TikTok while leaving similar platforms unaffected. Unconstitutional Punishment: ByteDance asserts the law amounts to a legislative punishment—a bill of attainder—specifically targeting them without due process. The US government, represented by Attorney General Merrick Garland, defends the law as necessary to safeguard national security. Officials argue that TikTok’s ownership by ByteDance, a Chinese company, creates vulnerabilities that could be exploited by the Chinese government. They cite the risk of covert content manipulation and data collection as justifications for the legislation. TikTok’s legal team described the law as “the most sweeping speech restriction in this country’s history,” alleging that it unfairly targets the app and its 170 million US users without justification. In their motion, TikTok argued that “even in matters of national security, courts must rigorously scrutinize government restraints on speech to ensure protection of First Amendment rights.” The company dismissed the US government’s claims of potential threats as speculative, stating, “The government repeatedly admits it has no evidence that China ever manipulated the content Americans see on TikTok.” They further emphasized, “Courts do not uphold content-based speech restrictions without ‘hard evidence.’” TikTok also challenged the government’s portrayal of its recommendation algorithm and data storage practices. “Unrebutted evidence establishes that ‘TikTok’s US recommendation engine is stored in the Oracle cloud in the United States,’” the motion reads. The company claimed its robust security measures make manipulation or unauthorized access impossible, noting, “Petitioners take robust measures to prevent manipulation.” Critics of the legislation also highlighted its selective enforcement. TikTok’s attorneys argued, “The Act is so ‘wildly underinclusive’ as to ‘raise…serious doubts’ that data collection was Congress’s real concern.” They alleged that the law “purpose-built” a framework to ban TikTok while exempting other platforms with similar risks, calling the legislation “a veneer of general applicability” aimed squarely at shutting down TikTok. The motion underscored the broader constitutional stakes, asserting, “A law designed and intended to suppress or restrict the expression of specific speakers contradicts basic First Amendment principles.” They warned that the Act “singles out one company for a ban—exactly the sort of legislative punishment the Constitution forbids.” In addition to raising First Amendment concerns, TikTok’s legal team pointed to what they called the government’s disregard for less intrusive alternatives. They argued, “Congress could have fully addressed [content manipulation] concerns by requiring disclosure of the US government’s view of that risk, akin to a Surgeon General’s Warning,” rather than implementing a complete ban. If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. The post TikTok Fights Back, Claims Ban Violates Free Speech and Due Process appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

BREAKING: DANIEL PENNY NOT GUILTY

It's also been called "star jelly" and "witch's butter".

Antarctica has dozens of volcanoes that are idle... for now.

Monday's Morning Joe devoted a segment to an Axios article, 'Shards of glass: Inside media's 12 splintering realities.' The notion was that, depending on demographics, people get their information from very different media sources and are often unaware of the information that others were receiving.   One of Axios' 12 categories is "Right-wing grandpas," a reference to people who get their news largely from Fox News. What was not revealed was that the average age of Fox News viewers is 68, whereas the average age of MSNBC viewers is 71!  Mika Brzezinski told a condescending story of hearing about some of those "right-wing grandpas" who were convinced that "hurricanes are brought here by our enemies." Of course, they didn't provide evidence of Fox News making that claim. Mika, how about the left-wing grandpas—the kind who watch your show—the people you labored to convince that if Trump-the-Hitler won, it would signal the end of American democracy and be our country's last election?  Joe Scarborough wanted to know into which category Axios and Morning Joe fall. Jim VandeHei of Axios told him that Morning Joe and Axios viewers/readers are in the category of people "who want to be informed about the news on a day-to-day basis;" AKA "elite power-consumers."  News? LOL! As if Morning Joe isn't pure, sharp-as-a-tack-Biden, propaganda? VandeHeie didn't call it "the good old days," but there was a certain wistfulness as he said: "It used to be that all of us kind of looked through the same window. Go back 15 or 20 years ago. A couple of newscasts, a couple of cable stations, newspapers, all the same standards." VandeHei should have said, the same "liberal" standards. Because in those supposedly halcyon days, the windows that "all of us" looked through consisted of the New York Times, Washington Post, the broadcast networks' newscasts, CNN, etc.  The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read: MSNBC's Morning Joe 12/9/24 6:41 am ET MIKA BRZEZINSKI: So Jim and Mike, you are out with the recent piece for Axios looking at the growing divide in how Americans consume their news. It's entitled, "Shards of glass. Inside media's 12 splintering realities." In which you label and explain the dozen different ecosystems that, you say, modern media consumers inhabit. Starting with the Musk-eteers. Jim, take it from here. JIM VANDEHEI: Yeah, I think, listen, it goes back to the beginning of this conversation of, is there a big segment of the country that thinks it's okay to pardon the people who stormed the Capitol on January 6th? The truth is, there are. And a lot of that has to do with information.  I think the most useful thing for your viewers is, stop thinking about news, and start thinking about information. That's how people's minds get molded It's what are they consuming? A little bit of news, a little bit news-adjacent. Some of it's just nonsense. But that is, like, the information bubble. And it used to be that all of us kind of looked through the same window. Go back 15 or 20 years ago. A couple of newscasts, a couple of cable stations, newspapers, all the same standards.  That's now been shattered. And so, tell me how much you make or where you work or what you do. And I'll tell you where you get your information from. And that information bubble that you live in could be completely different from the person sitting next to you. And that's what's new. . . .  JONATHAN LEMIRE: So Mike Allen, let's get you to weigh in on a couple of these other bubbles. You pick, you pick in terms of ones you feel most important. Although I'll note, that of these, there's the "Instagrammers," there's the "Right-wing grandpas" who still listen to Fox News. But the kids, the kids, TikTok. Which the very future of that platform, now, in doubt. MIKE ALLEN: Jonathan, here's a fascinating fact about these fragmented realities, these shards of glass. Because there's very little overlap among them, right? If you told me your ideology, your job, your income, your location, your age. Like, I can put you in one of these shards. But whereas we used to say, oh, like, there isn't shared reality anymore. Now there aren't even shared topics. Like those Instagrammers, the Right-wing Grandpas that you mentioned. They're talking about different things! Case in point. Last week, I was asked to go on TV and talk about the pardons. And they said, can you come on and talk about lawfare, okay? That's probably not NBC or MSNBC, right. Like, that is from the right. And so, different topics. And, here's a real wrinkle. Ben LaBolt, the White House communications director, a senior adviser, told Jim and me for a column  that we wrote on the shards of glass phenomenon, that when they're looking at Americans, voters, consumers, ages 18 to 35, there can be something that's the lead of Morning Joe, or Axios, and they're not even IIaware of it. Or, it's an 8-second, 9-second clip with a totally different context. So a 90-minute debate becomes, they're eating the dogs, they're eating the cats.  MIKA: Right. How interesting. ALLEN: A remix on, Jonathan, TikTok. JOE SCARBOROUGH: And of course, the universe that Axios and Morning Joe fit neatly in, Jim, is what universe? VANDEHEI: It's basically, if you think about elites, and I hate that term, but it's people who are looking to get informed about what's happening in the news on a day-to-day basis. Largely to do their job, or because they're deeply involved in government or in civic debates. MIKA: I was at an appointment the other day, and a woman was talking about her parents. I think they are in the right-wing grandpa category. I'm not sure. And they are convinced, from what they have been reading, that hurricanes were brought here by our enemies. And convinced, absolutely convinced. And there were a couple of other pieces of information that were dis . . . information. And that is now part of their reality. So it's also that problem.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) stated Sunday that he is weighing executive action to amend the city's sanctuary status, bypassing the Democratic-controlled New York City Council.During an interview on WCBS-TV's "The Point with Marcia Kramer," Adams told Kramer that he is exploring his powers to get around the council's refusal to roll back New York City's sanctuary policies, which have thwarted Immigration and Customs Enforcement's efforts to remove criminal illegal aliens.'I don't want to walk into a meeting with the border czar with preconceived notions and lines in the sand.'He insisted that he has been advocating for more cooperation between ICE and New York City law enforcement prior to the November election."The city council made it clear that they don't want to change that," he said, referring to the council's resistance to alter the city's sanctuary laws."I think they're wrong," Adams declared.He explained that his office is looking into his executive order powers to determine how he can circumvent the city council to protect the community from violent criminal illegal aliens."Once the city council made it clear, we're not changing the sanctuary city laws to allow [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] to go after those dangerous offenders. Once they made that clear, I went to plan B and said, 'What are my options and my powers?'" Adams said.He discussed his plans to meet with President-elect Donald Trump's incoming border czar, Tom Homan, on Thursday. The mayor has agreed to work with the administration to tackle the immigration crisis in New York City.When asked about his goals for the sit-down with Homan, Adams told WCBS, "It's all about hearing in a very clear way what's the message and the goal of the border czar, and see how do we collaborate to deal with the securing of our borders and making sure that we can ensure that this city retains and continues to be the safest big city in America.""I don't want to walk into a meeting with the border czar with preconceived notions and lines in the sand. I want to walk in and sit down with him and say, 'Let me hear your vision, and let me share what my vision is,'" he continued.Adams called the public safety of New Yorkers his "north star," noting that his mission is to "deal with the small number of violent offenders who are making their way into our country."The mayor stated that he hopes specifically to address the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, which has significantly grown its influence in the United States over the past year.The mayor highlighted the importance of border security and raised concerns about whether Venezuela is releasing its prisoners and permitting its criminal citizens to escape to the U.S., as Trump has repeatedly claimed.Adams indicated that he is open to deporting alleged criminal illegal aliens before they are convicted, though he noted that he would prefer for criminals to serve time first."My belief has always been, I want you when you're arrested to serve your time because you're not giving justice to the person who was victimized by them because then if they go out, they can come right back into the country," Adams explained.He expressed that foreign nationals pursuing the American dream should have an easier legal route to immigrate to the U.S., but he also suggested that they be guided to settle in regions where they are needed."We're dealing with a population problem in many of our municipalities. Why aren't we telling the individuals we allow to come into the country: 'You're going to go where we need you; you're going to fill the jobs that we're looking for'?" he said.Adams was asked whether he would consider allowing ICE to reopen its outpost at Rikers Island. Last week, New York City Council member Robert Holden, a fellow Democrat, challenged Adams to back up his "tough talk" on the city's sanctuary policies by reopening ICE's office to facilitate easier communication between the city and federal immigration agents.Adams told Kramer on Sunday, "I heard one councilman state that, indicating a litmus test. I'm not into litmus tests. I'm into solving problems."Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

The jurors delivered their verdict in Daniel Penny's trial on Monday, finding the Marine veteran not guilty of criminally negligent homicide.Penny, 26, pleaded not guilty to second-degree manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide for the death of Jordan Neely, a 30-year-old homeless man with schizophrenia. Penny restrained Neely in a chokehold after he made death threats against passengers on a New York City subway car in May 2023.'Who do you want on the next train ride with you?'On Friday, the judge dismissed the manslaughter charge when the jury of 12, made up of seven women and five men, twice indicated they could not come to a unanimous verdict. The jurors were not allowed to deliver a decision on the lesser count until the top charge was settled.During deliberation, the jury returned to the judge with at least seven notes to review the evidence and clarify definitions in the case.To find Penny guilty, jurors were instructed that they had to conclude that his use of force was unnecessary and that he acted recklessly.The cause of Neely's death was heavily debated.The prosecutors argued that Penny restrained Neely in a chokehold for too long. Their case relied on shaky testimony from Dr. Cynthia Harris. After performing the autopsy, she labeled Neely's cause of death as "inconclusive." However, after viewing video evidence of the incident, she amended his cause of death to "asphyxia."Dr. Satish Chundru, a forensic pathologist, rejected Harris' findings. He contended that Neely died from a combination of causes, including "effects of sickle-cell crisis, the schizophrenia, the struggle and restraint, and the synthetic marijuana."During his closing argument, Penny's lawyer, Steven Raiser, asked jurors, "Who do you want on the next train ride with you?""The guy with the earbuds minding his own business who you know would be there for you if something happened? Or perhaps you just hope that someone like Jordan Neely does not enter that train when you are all alone, all alone in a crowd of others frozen with fear?" Raiser questioned."This case is about a broken system, a broken system that does not help our mentally ill or our unhoused," he continued. "In fact, it is that broken system that led us, that is interwoven into the very fabric of this case."Although Penny is no longer facing criminal charges, Neely's father, Andre Zachary, initiated a lawsuit against him last week. Zachary accused Penny of negligent assault, battery, and causing serious injury, resulting in Neely's death.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

A newly elected sheriff in Michigan who ran on a radically far-left platform is excited to implement her agenda, which includes driver's licenses for illegal aliens and a unit of unarmed deputies.Last month, Democrat Alyshia Dyer sailed to victory in the race for sheriff of Washtenaw County, Michigan, just west of Wayne County, home of Detroit. Washtenaw County includes liberal hotbeds such as Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti, where the city council just voted to stop reciting the Pledge of Allegiance at each meeting.Dyer will fit right in. As part of her campaign pitch, she bragged that she would be the first female and first "pansexual" sheriff of Washtenaw.As part of the 'fight for racial justice,' Dyer called for providing 'undocumented people' with a driver's license.Her campaign website slammed the current leadership at the sheriff's office for failing to follow through with its "progressive" promises. "While the current Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office administration may brand itself as progressive, the evidence says otherwise," it claimed.The website also included the following on the list of Dyer's high-priority "issues": "Fight for Racial Justice";"LGBTQ+, Disability, and Gender Justice"; and"Protect Our Environment."As part of the "fight for racial justice," Dyer called for providing "undocumented people" with a driver's license. She also pledged not to cooperate with ICE and to "protect immigrants" across the country.She likewise wants to establish an unarmed community crisis response team to help "de-escalate potential threats with trained personnel," according to the Michigan Daily.Earlier this year, Sheriff Jerry Clayton opted not to seek a fifth term, and Dyer won the Democratic primary back in August by fewer than 400 votes. She then ran unopposed in the general election.Though she will not officially begin performing her duties as sheriff until next month, she was sworn into office on Tuesday night. She then spoke to a group of supporters, reiterating her radical ideas and agenda."We must acknowledge the flaws in our system rooted in colonial histories that often promoted using our legal system for racist, classist, and sexist practices which we are still grappling with as a profession today," she said, according to the Midwesterner.As part of her effort to curtail those bigoted "practices," Dyer — a former therapist and social worker who previously worked in the Detroit Department of Civil Rights, Inclusion, and Opportunity — promised to bar deputies from conducting "unnecessary traffic stops.""It doesn’t mean we’re not going to pull people over," she insisted previously. "What it means is, we’re not going to pull people over for the petty stuff – you know, the crack in the windshield – the loud exhaust – the stuff that’s really related to income."She also apparently intends to continue abiding by DEI-related precepts. "The more we can have diverse teams of thinkers and different people from across the county involved, the more that we effectively create good policy," she said.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!