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Whether you’re navigating and traversing the country in pursuit of the perfect burger, sipping on some award-winning bourbon, or planning your next National Park adventure, all roads lead to one sign: Summer is here. And what better way to kick off the beach and poolside season than with a festival? More specifically, how about Splash House? From June 9-11, festival-goers got to experience an action-packed all-out Summer Vibe in the SoCal desert.

For over a decade, Splash House has been at the forefront of innovation, delivering a boutique vibe, cutting-edge music, and an unwavering community, and this year was no different. The festival delivered some funk-driven nostalgia with DJ sets by Chromeo and The Knocks, along with the iconic house anthems of Armand Van Helden. Rising stars Cloonee and DJ Susan were back in the mix, and Green Velvet set the dance floor ablaze — not to mention mind-blowing debuts from Chelina Manuhutu, Nic Fanciulli, Gordo, Matt Sassari, Dennis Ferrer, and Riva Starr.

Splash House has evolved into one of North America’s most sought-after dance music festivals while staying true to the allure of Palm Springs (imagine vast desert landscapes merging with fashion-forward crowds and a stellar music lineup). When the sun set, the party only continued at the Palm Springs Air Museum, with party people dancing under the stars, piloted by Grammy-winning German producer Purple Disco Machine and GORDO.

But it didn’t stop there. Included with festival passes were additional package perks like a three-night stay at one of the three host resorts. With poolside access, these lucky ravers got to catch artists from their balconies and dive into the dance floor. In short, this was essentially a sensory wonderland where music, style, and community collided for an unparalleled summer experience that left everyone buzzing.

Check all the photos down below:

I’m often asked, “What whiskey do you recommend?” Hey, it comes with the job. My answer is almost always the same. “Go to the best liquor store or whiskey bar in town and grab a barrel pick from your favorite brand or brands.” Barrel picks have become the gold standard of relatively easy-to-find, affordable, and delicious limited-edition whiskies. A good bourbon or rye barrel pick (or scotch for that matter) will be the prime cut from a fan-favorite or brand-new brand. It’s always special and almost always slaps. You can’t lose.

But what is a barrel pick and who’s actually doing them? I asked a good friend from Blue Run Spirits — the brand behind some of the most elite and alluring bourbons and ryes of the past couple of years — to help me answer just that.

Trey Wade is a long-standing veteran of the famed Black Bourbon Society. More recently, this whiskey thought leader accepted a full-time role at Blue Run as their Chief Experience Curator for the brand’s Private Barrel Program. That means that Wade is the man behind the barrel picks for one of the most sought-after barrel pick programs in the game right now.

Before we dive into Wade’s interview, let’s get a little foundation here. A “barrel pick” is a single barrel release that companies/brands allocate for their most devoted accounts and charities related to those accounts. Also, most brands — big, small, heritage, and new — will have a consumer-facing barrel pick program wherein the average whiskey fan can buy a barrel pick for a hefty price tag (think $10k and up, folks). These usually come with on-site distillery experience along with a tasting session with the distiller or blender.

For this conversation, we’re mostly talking about the former since that’s where Blue Run is right now (it’s a very new and growing company). Wade and I are talking about how that special barrel pick lands on the shelf at your local liquor store or whiskey bar. If you spy a Blue Run barrel pick out in the wild, Wade was certainly the person who curated that juice to get into that exact bottle — so he’s the perfect guy to break down exactly how that all happens.

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Let’s talk about how you got into whiskey.

So, pretty similar to how I feel like a lot of people, you know, truthfully started getting into whiskey or any spirit — I started as a curious consumer, right? There are really only two paths. Either you’re in a lineage of a family brand and you work for that brand or you take a passion and you turn it into a profession. I’m on the latter side. It wasn’t until these past few years that you could really like go to school or get a degree to have a profession like this.

And so, I’m very fortunate to be well-traveled and also very fortunate to have experienced some really patient bartenders over my travels. Those bartenders have been so important and kind by helping to explain not only what a cocktail is but what’s going on behind every element of it. Patient bartenders are a rare breed and a virtuous one.

So, I’ve been pretty consistently involved in being a curious consumer.

That’s crucial. I always tell people to be curious and just ask questions — obviously when it’s appropriate to do so.

My tip is that you can always catch somebody on, like, a Tuesday when they’re not exactly looking at the weekend again and they’re not still hung over from the past weekend again. A good bartender is gonna give you the actual little extra love and just lay into kind of the experience, which is huge to me right now. The experience you have around eating or drinking is huge, right?

Absolutely.

So let’s talk a little bit about Blue Run’s Barrel Pick program because I feel like Blue Run has always been an outlier from the branding to the ethos that Mike [Montgomery, Blue Run Founder] puts down. What attracted you to a barrel pick program over a brand ambassador or cocktail-focused role?

You know, I’m super duper fortunate. This is not a role that Blue Run was necessarily doing an open call for. I’ve been attached to the brand since 2020 in a consultant position behind the scenes. So for this, I wrote my job description because I like helping with sensory and helping with understanding how our product was doing in the market. I’ve played that role since the first release of the brand. At the same time, I was involved in a number of different whiskey groups — 11 prominent groups to be specific. So it all just coalesced into this awesome gig driving Blue Run’s single barrel pick program.

With a barrel pick, there’s a common denominator no matter what the brand/style. What is the bottom line for you when thinking about barrel picks?

Long before I ever started working for Blue Run or it even existed, I was really, really focused on sensory and understanding the nuances. There are so many inputs that can change the outcome when it comes to whiskey. So I like going back and working my way into a barrel with how that barrel is seasoned and all the way back to the agricultural aspect and how and where those grains are grown and harvested. So it all started by just understanding all of those processes and then making that understandable on the consumer level.

Then when Blue Run came along, I had this opportunity to interact with the team and founders and they were on the same wavelength as me. Then, fortunately, we’ve gotten into a position where I was able to leave my day job and come and do this full-time.

It wasn’t an overnight thing. But for me to have the opportunity to bring what I think is the ideal program to the market for a brand that has already leaned into some of the things that I believe in just makes it all the better.

When I look at a barrel pick, I’m looking at: Who’s my audience? What’s the brand? Where do I find the bridge between those two things in this pick? You’re now doing that for people who’ve already bought in with Blue Run, so how do you guide people on their picks?

It’s very, very tailored. I don’t wanna overuse this word, but it’s a very “curated” experience in my opinion. I want this barrel pick to be their best experience. So the whole barrel pick experience is very targeted towards the folks who are selecting the barrel because, ultimately, they’re going to know that next layer in terms of the consumers they’re trying to attract or cater to with the barrel that they select.

How does that play out?

I start crafting the experience by looking at who’s picking the barrel and what are they accustomed to seeing in a barrel selection. You know, you can see which barrels they’ve been picking and from which brands pretty easily by just looking at what’s on their shelf. So I look at that and then figure out how can I shake that up. How can I blow their minds or help them reimagine what a barrel selection experience could look or feel like?

And look, because of COVID, which we all went through together, a lot of brands have gotten stuck in sending out samples and doing Zoom tastings. And that’s not a knock on anybody, right? We don’t have to do that anymore but now a lot of brands are stuck in that routine. We want to be as far away from that as possible.

We’re not just trying to be innovative. We’re all innovative people who come from innovative backgrounds across this whole industry. So when I look at our program, I try to make sure that the barrel selection experience is very curated and catered to the folks who are sitting at the table with me when they’re selecting their barrel.

Once you’ve figured out who is sitting next to you to do a pick, what’s really happening in the background to make that experience pop?

We’re working hard is really the easiest answer.

Going deeper, it’s really a tip-of-the-iceberg-type game, right? You’re seeing that 10% of the whole thing I’m doing. My job is to make sure our barrels are heading in the right direction while also making sure I have the right barrels for our barrel pick program. That means knowing exactly what is in each of those barrels and sensing what might be right for one customer over another. You really need a good sense of organization skills with a deep understanding of palate and profile for yourself and also what people are bringing with them.

Moreover, I’m super fortunate that we don’t have a weak link in the organization at all. Plus, we’ve partnered with Bardstown Bourbon Company and they’re all really good people too. We’re really blessed to say that we hire really well and we’ve built a really solid team. And that’s the sort of thing you’re not going to see when you pick a barrel but you’re going to taste it.

How do you balance the barrels between what you want to make available for barrel picks and the barrels you need for core expressions and new releases?

We’re working like hell to make sure that we have a healthy balance of product available for both the private barrel program and our main focuses, which is our core expressions and limited releases.

I have to always be on my toes because of how consistent we are with our LTOs [limited-time offerings]. Like we’re not a brand that plans to let off the gas. We’re going to keep putting out new inviting exciting whiskey. And that’s not just a new package, but it’s also a new flavor profile. It’s a new expression. It’s a new experience in your glass.

That then means that we’ve got to be really diligent in understanding what we have on hand, understanding what’s out in the market, and how it’s available. And then not only understanding that but understanding who else is buying barrels and gonna try to do something similar to what we’re doing.

What are you focusing on when sourcing barrels out there?

The sources are kind of limited. When they do pop up, a lot of people are going after the same barrels and there really are a lot of people out there looking to get all of them. I will say that we’re one of the few brands who are pretty bullish about being Kentucky straight whiskey only. So that eliminates a lot of barrels for us.

The beauty of it is that there’s a lot of great whiskey made in Kentucky. So we have a variety in our program that are kind of slated specifically for single barrels.

The simplistic answer is that we’re just working hard and working together to make sure that no stone goes unturned and that we stay very detail-oriented, very communication-centric, and aligned to kind of what’s going on, not just in our house but in the market.

You mentioned Bardstown Bourbon Company — which has a great team. What’s your relationship like with them and how are you working with them?

It’s a fantastic team, there’s no shying away from it. The releases we’ve built just wouldn’t have been possible without that team of people at BBC. I don’t wanna step over that before I say what I say next. The reality at the end of the day is Bardstown is not our home. It’s not our kitchen. They’re doing their own thing out there for their brand and several others. And it’s all pretty amazing.

So that begs the question, where do people go to find you and pick their barrel?

So this year I’ve built out a tour schedule where I’m going from market to market to market and scheduling with the folks who are allocated a barrel this year, and we’re selecting their barrel face-to-face on their turf. Then there are other larger-scale events where I’m doing multiple barrel selections day-by-day or over a weekend.

That’s a ton of travel.

I just rolled into Augusta literally 30 minutes ago! I have a number of barrel selections that will happen during The Masters at one of the executive clubs that we’re working with here. Basically, we’re combining our barrel picks for our clients with a huge event to create this cool extra layer to the pick with some Masters exclusive merchandise and the whole experience of being here for a Super Bowl-level event in golf.

This all sort of brings me to the last question about the destination — your own “kitchen” if you will. There’s a huge distillery in the works in Georgetown, Kentucky. I’m guessing you must be gearing toward running barrel picks there in the near future. How’s it going so far?

As much as that announcement has created a lot of buzz, man, there’s still a good bit to be figured out. The footprint that you saw in that rendering is probably 85 to 90% exactly what’s gonna happen.

Plus, Georgetown is a great space. We’re gonna be right across from a little brewery called Country Boy Brewing. We’re not too far from the large Toyota plant there. And, you know, it’s just a prime opportunity for us to bring people into a space that’s kind of right between Louisville and Lexington. You can make a stop on your way to Lexington or way back into Louisville and you’re gonna find really great things to do at our distillery.

I imagine it’ll bring in a lot of local business in the local area as well.

I’m excited about the partnerships that we’re forging. You know, that space hands down is gonna be a Blue Run space, but it’s not gonna be just about us. We’re absolutely working in partnerships where you get there and you see other things and business that just butterflies out and gives us the opportunity to put a stake in the ground and there to say like here’s what we look like and here’s what home is for us.

The Rocky franchise continued earlier this year without its former leading man, Sylvester Stallone, as (of course) Rocky Balboa. Michael B. Jordan’s directorial debut, Creed III, came out swinging and recently hit streaming, so you might be jonesing for more knockouts. From there, you can count your boxer blessings because the gloves are back on for a similarly themed movie about a real-life legend in the ring.

Big George Foreman charts its subject’s humble beginnings to Olympic glory and onto being one of the heaviest hitters of all time. Not only that, but he returned to the ring (later in life) around the time that he launched his famous line of grills that your brother probably used at some point during college. The film stars Khris Davis as the bullied younger George, who defends himself from attacks with surprising heft. In doing so, he attracts the attention of coach Doc Broadus (Forest Whitaker), and together, they made magic happen.

Currently, the film is available for purchase on Amazon Prime and VOD platforms. The rental phase will begin on June 27. From the film’s synopsis:

From Olympic Gold medalist to World Heavyweight champion, boxer George Foreman leads a remarkable life. He finds his faith, retires and becomes a preacher. When financial hardship hits his family and church, George steps back in the ring and regains the championship at age 45, becoming the oldest heavyweight champion in boxing history.

Big George Foreman will be rentable on June 27.

Arjun Mahadevan gave the world a gift when he crowdsourced the best “life pro tips” from nearly 22 million people. He shared the top 20 in a Twitter thread that’s got over 619,000 views. Mahadevan sourced the tips from the Life Pro Tips subforum on Reddit, which has been running since 2010.

Mahadevan is the CEO of doolaHQ which he calls the “business-in-a-box” for LLCs.

Mahadevan labeled his advice “20 life tips you wish you knew when you were 20,” but they are helpful for everyone regardless of age. They’re useful for anyone who is in a relationship, has a job or wants to stay sane in an aggravating world.

Many ideas involve reframing how we judge others to see them with more compassion. Mahadevan also has some advice for professionals to prevent them from making embarrassing mistakes or wasting other people’s time.

Sometimes the simplest change in behavior or perspective can drastically affect our lives. Here are Arjun Mahadevan’s 20 life tips you wish you knew when you were 20:

u201cMost life hacks suck. n nSo I crowdsourced the best from 21.9 million people on Reddit.nnHere are 20 life tips you wish you knew when you were 20:u201d

— Arjun Mahadevan (Mr. LLC ud83cuddfaud83cuddf8) (@Arjun Mahadevan (Mr. LLC ud83cuddfaud83cuddf8))
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1. “If you’re stuck on an annoying call, put your phone on airplane mode instead of just hanging up. The other person will see ‘call failed’ instead of ‘call ended.'”

2. “When you sign up for anything online, put the website’s name as your middle name. That way when you receive spam/advert emails, you will know who sold your info.”

3. “Always tell a child who is wearing a helmet how cool you think their helmet is. It will encourage them to always wear it in the future.”

4. “When you don’t have all the facts, try to give people the most generous reason you can for their behavior. Annoyingly slow driver? Maybe it’s a mom with a birthday cake in the back. This mindset will gradually make you less reactive and more compassionate.”

5. “Do not try to be the man your father would want you to be. Be the man you would like your son to be. It more clearly defines your own convictions, desires, goals and motivates you to be your best.”

6. “When a friend is upset, ask them one simple question before saying anything else: ‘Do you want to talk about it or do you want to be distracted from it?'”

7. “After a bad breakup, do 10 things that your ex would never do with you. You’ll feel better and realize how much of yourself was being held back.”

8. “Before you give your child a unique name, try it out first. Use it on food orders, reservations, appointments where applicable, etc. It’ll give you a glimpse of what they’ll deal with when they’re older and could prevent future issues.”

9. “If you need to cancel a hotel reservation but are unable to because of a 24-hour policy, call the company and move your reservation to a later date. Call back within a few days and cancel for no charge.”

10. “If you tell someone you need to talk to them, for the love of God give some indication of what you need to talk about, or at least that it’s not bad news.”

11. “Never send a work email when you’re emotionally compromised. Type it up, save it as a draft, and walk away. Ideally, sleep on it. You’ll make a smarter choice when you’re not heated.”

12. “Don’t just let kids win at games. You can slow it down, you can teach them strategy, but keep it real. Someday, they will beat you fair and square, and it will be a moment they always remember with pride.”

13. “When cooking things on aluminum foil, first scrunch the foil up, then lay it loosely flat again out on your baking tray. The juices will stay put—and the food will not stick to the foil half as much, if at all.”

14. “If you think of a good idea, write it down. Your brain will try to trick you into thinking you will remember it later, but it’s a liar! Therefore: Write it down!”

15. “It takes 4 minutes a day and almost no cost to maintain dental hygiene. It takes a lifetime and a lot of money to correct it. 2-minute brush and mouthwash in the AM, 2-minute brush and floss in the PM.”

16. “Don’t wait until you have ‘time’ to start a fitness program. Because then when you get busy again, you’ll stop. The best time to start is actually when you’re busy. Learning how to fit it in when time’s are tough means you’ll stick with it over the long haul.”

17. “When using text messages or IMs for business, say everything you need to say in the first message. Don’t just say ‘hi’ or ‘hey’ or ‘are you there’ or ‘are you busy.'”

18. “Instead of feeling that you’ve blown the day and thinking, ‘I’ll get back on track tomorrow, think of each day as a set of four quarters:

• Morning• Midday• Afternoon• Evening

If you blow one quarter, you get back on track for the next quarter.”

19. “Many problems in marriage are really just problems with being a bad roommate. Learn how to be a good roommate, and it will solve many of the main issues that plague marriages. This includes communicating about something bothering you before you get too angry.”

20. “Ask yourself ‘what does it matter to me’ the next time you find yourself judging someone for their clothing or hobbies. The more you train yourself to not care about the personal preferences of other people, the more relaxed and nicer you become as a person.”

This article originally on appeared 3.31.23

Last week, it was revealed that Tom Holland was taking a one-year break from acting. Good for him. He’s young, he’s wildly successful, and he’s been busy. The kid should go and enjoy his Marvel-Sony money. Good news for him maybe bad news for his stans, who were likely verklempt about being bereft of his on-screen work for a bit. But actually there’s good news there, too, because when the news broke someone got the tense wrong.

As per Entertainment Weekly, the British thespian went on Live with Kelly and Mark on Tuesday, where he made an important clarification: He’s not taking a year off; he took a year off almost a year ago.

“Obviously The Crowded Room came out, we didn’t have very favorable reviews, so the press story was that I have taken this year off because of the reviews,” he said, referring to his new Apple TV+ show. That’s not the case. “But I’m eight months into my year off. I’ve been chilling at home in London, going to Grands Prix, playing golf.”

So what else has Tom Holland been doing with his time? Traveling the globe? Drinking fruity rum drinks on a far-flung beach? Actually, no, he’s been doing far more pleasantly mundane things.

“I’ve been seeing my family. I’ve been seeing my friends,” Holland explained. “I’ve been, you know, going to the garden center and buying plants and doing my best to keep them alive and all that sort of stuff.”

You know what? Hanging with friends and family and getting into gardening is a perfectly cromulent way for someone to spend their time away from work, too. It must be nice for him to not be cooped up inside a giant warehouse filled with green-screen and volumes in Atlanta, scampering about in a mo-cap suit. And he has four months left! By that time the WGA strike (and possible SAG-AFTRA one, too) may even be over. If not, he can just keep on gardening.

You can watch Holland explain his time off to Kelly and Mark in the video below.

(Via EW)

A warehouse worker at the French branch of the MPO vinyl pressing company was sentenced today to eight months in prison for trying to illegally sell a few copies of Taylor Swift‘s upcoming reissue of Speak Now before its official release. According to French newspaper Ouest-France and a news report shared by Charts In France, the 43-year-old temporary worker was caught trying to sell 10 copies of the yet-to-be-released record online after absconding with them from the warehouse.

His translated account says he was unpacking pallets and several records fell out of a box. Recognizing the name-brand sales potential of Taylor Swift and facing apparently substantial debt, he took 10 copies home, putting out a classified ad selling them at 25 euros each. After the first two were sold, he raised his price to 50(!) euros. However, he was turned in by an MPO France human resources manager and reportedly tried to escape via his home’s rooftop when police arrived to arrest him.

According to Charts In France, the man is a repeat offender, having been convicted 24 times for theft, fraud, drug trafficking, and other offenses, leading to the eight-month sentence. He’ll also have to pay back the vinyl manufacturing company, with a future hearing to determine just how much he now owes. MPO says there “are jobs and millions of euros at stake,” should Universal pull its contract as a result of a leak. Two copies of the album remain at large and authorities are asking whoever has them to come forward or risk prosecution.

Taylor’s Version of her 2010 album Speak Now, which allegedly features collaborations with both Hayley Williams of Paramore and Fall Out Boy, is due on July 7, 2023.

“A hustler, a pimp, and a pro walk into a conspiracy theory.”

That’s the one-sentence synopsis of Netflix’s next star-studded comedy, They Cloned Tyrone — a movie starring everyone from Jamie Foxx, John Boyega, and Teyonah Parris to *checks notes* … Keifer Sutherland?

Oh hell, we’ll go with it if it’s even half as weird and wild as the film’s trailer, which dropped early Tuesday morning. From first-time director Juel Taylor, this sci-fi-tinged action-comedy looks full of 70s-era funk, pop culture references, and Foxx belting out Mary J. Blige ballads while rocking merlot leather and fur. So much fur.

Here’s everything we know about the movie.

When Will They Cloned Tyrone Be Released

Netflix has the conspiracy caper slated for a July 21st release date after pushing back its premiere from its original 2022 drop.

At one point, the film was rumored to be landing on the streamer in December 2022, but that obviously didn’t pan out. And good thing too, because this feels like the kind of summer binge-watch sci-fi geeks will love.

What’s They Cloned Tyrone About?

The film’s synopsis marks it as a “pulpy, sci-fi mystery” that features Boyega, Parris, and Foxx investigating a “nefarious conspiracy lurking directly beneath their hood.” Boyega plays Fontaine, a local drug dealer killed in a drive-by shooting. Parris plays Yo-Yo, a sex worker, and Foxx is Slick Charles, her eccentric pimp. The two witness Fontaine’s death which makes his visit to Slick Charles’s motel hangout the next day all the more confusing. What follows is a hilarious romp as the trio tries to uncover a sinister plot to trap and experiment on people in their neighborhood.

For any aspiring filmmakers — or fans who don’t mind having twist endings spoiled — the full script for the film can be read here. The story was originally featured on The Blacklist in 2019 — a platform where filmmakers share scripts in the hopes that a studio will pick them up. Though Taylor is a first-time director, he did pen Creed II and the Lebron James biopic, Shooting Stars, so he’s got the chops.

Is There A Trailer For They Cloned Tyrone?

A teaser for the film was released in September of 2022 but Netflix’s has finally followed that up with a full-length trailer that gives us a bit more to go on in terms of the look and feel of the movie. The two-minute and some-change clip introduces Boyega, Parris, and Foxx who quickly team up to get to the bottom of all the “freaky shit” happening in their city. And they do so while Rockwell’s “Somebody’s Watching Me” plays eerily in the background.

Catch the full trailer below:

Via (What’s On Netflix)

In her lengthy legal battle with Dr. Luke (real name Lukasz Sebastian Gottwald), Kesha has had some uphill moments. In 2020, she was ordered to pay the producer $400K after a ruling decided Kesha defamed Luke when she sent a text to Lady Gaga saying he had raped Katy Perry. Then, in 2022, it was ruled that her lawyer had also defamed Dr. Luke with Lady Gaga rape allegations. Now, though, Kesha has come away with a W.

Billboard reports that today (June 13), New York’s Court Of Appeal ruled that Luke is a “public figure.” This means that he will need to prove that Kesha acted with “actual malice” when she claimed that he drugged and raped her at a 2005 party. Billboard notes, “To show that Kesha acted with ‘actual malice,’ Dr. Luke will now need to prove at trial next month that she either knew her accusation was false or that she acted with a reckless disregard for the truth.”

“Actual malice” has historically been tough to prove, which should make things more difficult for Luke when the defamation trial finally starts (after eight years of litigation) on July 19.

In its ruling, the appeals court wrote, “By 2014, when Gottwald initiated this defamation action, he was, by his own account, a celebrity — an acclaimed music producer who had achieved enormous success in a high-profile career. He purposefully sought media attention for himself, his businesses, and for the artists he represented, including Sebert, to advance those business interests.”

As Donald Trump arrived at his arraignment hearing in Miami on Tuesday, the former president had failed to find a local attorney to represent him. Trump faces a damning indictment from the federal government over his alleged mishandling of classified documents, and thanks for his noted history of stiffing lawyers and using them as political attack dogs, he was unable to find any takers to challenge the government’s case.

However, Trump did manage to convince one of his attorneys, Alina Habba, to plead his case on TV. It should be noted that Habba is not defending Trump against the federal charges in court because she’s a real estate lawyer. That distinction was not lost on MSNBC who promptly cut away from Habba as anchor Chris Jansing informed viewers at home that Habba basically doesn’t know what she’s talking about because this isn’t even her field.

Via Mediaite:

“She is someone who seems to be serving as a kind of spokesperson for this team, which as we said at the beginning of these hours, that Donald Trump is frankly having some trouble filling, and she herself doesn’t really have any background in criminal law. She’s done real estate law, she’s done family law, a number of other things, and has worked for Donald Trump, but this is not her area of expertise.”

Despite cutting away from Habba, former prosecutor Andrew Weissmann did concede to Jansing that Habba made a valid point about “selective prosecution,” but only from a public debate aspect.

“If you’re trying to understand what this country is now going through, the issue of whether there is selective prosecution, not in the legal sense, but, is somebody being targeted because one party doesn’t like the other party is something that you don’t want to see happen here,” Weissman said. “So, what you want to know is, is there really proof and are there other people similarly situated being prosecuted?”

(Via Mediaite)

Cable news anchor can’t be an easy gig. You need to have hours of talking points for minutes of actual news, not to mention all the “unbelievably stupid” debates (it’s the closest M&M objectifier Tucker Carlson came to being correct about something). But one of the easier parts of the job is being able to tell difference between Melania Trump, the former president’s wife, and not Melania Trump. Even Kerry from Succession can tell them apart. And yet!

Earlier today, as Donald Trump became the first former or current U.S. president to be charged with federal crimes (congrats!), Fox News reported that his wife joined him at a courthouse in Miami. “We have some video that we want to play out here, Melania Trump entering the courthouse just a short time ago,” anchor John Roberts said. “There she is. Just out of the vehicle and now going toward the courthouse.” The thing is: it wasn’t Melania.

A few minutes later, however, Roberts told viewers that it was actually Trump assistant Margo Martin that the network had spotted exiting a vehicle. “We thought that was Melania Trump who was arriving, apparently it was not Melania, apologies for that,” Roberts noted, adding: “But a day like today, with so many comings and goings, it’s easy from a distance to mistake two people.”

To be fair (and/or balanced), this isn’t the first time that another woman in the Trump orbit has been mistaken for Melania. There’s even a “Melania Trump replacement conspiracy theory” page on Wikipedia, because of course there is. Remember when conspiracy theories were fun? We have to go back.

Here’s fake Melania:

(Via the Daily Beast)