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Donald Trump has spent the last two-and-a-half years crying 2020 election fraud, even as some in his party are finally admitting he’s wrong. But — and hear us out — what if that’s all been projection? Any fraud that’s been discovered has been on the Trump side. Now there’s even proof that his legal team breached the voting system of a Georgia county mere days before now-president Joe Biden’s certification. And of course he’s not happy about that.

CNN got their hands on texts and emails that connect Trump’s lawyers to a voting systems breach from early January 2021 in Georgia’s Coffee County, which the big guy won by nearly 70% of the vote. Some Trump allies, including a law firm hired by his legal team, were given a “written invitation” from a local elections official. That invitation was then passed on to Bernard Kerik, a Rudy Giuliani conspirator who was desperately searching for evidence of widespread election fraud.

The texts and emails are now in the hands of Fulton County district attorney Fani Willis, who is expected to gift Trump with his fourth indictment — a record for U.S. presidents, who have all of them, going back to George Washington, had zero.

When news broke of the breach, Trump did what he always does when caught red-handed: He asserted that the real crime was on the other side, as per Raw Story.

“The only Election Interference that took place in Fulton County, Georgia, was done by those that Rigged and Stole the Election, not by me, who simply complained that the Election was Rigged and Stolen,” Trump steamed on Truth Social. “We have Massive and Conclusive Proof, if the Grand Jury would like to see it.”

He added, “Unfortunately, the publicity seeking D.A. isn’t interested in Justice, or this evidence. Also, as in Manhattan, the corrupt DOJ is pushing hard trying to keep Biden in Office. The whole system is dishonest and broken!”

None of this, of course, gibes well with the cryptic comment Trump made after he was asked if he intentionally tried to overturn the election.

(Via CNN and Raw Story)

One upside of the ongoing two-pronged WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes — apart from writers and actors uniting to demand better rights from studio heads, of course — is that it’s brought some iconic casts back together (That and good signs.). Who doesn’t love a reunion, especially when they’re done in the name of equitable pay? On Friday some of the Parks and Recreation crew teamed back up to stand up to the AMPTP overlords. Not everyone was there, but you know who was? Li’l Sebastian.

As per Deadline, a good chunk of the NBC workplace comedy’s vast ensemble cast joined a picket outside the Amazon Studios in Culver City. Some big names were absent, including Amy Poehler and Chris Pratt. But that’s okay because those who did appear included Aubrey Plaza, Adam Scott, Nick Offerman, Retta, Jim O’Heir, Ben Schwartz, Alison Becker, Krik Fox, Joe Mande, Susan Yeagley, Allan McLeod, and Colton Dunn.

Also present was the Pawnee’s aforementioned beloved mini-horse, who first appeared in Season 3 as a beloved fixture of the annual Harvest Festival. On the show, Li’l Sebastian passed away later in the season, only to return in Season 6 as a hologram. In real life, the mini-horse that played Li’l Sebastian is standing with their erstwhile costars for change in Hollywood.

Li’l Sebastian wasn’t the only unexpected Parks and Rec guest on the picket line. Sam Elliott, who played Ron Dunn, Ron Swanson’s much peppier counterpart in Eagleton, whom Ron did not much like, partly because he’s a vegan.

It’s not the first time this year some of the Parks and Rec team have reunited. When Aubrey Plaza hosted SNL back in January, she and Poehler teamed up to unleash Leslie Knope and April Ludgate upon Weekend Update.

(Via Deadline)

When you’ve been indicted for a crime and you’ve pled not guilty, it’s probably best not to admit that you did it. But Donald Trump’s not everybody. The former president has been defying orders from Judge Tanya Chutkan not to recklessly post about the Jan. 6 case, in which he’s accused of intentionally trying to overturn the election. And during an appearance in Iowa this weekend, he came awfully close to admitting he’s guilty.

As per Mediaite, Trump was one of many GOP presidential candidates who swung by the Iowa State Fair Saturday, hoping to score big in one of the nation’s key swing states. As he shlepped amongst the throngs, reporters bombarded him with questions. One asked, “President Trump, did you intend to overturn the 2020 election?”

Trump took a second before replying, winkingly, “You know the answer to that.”

What does that mean? Perhaps he meant he didn’t and that that whole Jan. 6 rioting thing was simply a tragicomical misunderstanding. Or maybe he meant something way, way worse. If so, he’s following in his own lawyer’s steps by straight-up admitting his guilt.

Trump is a famously slippery guy who’s both careless and careful enough to not blurt out something that could actually be used against him in a court of law. Last weekend he got in a heap of trouble with a vaguely worded Truth Social post that threatened those who “go after me.” It was widely interpreted to mean those prosecuting him, such as special counsel Jack Smith, but because he never explicitly mentioned anyone specifically, he has plausibly deniability. It’s almost brilliant, if it wasn’t also dangerous.

(Via Mediaite)

Every single week, our TV and film experts will list the most important ten streaming selections for you to pop into your queues. We’re not strictly operating upon reviews or accrued streaming clicks (although yes, we’ve scoured the streaming site charts) but, instead, upon those selections that are really worth noticing amid the churning sea of content. There’s a lot out there, after all, and your time is valuable.

TIE: 10. Good Omens (Amazon Prime series)

Neil Gaiman and the late Terry Pratchett’s writing styles bounce off each other with remarkable verve as embodied by David Tennant (as demon Crowley) and Michael Sheen (as angel Aziraphale). The second season finale has already left fans asking for more, and Neil has addressed the subject as much as humanly possible and in accordance with the rules of the Hollywood strikes. Already, the second season took longer than perhaps expected due to recent global chaos, but it was worth the wait with the central hate-love relationship shifting into a new gear. These two must hold it together to keep enjoying life on earth, and of course, Armageddon is a threat to that quest.

TIE: 10. The Bear (FX series streaming on Hulu)

People still cannot quit this season, and for several reasons, not the least of which is a Cousin Richie-focused episode (and subsequent showdown) that’s worth watching multiple times. FX hasn’t yet officially greenlit a third season of this sleeper-series-turned-juggernaut, but surely, that call will be coming soon. Fingers crossed for more Will Poulter, Jon Bernthal, and Joel McHale’s a-hole Chef along with another family gathering, if you know what I mean. Additionally, Ayo Edebiri has gone on record to call Carmy/Sydney shippers “frustrating,” so read into that what you will. Sydney can do better, imo.

9. Dark Winds (AMC series streaming on AMC+)

George R.R. Martin and Robert Redford put on their producing hats here, and this is a stellar watch that I’d highly recommend binging at some point. (Mostly) Native American writers are doing the thing here as based upon Tony Hillerman’s Leaphorn & Chee book series and the two 1970s Navajo cops (at a remote area near Monument Valley) who embark upon apparently unrelated crimes including a double murder case. In the process, they see things that make them think twice about their spiritual beliefs. The forces of evil swirl while the cops’ personal demons could actually be the key to emerging back into salvation territory. Are you intrigued? Good.

8. They Cloned Tyrone (Netflix movie)

The description of the three main characters here — Jamie Foxx as a pimp, Teyonah Harris as a sex worker, and John Boyega as a drug dealer — somehow isn’t even a fraction as frenetic as the story itself. The film pays homage to Blaxploitation cinema in an absurd and wildly fun way, and this is a good at-home chaser to make you feel even more giddy and discombobulated than you did after a Barbenheimer double feature. In short, the characters fall into a rabbit hole full of conspiracies after the government weaponizes Black cultural tidbits against the Black community. It is a lot.

7. The Lost Flowers Of Alice Hart (Amazon Prime series)

Sigourney Weaver and Alycia Debnam-Carey (who recently ended her long run on Fear The Walking Dead) star in this drama about a a young girl who loses her parents and heads into her grandma’s way of life on a flower farm. Alyla Browne portrays the young Alice, and this obviously isn’t the cheeriest subject matter, but its performance are earning raves in this adaptation of the bestselling Holly Ringland book.

6. Reservation Dogs (FX series streaming on Hulu)

Everyone’s four favorite Indigenous teens — and I’m being ornery because they are TV pioneers alongside Sterlin Harjo and Taika Waititi — are here for one final lap and some last jobs, if you will. Elora Danan, Bear Smallhill, Willie Jack, and Cheese thought they were achieving their big dream but will be attempting to return home to rural Oklahoma. There are very few places like home, after all, and the group will face off with their changing visions of the future while the elders continue to provide both comic relief and drama. Between this and Dark Winds (along with the recent The English), Indigenous representation is finally starting to receive its due on the small screen.

5. Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse (Sony movie streaming on VOD and Amazon Prime)

The phenomenal second installment in Sony’s Spider-Verse is as thrilling as the Oscar-winning original and has a ton of Gwen, so basically, it’s even better than the original. Did I say that out loud? Almost. Miles Morales is, of course, back and sad without Gwen by his side, but he’s got plenty of distractions, and that includes the antagonistic (not to mention addictive) Spot. You will not wish for this damn Spot to be out, in other words. Just watch it!

4. Justified: City Primeval (FX series streaming on Hulu)

Raylan Givens has been a bit of a naughty dude lately (and Carolyn is no slouch in that same department), and we’ll soon see whether he’s in over his head in Detroit. Clement Mansell is still a wily and slippery antagonist, and Raylan is working through that reminder of his angry ways. Alongside all of the obligatory Marshal-ing, this show is making quite a case in the ages-old dilemma of boxer briefs vs. tighty whities. A real public service.

3. Hijack (Apple TV+ series)

This show is like a seven-episode panic attack, and it’s for audiences who liked The Bear for the stressed-out-but-loving-it aspect. Idris Elba plays a negotiator who ends up taking those skills to the sky as a passenger who must halt hijackers who take over a cockpit by means that may or may not test your suspension of belief. Does logic truly matter when it comes to a show this addictive to watch? Elba never hesitates to throw himself into “action” mode, even if movement is severely hampered here due to close confines.

2. Only Murders in the Building (Hulu series)

All hail the underappreciated Selena Gomez, who returns with the other two members of her dream team (Steve Martin and Martin Short), and Meryl Streep is also along for the homicidal ride. The principal trio is mopping up after the resolution of the search for Bunny’s murder, but there’s no time to relax when there’s more (fictional) true-crime shenanigans afoot. Somehow, the Primetime Emmys keep overlooking Selena’s vast contributions here, but at least the Daytime Emmys have not made the same mistake.

1. Heartstopper (streaming on Netflix series)

Look for a switched-up vibe from the first season of this fan-favorite Netflix series. The City of Lights/City Of Love receives plenty of focus this time around, as does prom season and all preparations for these characters to gear up for adulting. Nick and Charlie are adjusting to the whole relationship thing while the rest of the crew (Tara, Darcy, Tao, and Elle) all attempt to cope with their own challenges. Also, they have to worry about actual studies on top of the dramedy that frequently punctuates preparing to move into a new phase in life. Not an easy feat!

A trio of San Antonio Spurs icons found their way into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame this year. A former player, Tony Parker, got inducted, as did longtime assistant coach and current Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon. Sandwiched in between their speeches was Gregg Popovich, who has been at the helm since 1996 and is the winningest coach in NBA history.

Popovich’s speech was, unsurprisingly, excellent. As he explained, there were two reasons why he made it into the Hall of Fame, with the first being a lengthy section in which he thanked the numerous people who helped him in his life and career up to that point.

And then, Popovich got to the second reason, which he stressed was going to be much shorter than the first. He simply said the word “duh,” then walked over to the quartet of ex-Spurs players — David Robinson, Parker, Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili — who were on stage during his speech. Well, everyone in the building took this to mean the speech was over, to the point that the evening’s host, Ahmad Rashad, came out as music began to play.

The catch: Pop was decidedly not done, so he had some fun with all of this.

Popovich used his remaining time to discuss the importance of relationships, particularly with these four icons. But in a night that is inherently about great moments, this was certainly one of the most entertaining.

The James Harden trade saga with the Philadelphia 76ers appeared to come to a conclusion on Saturday … for now. A report by Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN indicated that the Sixers made the decision to stop looking for a Harden trade, even though the former league MVP opted into the final year of his contract and asked for a trade. Philadelphia’s rationale appears to be that the front office can’t do a Harden deal that keeps them a championship contender, and as a result, the plan is to run it back next year.

Of course, this is James Harden we’re talking about here, and if there is one thing he’s extremely good at, it’s forcing his way out of a situation he no longer wants to be in. Each of Harden’s last two stops, in Houston and Brooklyn, ended with him wanting a change in scenery, doing what he needed to do in order to get it, and eventually, getting his way.

Philadelphia appears prepared to accept that this might get a bit bumpy, but according to Sam Amick of The Athletic, Harden’s camp views things a little differently. Apparently, Harden has decided his time with the team is over, to the point that he doesn’t intend to be there when training camp starts.

No matter what signals the Sixers might send when it comes to trade talks, a source close to Harden reiterated that the 10-time All-Star and former MVP no longer wants to play for Philadelphia and has no plans of taking part in training camp. Does that mean he won’t report if a deal doesn’t go down by that point, or that he’ll make a messy spectacle of his training camp arrival like he did when he was trying to get out of Houston back in December of 2020? That part remains unclear, with Harden’s side still expressing a belief that there will be meaningful developments on the trade talk front before that time comes. The source spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation.

How this all plays out is going to be fascinating, because Harden is about to turn 34 and there’s no guarantee that he’ll be able to get a lucrative new contract as an unrestricted free agent next summer unless he has a monster year this season. That should, in theory, help the Sixers, but Harden’s mind being made up has been a major issue for teams in the past. We’ll have to wait and see what happens when training camp rolls around, and whether the Sixers’ bet ends up being worth it.

There’s something a little bittersweet about Pau Gasol‘s enshrinement in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. While Gasol is a no-brainer inductee and one of the multiple high-profile members of the Class of 2023 alongside names like Gregg Popovich and Dwyane Wade, it’s hard to imagine that Kobe and Gianna Bryant wouldn’t have been in attendance if not for their passing in 2020.

After starting his NBA career with the Memphis Grizzlies, Gasol was traded in February of 2008 to the Los Angeles Lakers, where he was instrumental in helping Bryant win the final two championships of his career. The two became extremely close, and while getting inducted on Saturday night, Gasol brought up Kobe, saying he would not be in Springfield if not for him.

“That’s where I got to know the person who elevated my game like no other, who taught me what it took to win at the highest level, who showed me how hard you have to work and the mentality you needed to have in order to be the best, the commitment you had to make, what it meant and what it took to be a leader: Kobe,” Gasol said.

After diving into the now-famous story of the first time he met Bryant after getting traded to L.A., Gasol expressed his sadness over Bryant and his daughter, Gianna, not being there.

“I wouldn’t be here without you, brother,” Gasol said. “I wish more than anything that you and Gigi were here today with us. I miss you and love you.”

Allen Iverson is in Springfield, Mass. on Saturday evening. A member of the Hall of Fame’s Class of 2016, Iverson is in attendance at this year’s ceremony for a special reason, as he is inducting Dwyane Wade into the Hall of Fame. It’s an extremely cool moment for Wade, as his first NBA game came against Iverson, and because Allen Iverson is one of the coolest people to ever live, he decided to go a little over the top to celebrate the Miami Heat legend.

Iverson got to the ceremony on Saturday wearing what looked to be a pretty normal but very fashionable all-black suit. And then, you got a glimpse of his back, which was customized to look like the back of Wade’s uniform from his time as a member of the Heat.

In a conversation with Sopan Deb of the New York Times, Wade expressed why it was so important to him for Iverson to be the person to join him on stage in Springfield.

Michael Jordan was my favorite player. But as I was growing up as a kid, as Michael Jordan decided to retire from the game, Allen Iverson became the hero of our culture. I think a lot of people know I wear No. 3, but a lot of people don’t know why I wear No. 3. And so I just wanted to take this moment as an opportunity that is supposed to be about me, and I wanted to be able to shine light and give flowers to individuals that allow me and help me get here. My family, of course. My coaches, of course. My teammates, of course.

But what about those individuals that gave you the image of what it looks like and how it can be done? And Allen Iverson gave me the image of how it looks like, how it could be done coming from the broken community that I came from. So I want to give him his flowers in front of the world because he deserves it.

Outside of Wade, some gigantic names like Pau Gasol, Becky Hammon, Dirk Nowitzki, Tony Parker, and Gregg Popovich will enter the Hall of Fame this year.

The Philadelphia 76ers have had one major question hanging over their entire offseason: What is going to happen to James Harden? Right before the start of free agency this year, Harden picked up his player option for 2023-24 and requested a trade, with reports indicating that the Los Angeles Clippers were his preferred landing spot.

But there’s been one problem: Philly has only wanted to make a deal that keeps open their championship window, and it’s been made clear that they wouldn’t make a trade just to appease Harden if it came at the expense of their ability to compete for a title. And according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the team has decided that there’s no deal out there that would keep their championship hopes alive, and as a result, have determined that all trade talks for Harden will come to an end.

Wojnarowski noted that Philadelphia has opted to go down a road that hasn’t always ended well with Harden, as he famously raised a fuss to get his way out of both Houston and Brooklyn.

This will obviously make the next few weeks of the Sixers offseason fascinating, in part because Harden doesn’t have a ton of leverage in this situation due to his impending free agency next summer. He has, however, hinted that he might go into his bag of tricks, as he cryptically posted “it’s time to get uncomfortable” on Instagram earlier this summer.

For years, Billy Porter has built his platform on being unapologetically himself. This entails him using his platform to speak openly about his sexuality and express himself through his fashion.

With that said, he notoriously spoke out about Vogue‘s November 2020, on which Harry Styles made an appearance as the first solo man to cover the magazine, wearing a dress. Porter infamously took issue with the cover, and explained that he felt that he didn’t get his flowers for wearing a tuxedo-gown at the 2019 Academy Awards, while Styles—who is white and straight—was praised for his gender-bending fashions.

In an interview with Telegraph, Porter clarified that he didn’t take issue with Styles himself, but rather, the higher-ups within the industry.

“It’s not Harry Styles’s fault that he happens to be white and cute and straight and fit into the infrastructure that way … I call out the gatekeepers,” said Porter.

Elsewhere in the interview, Porter acknowledged that he wasn’t the first to defy gender norms in fashion, but continued to acknowledge that Styles is “white and he’s straight. That’s why he’s on the cover. Non-binary blah blah blah blah. No. It doesn’t feel good to me. You’re using my community – or your people are using my community – to elevate you. You haven’t had to sacrifice anything.”

It doesn’t seem that Porter is letting this one go anytime soon—nor should he. But he did reveal that he sent Styles flowers after initially voicing his disdain toward the Vogue cover back in 2021.

This summer, Porter has been dipping his toes within the pop realm with a trio of new dance-ready singles, including “Baby Was A Dancer,” “Fashion,” and “Broke A Sweat.”