Month: March 2021

When your party and its leader are plagued by accusations that they support white supremacists, it’s probably best to avoid staging large events with symbols reminiscent of those used by the Third Reich.

The Republican Party failed to do that at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) last weekend. Instead, the main stage at the event was in the shape of the Othala rune, a symbol used interchangeably with the swastika in Nazi Germany.

The conference was held at the Hyatt Regency in Orlando, Florida.

“In the 20th century, Nazis in Germany adopted the Othala rune, among many other similar symbols, as part of their attempt to reconstruct a mythic ‘Aryan’ past,” the Anti-Defamation League says on its website.

“Following World War II, white supremacists in Europe, North America, and elsewhere began using the Othala rune,” the site continues.

The symbol was present during the infamous 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia where white supremacists clashed with counter-protesters, resulting in one death.

The symbol was used on the stage and it also appeared on the ceiling of the conference room as a lighting display.

With just about any other event it’d be fair to chalk up the stage’s resemblance to a Nazi symbol as mere coincidence. However, the specter of the January 6 capital uprising — perpetrated by a slew of white supremacists — hung over the event like a gray cloud.

Senator Josh Hawley, who spoke at the event, wore his involvement in the insurrection as a badge of honor. “I was called a traitor, I was called a seditionist, the radical left said I should [resign], and if I wouldn’t resign, I should be expelled from the United States Senate,” Hawley, said. “I’m not going anywhere.”

Matt Schlapp, chairman of the American Conservative Union and organizer of the conference, rejected the comparison.

“Stage design conspiracies are outrageous and slanderous,” he tweeted on Saturday. “We have a long-standing commitment to the Jewish community. Cancel culture extremists must address antisemitism within their own ranks. CPAC proudly stands with our Jewish allies, including those speaking from this stage.”

The Hyatt Regency in Orlando has “deep concerns” about the shape of the stage.

We take the concern raised about the prospect of symbols of hate being included in the stage design at CPAC 2021 very seriously as all such symbols are abhorrent and unequivocally counter to our values as a company. The CPAC 2021 event is hosted and managed by the American Conservative Union that manages all aspects of event logistics, including the stage design and aesthetics. We discussed directly with ACU leadership who told us that any resemblance to a symbol of hate is unintentional. We will continue to stay in dialogue with event organizers regarding our deep concerns. Any further questions can be directed to CPAC.

“With CPAC’s denial of any intentional connection to hate symbols and our concerns over the safety of guests and colleagues in what could have been a disruptive situation, we allowed the event to continue,” a Hyatt spokesperson told Reuters.

So, what could Hyatt and other places like it to avoid situations like this in the future? We think addressing the controversy and making their views on hate is a great start. Next, when choosing to book political conventions or events from anywhere on the ideological spectrum, it might make sense to have a consultant on hand. Someone who can be trusted to evaluate, analyze and raise flags of concern. People of differing views deserve the same freedoms and opportunities to gather and discuss their views. It’s a quintessential American idea. But hate has no place in America. And until that ideal is shared by everyone, it’s something we all have to work extra hard to address.

Solange’s latest album, When I Get Home, was a surprise release in 2019, and what fans also didn’t expect was the film that accompanied it. Now, the film has been given a new coat of paint in celebration of its two-year anniversary, as Solange is shared a remastered director’s cut of it via The Criterion Channel.

The Criterion Channel describes the film, “Accompanying her acclaimed 2019 album of the same name, the film taps imagery of her hometown’s (Houston, TX) culture with flights of surrealism spotlighting Black cowboys, space, futurist worlds, and ritualistic movements that characterize evolution as a recurring presence. Solange explores concepts of origin, fear, safety, and reclamation through the power of ancestral roots and the creation of one’s own kaleidoscopic universe.” It’s not clear how or if this version of When I Get Home differs from the director’s cut that was released in 2019 aside from having been remastered.

When Solange initially announced the album, she was feeling amped up, tweeting, “Y’all! I’m filled w so much joy right now!!! Wow! I can’t thank y’all enough for this moment and for all the feelings i feel in my body! I’m bringing home w me everywhere I go yalll and I ain’t running from sh*t no more. Your love lifts me up so high. Thank you!”

Revisit our review of the When I Get Home album here.

More than a month later, the FBI is still finding and arresting individuals that took part in storming the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 in an effort to start an insurrection and stop the certification of the 2020 election results that saw Joe Biden win handily.

Among the latest is Oklahoma woman Danielle Nicole Doyle, who was previously an employee of the Oklahoma City Thunder. And it was her affiliation with the Thunder that got her turned into the FBI. According to the criminal complaint against Doyle, obtained by The Oklahoman, a former coworker of hers identified her on CNN video of the insurrection and turner her into the FBI, with a second former coworker also speaking with the FBI and helping to identify her, as the video had apparently been passed around within the Thunder offices.

“Witness 2 recalled that following the events at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, employees of the professional sports team circulated a video that CNN had aired,” an FBI agent reported. “The video was of individuals inside the U.S. Capitol during the breaching of the Capitol. Witness 2 obtained a copy of the video and identified Doyle as one of the individuals in the video.”

Doyle has been charged with “one count of knowingly entering or remaining in a restricted building, one count of knowingly engaging in disorderly conduct in a restricted building and two counts of violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.”

Fresh off his Spring Break trip to Cancun, Republican Senator Ted Cruz gave a speech at CPAC (the Conservative Political Action Conference) in Florida this weekend. Cruz was there to drum up support for the GOP and serve as a hype-man for Donald Trump, but he used most of his time on-stage to mock democratic leaders like Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and crack jokes about his controversial vacation.

In between complaining about mask ordinances, Cruz made light of the recent attack on Capitol Hill and Ocasio-Cortez’s account of what happened that day. In a brutally honest Instagram Live session, the representative from New York detailed how she feared for her life when a mob of violent Trump supporters stormed the building, raiding offices, destroying property, and killing a police officer.

“Bernie is wearing mittens and AOC is telling us she was murdered,” Cruz told the crowd before joking about his holiday in Mexico. “I gotta say, Orlando is awesome. It’s not as nice as Cancun, but it’s nice.”

Well, if you were wondering if AOC was bothered by this, we’d like to point you to her Twitter feed. The congresswoman took to social media to drag Cruz for his unsurprisingly awful handling of the crisis.

Really though, what can you expect from politician who blames his poor job performance on his pre-teen daughters?

Cruz infamously abandoned his constituents during one of the worst winter storms Texas has experienced in decades. Millions were without power, dozens died — some by literally freezing to death — and now people in his home state are left with outrageous electric bills and no way to pay them. While Cruz relaxed south of the border, AOC and other democrats raised over $5 million to support those in need, traveling to Texas to distribute supplies and volunteer at local food banks. After media backlash, Cruz made a pit stop in his home state to hand out a couple of cases of water before heading to Florida for the conference where he harped on about his feud with his political opponent.

Russ‘s new “Misunderstood” video, the New Jersey rapper is cuffed to a chair in an interrogation room and faces down reporters, an angry mob, a ticked-off girlfriend, and ultimately, himself. It’s a powerful visual reflection of the rapper-singer’s internal struggle on the song itself. “You only see pieces that fit your view of me,” he croons on the chorus. “Your mind is made up, my hands are tied / Misunderstood time after time.”

He’s got a decent reason to feel that way after much of his early career was marked by a perception in rap fandom that he’s an egotistical spoilsport. In reality, the truth is much more nuanced, and over time, he’s learned to slow down on the sweeping judgments and let his work — and his bank account — do the talking.

Case in point, in a recent interview, he explained why his career is “pandemic-proof” instead of berating other rappers for not handling their business, and on his Chomp EP last year, he held his own alongside some of rap’s top-tier talent, including Black Thought and Kxng Crooked, then showed off his commercial appeal on tracks with Lil Baby, Kehlani, Trippie Redd, and more, proving a little “patience” might have been all he needed all along.

Watch Russ’s “Misunderstood” video above.

This season, four players are averaging 35 points per 100 possessions on 65 percent true shooting. Kevin Durant, an offensive virtuoso you might peg based on reputation, is there. Zach LaVine, enjoying a prolific scoring and breakout campaign, makes the cut. Zion Williamson, burgeoning as a historically dominant scorer at the rim , joins the group.

And then, there is Nikola Jokic, justifiably and predominantly heralded for his passing artistry, who rounds out the quartet. The Serbian center has gone from superstar to legitimate MVP candidate by taking the next step as a scorer, increasing both his volume and efficiency.

Outlier 3-point shooting — he’s a career 34.7 percent guy from deep knocking down 42.1 percent of his triples this year — is partially responsible, but newfound quickness has unlocked further offensive versatility for him and improved his quality of looks as well.

Jokic’s Basketball-Reference shot chart is patently comical. Each of the five zones features an elite clip. He’s shooting 77.4 percent from 0-3 feet, 53.9 percent from 3-10 feet, 50 percent from 10-16 feet, 56.1 percent from 16 feet to the 3-point line and 42.1 percent beyond the arc. What’s even more absurd is the marks between 3-10 feet and 10-16 feet align with his career averages of 54 and 49.2 percent, which is to say, his intermediate touch is all-time awesome.

Where the extra top gear has primarily aided him is as a finisher. A career 68 percent shooter from 0-3 feet entering the year, and 70.7 percent across 2018-19 and 2019-20, he’s at 77.4 percent this season. He’s also jammed home 15 dunks in 33 games, on track to race past his career-best of 23 set back in 2016-17. Some of that is due to increased scoring volume, but dunks compose 2.5 percent of all his makes this season. It’s the second-best frequency of his career, trailing only 2.9 percent from 2016-17, and much higher than the 1.1 percent of his other two All-Star campaigns. He has more space to rev up for slams because he’s manufacturing separation at a higher rate.

His speed upgrade manifests both on and off the ball. In the post, his baseline spin leaves opponents defending air and propels him to cleaner looks around the rim. That latter point is the overarching theme tying together the multifaceted ways his scoring benefits from having a little more pep in his step: shots are easier because he endures fewer optimal contests.

Denver is also tapping into his burst off the ball, leveraging the quickness into advantages and space against defenders by forcing opposing bigs to navigate screens. Jokic is more nimble than his previous self to reach desired locations on these plays. Some of it isn’t even about foot speed, but rather economical motion with the ball in his hands, capable of greater efficiency and decisiveness in his moves (notably the spin cycles shown above).

His avenues and openings for scores have broadened. Defenders find themselves trailing plays and sacrificing critical angles to prevent him from good looks. It’s similar to a dynamic off-ball shooter who sprints around screens and distances himself from his man. By the time a shooter catches the ball, he has the choice to fire from deep or attack off the dribble.

Jokic is regularly getting downhill on these sequences, but touts the touch, strength and tough shot-making to exploit any slight breakdown, even if he’s not just waltzing to the rim every time. He beats his man to the spot and proceeds.

Any offensive superstar is challenging to contain, especially once they’ve seized control on a play, let alone Jokic within 15 feet of the rim, where he’s been seemingly automatic for much of his career. Those advantages are the norm these days, fueled by added top-end speed, and it’s leading to comfortable, seamless shots.

An uptick in pick-and-roll efficiency stems from his athletic enhancements, too. After ranking in the 36th percentile (2019-20, 1.11 points per possession) and 44th percentile (2018-19, 1.16 PPP) the past two seasons, he’s climbed to the 62nd percentile (1.25 PPP) this year. The explanation is quite simple: he’s sprightlier as a roller, traveling from point A to point B in a timelier manner. Because he is a ground-bound scorer, finishing in traffic on the move can prove difficult, though the traffic is not as prevalent when he’s outright winning foot-races to the basket.

Jokic deserves credit beyond refining his quickness. Over the past few regular seasons, he’s had a tendency to defer to others and lack aggression as a scorer for stretches. He’d scan the floor for passing outlets, too content to set the table rather than grab the reins himself. Assertiveness, once an intermittent hole of his otherwise masterful offense, is no longer much of an issue.

He’s averaging a career-high 25 shots and 36.8 points per 100 possessions. They’re similar levels to his playoff production of 24.8 and 33.5, postseason runs in which he’s more prone to carrying Denver as a scorer than we’re accustomed.

Emerging as one of the NBA’s best high-volume scorers this year solidifies his standing among elite shotmakers, even as Jokic is atypical compared to the general preconceived notion of that group. He does not adhere to traditional blueprints as either a domineering dribble-driver or unflappable pull-up shooter in the vein of KD, Kawhi, Steph, James Harden, or Damian Lillard (there are other elite shotmakers, do not perceive anyone’s exclusion as a slight).

Instead, the 7-footer grinds and wiggles his way inside. His elevated release point protects the ball from defenders and his touch is historically good. He lofts in high-arcing shots and funky-footed floaters and converts off-balance jumpers through contact. His bag of tricks suggests these are trained instances. Jokic is assuredly cognizant of his athletic deficiencies and spends hours in the gym practicing such shots like a game of H.O.R.S.E.

Carnival-type buckets are not a recent development. The quickness and regular-season scoring aggression are. Underrepresented defensive aptitude and passing have resided on his All-Star resume for a few years. Transforming from certified All-NBA center to an MVP front-runner, one of the most arduous leaps in sports, necessitated an evolution in other facets. That’s exactly what Jokic has accomplished. He is now among the game’s greatest distributors and scorers, ranking in the 93rd percentile on jump shots and runners, and 88th percentile around the basket.

The skillset has long existed. A shift in disposition and physical capabilities are expediting his rise, one that’s coalescing with the fact that Jokic has been the NBA’s best player this season and must figure prominently into every MVP discussion, even if his candidacy is likely determined by where Denver finishes in the West. Basketball, fundamentally, is about scoring points and he’s doing that better than ever, amplifying and punctuating everything else that already made him a wonderfully exceptional superstar.

Ratboys had an excellent indie-rock album last year with Printer’s Devil, but their latest single isn’t quite in that same vein. Today, they dropped “Go Outside,” and it goes in a stronger country direction than does their previous material. The band slathers the twang on thick here as they sing about things they wish to do, with lyrics like, “I wanna be eloquent / I wanna take all my best friends / And show ’em where I live / I wanna be so eloquent.”

While these sort of yearning lyrics could have been written during the pandemic, they actually weren’t. The band wrote on Twitter of the track, “we wrote this song in 2019, but we’re feelin’ the lyrics now more than ever. sending love out to u & we can’t wait to see u again soon.” They further explained in a statement, “We wrote this song on a whim when we were home in between tours in April 2019. It’s this carefree and wistful, totally innocent song about wanting to travel and spend time with loved ones. We didn’t realize that we wouldn’t be able to do either of those things before long.”

Listen to “Go Outside” above and revisit our interview with the band here.

Netflix has dropped the first official trailer for its upcoming documentary Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admissions Scandal, which tackles the headline-gripping scam that led to actresses Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin serving prison time for participating in the nation-wide fraud. Despite their massive wealth and privilege that already gave them a significant leg up in life, Huffman, Loughlin, and other well-off parents were implicated in a scheme where they solicited the services of Rick Singer (who will be played by Matthew Modine), who essentially falsified extra-curricular activities and doctored SAT scores (along with other questionable motives) to guarantee his clients’ children would get into colleges of their choice through a “side door.”

After a sting by federal investigators, Singer was snatched up along with his clientele, and now, the story will unfold in the new documentary film from the executive producers of Tiger King. Here’s the official synopsis for Operation Varsity Blues:

An examination that goes beyond the celebrity-driven headlines and dives into the methods used by Rick Singer, the man at the center of the shocking 2019 college admissions scandal, to persuade his wealthy clients to cheat an educational system already designed to benefit the privileged. Using an innovative combination of interviews and narrative recreations of the FBI’s wiretapped conversations between Singer and his clients, Operation Varsity Blues offers a rare glimpse into the enigmatic figure behind a scheme that exposed the lengths wealthy families would go to for admission into elite colleges, and angered a nation already grappling with the effects of widespread inequality.

Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admissions Scandal starts streaming March 17 on Netflix.

Cobra Kai‘s infuriatingly good third season did plenty of shaking up with the cast. It brought back multiple familiar faces from the films, including The Karate Kid Part II‘s Chozen (Yuji Okumoto) and Kumiko (Tamlyn Tomita) and even managed to coax Elisabeth Shue back as Ali after writing her into the script in a leap of faith. The show wisely downplayed the popsicle-wielding, extremely judgy Anthony LaRusso (Griffin Santopietro), but the cast shakeups were not without controversy. Fans definitely noticed the omission of a fan favorite character, Aisha (Nichole Brown) from the Cobra Kai dojo, and there’s no indication of when or whether she’ll return in Season 4

Whatever happens, Season 4 is not only a go but already in production. Late last week, Netflix tweeted that the season was “officially underway” with a debut episode called, “Let’s Begin.” Here’s a photo of a script that’s written by showrunners Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, and Hayden Scholossberg).

The streamer also announced a few nuggets of casting information. First, Vanessa Rubio (Carmen) and Peyton List (Tory) will be back as regular cast members. Also expect to see Dallas Dupree Young and Oona O’Brien as new members of the dojo. Which dojo? That’s not yet been established, so they could be with John Kreese, or they could be with Johnny Lawrence and Daniel LaRusso as part of their new (and begrudging) super dojo.

There’s also every reason to believe that (given John Kreese’s late-breaking phone call) the Terry Silver character will make an appearance in Season 4, too. There’s still no word on Aisha, however. Fingers crossed for a surprise return because that would make viewers incredibly happy.

Future Islands wrapped up 2020 by releasing As Long As You Are in October, and now they’re back with a new video for album highlight “Glada.” The video is full of lush nature scenes and close-up shots of both it and people enjoying their time in it.

Ahead of the video’s release, the band noted it was filmed in Skåne, Sweden, where the song was also written. They also noted yesterday, “This one is close to the heart. Excited for you all to see it.”

A few months ago, Herring told Uproxx that some of his favorite lyrics from the new album come from this song: “There’s so many great lines on the new album. I’d probably take something off of ‘Glada.’ […] There’s a line in that song that is from a dream I had years ago. I was in an astrology class and we were in a planetarium, and the teacher was speaking. When the class was over, everybody cleared out, but I went down to ask the teacher a question. I don’t remember what I asked him, but his answer was, ‘We are the prey that we seek in the dark.’ And it always stayed with me in this weird way. I was just like, ‘What is it?’ That’s the line: ‘You came from the stars and you said, ‘We are the prey that we seek in the dark.” We are the prey, bro [laughs].”

Watch the “Glada” video above and revisit our interview with the band here.