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Seduced by Trump sounds like a movie you’d catch on Lifetime on a random Saturday afternoon, but Dr. Michael L. Brown — a prominent religious leader, radio host, and founder of the AskDrBrown Ministries and FIRE School of Ministry — believes it has become an unfortunate reality for many of his fellow Christians (himself included).

As Raw Story reports, in a new column for the Christian Post titled “Is the Church ready for Trump 2024?,” Dr. Brown wrote about the ways in which Donald Trump changed the Christian way of life — and how the fault of that rests with he and his fellow Christians themselves, not Trump directly.

“After all, he was the man he had always been: a rough and tumble, often contentious, frequently nasty, quite narcissistic, wealthy New York businessman turned politician,” Brown writes. “And while many of us hoped he would change, he did not.”

Brown makes it clear that he is not anti-Trump, and actually commends the former president for doing “so many excellent things and [keeping] his promises to his conservative Christian base… In four short years, despite constant opposition and harassment, he did a tremendous amount of good on both a national and international level.” (He did?!)

What concerns Brown is “the fact that many of us exalted him as some kind of political savior,” and whether he and his fellow Christians can both be a Trump supporter and still uphold their religious values, when so much of what they apparently enjoyed about the former president was “The fact that we enjoyed watching him belittle and mock his political opponents, often in crude and cruel ways,” which doesn’t sound very Christian.

But therein, according to Brown, lies the problem:

In the case of Trump, there were so many good things he stood for, so many admirable things he championed, so much courage he displayed, so much of our burden that he shared, that it was all too easy for us to get seduced. (By seduced I don’t mean voting for him; I mean acting the way we did.)

In the process, we compromised our witness, put our trust in the political system, and divided over the president rather than united around Jesus. Will we do better if Trump decides to run again?

This much is sure: If we don’t recognize our past errors, take stock of our own lives (and/or ministries), and make serious adjustments at the root level, we will not be ready for Trump 2024.

Is anyone?

(Via Raw Story)

Tegan And Sara are set to drop their new album, Crybaby, this fall. Ahead of Crybaby, the duo has dropped a new song called “Faded Like A Feeling.”

On the melancholy, guitar-driven track, the two sing about falling out of love. In the accompanying video, Tegan And Sara are seen rocking on swings near a waterfront playground.

Production on Crybaby was handled by John Congleton, as well as Tegan And Sara themselves.

“This was the first time where, while we were still drafting our demos, we were thinking about how the songs were going to work together,” said Tegan in a statement. “It wasn’t even just that Sara was making lyric changes or reorganizing the parts to my songs, it was that she was also saying to me, ‘This song is going to be faster,’ or ‘It’s going to be in a different key.’ But Sara effectively improves everything of mine that she works on.”

In addition to new music, a TV series based on the sisters’ memoir, High School is set to premiere on Amazon Freevee on October 14, a week before their new album arrives.

Check out “Faded Like A Feeling” above.

Crybaby is out 10/21 via Mom+Pop Music. Pre-save it here.

I don’t claim to be an expert in Finnish politics, but whatever’s happening over there sounds more fun than everything happening here.

Last week, someone leaked a video of Sanna Marin, the 36-year-old prime minister of Finland, committing the cardinal sin of dancing and having fun in her free time. “I have danced, sung, celebrated, done legal things,” she responded to the buzzkills who tried to shame her. “I have a family life, I have a work life, and I have free time to spend with my friends. Pretty much the same as many people my age.”

The latest non-scandal that the Helen Lovejoys of world are losing their marbles over involves a photo taken at Marin’s residence of two topless women kissing. The prime minister apologized for the picture, calling it “not appropriate,” but the only issue I see here is that the women in question are influencers. That’s unfortunate.

The latest photo, of two well-known influencers, was taken inside the prime minister’s residence in July and widely shared on social media on Tuesday. In it, two women can be seen kissing each other covering up their bare chests with an official-looking sign reading “Finland.” On Monday, Ms. Marin said the party at her official residence in Helsinki, Kesaranta, happened after the Ruisrock music festival in July. Finnish media report that the photo was taken in the downstairs toilets used by guests.

“We had sauna, swam, and spent time together,” Marin told reporters during a press conference on Tuesday. “That kind of a picture should not have been taken but otherwise, nothing extraordinary happened at the get-together.” Meanwhile, in America, the former president clogged the toilet with government documents.

(Via BBC)

Peacock is about to get a massive shot in the arm when it comes to content. Thanks to NBCUniversal gathering up all of its shows from Hulu, Peacock’s premium tier will become the exclusive home for next-day NBC episodes starting September 19. That’s a whole lot of power-hitters including the wildly popular Law & Order shows and Saturday Night Live. And those two are just the tip of the iceberg.

Check out this lineup, which is sure to give Peacock a sizable bump in the streaming wars, especially with HBO Max just getting kneecapped by its new corporate owners after briefly looking like one of the best new platforms in recent years. Via Variety:

NBC series that will become exclusively available on Peacock include franchises like Dick Wolf’s “Law & Order” trifecta and One Chicago (“Chicago Med,” “Chicago Fire” and “Chicago P.D.”), the network’s late-night lineup including “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” “Late Night With Seth Meyers” and “Saturday Night Live,” returning series such as “La Brea,” “New Amsterdam” and “Young Rock” and competition shows including “The Voice” and “America’s Got Talent.” Also streaming exclusively on Peacock are new series bowing on NBC this fall including a reboot of “Quantum Leap” and “Lopez vs. Lopez.” 

To further funnel broadcast subscribers towards Peacock, the streaming network will soon be the only place to watch Days of Our Lives. After 57 years, the long-running soap opera will make the jump to Peacock on September 12, just one week ahead of its NBC siblings making their mass exodus from Hulu.

(Via Variety)

Everyone is well aware of the amount of Pinocchio content that has been in the works over the past few years, so we don’t have to go into it. But we do have to acknowledge the fact that Tom Hanks is doing the absolute most when it comes to accents!

Hanks stars as Geppetto in Disney’s live-action adaptation of the classic tale, which will premiere on Disney Day, September 8th. The story is more or less the one you knew as a toddler, but now with more CGI and Lorraine Bracco as a talking seagull. What more could you really ask for?

This trailer has everything: a cute cat, dancing puppets, and a conniving wolf asking the question on everyone’s minds: “Why on earth would you want to be real when you can be famous?” Who knew we needed a Pinocchio tale for the social media generation? Here is the official description:

Academy Award® winner Robert Zemeckis directs this live action retelling of the beloved tale of a wooden puppet who embarks on a thrilling adventure to become a real boy. Tom Hanks stars as Geppetto, the wood carver who builds and treats Pinocchio (Benjamin Evan Ainsworth) as if he were his own son.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt is Jiminy Cricket, who serves as Pinocchio’s guide as well as his “conscience”; Academy Award® nominee Cynthia Erivo is the Blue Fairy; Keegan-Michael Key is “Honest” John; Academy Award® nominee Lorraine Bracco is Sofia the Seagull, a new character, and Luke Evans is The Coachman. Also in the cast are Kyanne Lamaya as Fabiana and Jaquita Ta’Le as her marionette Sabina, Giuseppe Battiston as Stromboli and Lewin Lloyd as Lampwick

Pinocchio hits Disney+ on September 8th. Check out the trailer above.

Thanks to Donald Trump, “voter fraud!” is the new battlecry of sore losers everywhere, as evidenced by far-right activist Laura Loomer, who lost her bid in the Florida congressional primary on Tuesday, but is refusing to concede.

As Mediaite reports, Loomer — who once wished COVID upon herself in order to prove that eating “bad fajitas” was worse… then got her wish (and regretted it) — came “disturbingly close to unseating incumbent Rep. Dan Webster, losing by about six points.” Yet she’s refusing to admit defeat because she says she is “a winner.” Even though she lost.

“I’m not conceding, because I’m a winner,” Loomer told a crowd of supporters. “And the reality is our Republican Party is broken to its core… What we have done tonight has really, honestly shocked the nation. We have further exposed the corruption within our own feckless, cowardly Republican Party. And that is exactly the reason why, right, I decided to go against the RINO Republican Daniel Webster — Do-Nothing Daniel Webster.” (“Do-Nothing” is not actually his first name.)

Tuesday’s primary was not Loomer’s first brush with political power. The 29-year old, who is a self-described “proud Islamaphobe” and “pro-white Nationalism,” won the Republican primary in Florida’s 21st district in 2020, but lost the general election by 20 points. That she came as close as she did to beating Webster has shocked many, especially given the likelihood that she would have won the general election given the district’s Republican roots.

(Via Mediaite)

How do you say “Busted!” in Italian? Rick Scott may want to ask someone. On Monday, the Florida senator took to Twitter to criticize President Joe Biden for being on vacation in — wait for it — Delaware instead of working at the White House. But it turns out that Scott was posting his snark from a luxury yacht in Italy!

As Axios reports, chastising the president for vacation less than an hour’s drive from the White House while cruising the Mediterranean Sea is not a great look for Scott, who is also the chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, meaning it’s his job to help the GOP win back the Senate. And he’s not doing a great job of it.

Scott has come under fire from fellow Republicans “who have criticized his job of recruiting strong candidates and managing the committee’s spending this cycle,” Axios writes. “Republican candidates are underperforming across the Senate landscape. Trump-endorsed nominees are trailing in must-win states like Pennsylvania and Arizona. A top Republican super PAC was forced to spend $28 million backing author J.D. Vance‘s campaign in GOP-friendly Ohio.”

When Axios caught wind of where Scott was, thanks to several sources familiar with his itinerary, they reached out to the National Republican Senatorial Committee’s spokesman Chris Hartline three times for comment with no response, which is sort of a response in and of itself. When the outlet reached out again to let them know that they’d be publishing the senator’s whereabouts, Hartline offered the following:

Sen. Scott took a couple days to celebrate his 50th wedding anniversary with his wife and family — a trip that was planned more than a year ago.

Congratulations?!

(Via Axios)

Earlier this year, Olivia Wilde was quietly ambushed on stage at CinemaCon before presenting the trailer for her highly-anticipated thriller, Don’t Worry Darling. Wilde was handed a manila envelope which turned out to be legal papers from her ex, Ted Lasso star Jason Sudeikis. The audience was confused, and Wilde was flustered. Then things got messy!

At the time, Sudiekis’ team told The Hollywood Reporter that the actor was unaware of the move, and denied that he was involved. Still, Wilde described the ordeal as “upsetting,” and has opened up about how it affected her. “It was my workplace,” Wilde told Variety. “In any other workplace, it would be seen as an attack. It was really upsetting. It shouldn’t have been able to happen. There was a huge breach in security, which is really scary,” the director explained.

The CinemaCon panel required registration and followed strict COVID protocols, so Wilde seems unconvinced that it was an unplanned attack. “The hurdles that you had to jump through to get into that room with several badges, plus special COVID tests that had to be taken days in advance, which gave you wristbands that were necessary to gain access to the event — this was something that required forethought,” she added, suggesting that her ex had planned the ordeal.

Wilde was able to keep her composure and quickly brushed off the move, though she was visibly shaken. “I hated that this nastiness distracted from the work of so many different people and the studio that I was up there representing,” Wilde explained. “To try to sabotage that was really vicious. But I had a job to do; I’m not easily distracted.” Though she was able to continue, it turns out that the actress/director wasn’t surprised.

“But, you know, sadly, it was not something that was entirely surprising to me,” she continued. “I mean, there’s a reason I left that relationship.” Wilde and Sudeikis dated for nearly a decade before splitting in 2020, when she began filming Don’t Worry Darling and met Harry Styles. The two allegedly sparked a romance on set, though they keep it relatively private.

Despite the messy legal serving, Wilde is mostly just concerned for the two kids she shares with Sudeikis. “I chose to become an actress; I willingly walked into the spotlight. But it’s not something my children have asked for. And when my kids are dragged into it, it’s deeply painful.”

(Via Variety)

Kevin Gates is only two months removed from the release of his third studio album, Khaza, but he’s already got a new single out. On “Major League,” Gates utilizes a cacophonous beat to reiterate his street credentials, shouting out the Baton Rouge roads upon which he made his name. There’s no hook, just Gates spitting aggressively for nearly three minutes straight, concluding, “I know music cool, but I know selling drugs would get me richer / With the sh*t, a life sentence come with this if I’m convicted.”

In the buildup to the release of Khaza, Gates released a handful of singles including “Super General,” “Intro,” and “Bad For Me.” Upon its release, the album debuted at No. 8 on the Billboard 200. Gates also appeared on UPROXX Sessions to perform “Hard To Sleep” and announced his Big Lyfe Tour to promote the album. You can listen to “Major League” above and see the remaining tour dates below.

08/25 –- Albuquerque, NM @ Tingley Coliseum
08/26 –- Phoenix, AZ @ Arizona Federal Theatre
08/27 –- Riverside, CA @ Riverside Municipal Auditorium
08/29 –- Sacramento, CA @ Sacramento Memorial Auditorium
08/31 –- Seattle, WA @ WaMu Theater
09/1 – Boise, ID @ Revolution Concert House and Event Center
09/2 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The Complex
09/6 – Omaha, NE @ Baxter Arena
09/8 –- Kansas City, MO @ Azura Amphitheater
09/9 –- Minneapolis, MN @ The Armory
09/10 –- Milwaukee, WI @ The Eagles Ballroom
09/13 –- Chicago, IL @ The Riviera Theatre
09/14 -– St. Louis, MO @ Pop’s Outdoors
09/15 -– Detroit, MI @ Michigan Lottery Amphitheater at Freedom Hill
09/16 -– Indianapolis, IN @ TCU Amphitheater at White River State Park17 – Newport, KY – PromoWest Pavilion at Ovation
09/20 -– Cleveland, OH @ Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica
09/25 – Boston, MA @ MGM Music Hall at Fenway
09/27 – Washington, DC @ Echostage
09/29 – Charleston, SC @ North Charleston Coliseum & Performing Arts Center
09/30 – Nashville, TN @ Nashville Municipal Auditorium
10/1 -– Atlanta, GA @ Lakewood Amphitheatre
10/6 –- Charlotte, NC @ Bojangles Coliseum
10/7 –- Birmingham, AL @ Birmingham Jefferson Convention Complex
10/8 –- New Orleans, LA @ UNO Lakefront Arena
10/12 -– Shreveport, LA @ Shreveport Municipal Auditorium
10/13 –- Little Rock, AR @ Simmons Bank Arena
10/14 –- Pensacola, FL @ Pensacola Bay Center

Kevin Gates is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Paparazzi pictures of Olivia Wilde and Harry Styles have all but confirmed the two are an item. In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, Styles revealed that he doesn’t feel he’s ever been in a public relationship in response to the interviewer noting that he’s only publicly been with women.

“I don’t think I’ve publicly been with anyone,” Styles said. “If someone takes a picture of you with someone, it doesn’t mean you’re choosing to have a public relationship or something.”

In an interview with Variety, Wilde explained why she and Styles have opted not to confirm their rumored relationship, despite the fact that the two have made several public appearances together.

“I’m not going to say anything about it because I’ve never seen a relationship benefit from being dragged into the public arena,” Wilde said. “We both go out of our way to protect our relationship; I think it’s out of experience, but also just out of deep love.”

Styles stars alongside Florence Pugh in Wilde’s upcoming film, Don’t Worry Darling, which arrives in theaters on September 23. When speaking on their on-set chemistry, Wilde said, “She was really a great supporter of his as someone who was newer to a film set. And he was such a great supporter of hers, as someone who understood it was her film.”