During his one-term presidency, Donald Trump cozied up to a lot of authoritarians. Along with being North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un’s pen pal, he got along swimmingly with Russian president Vladimir Putin. The two were so tight that when he invaded Ukraine nearly four weeks ago, the former U.S. president thought nothing of publicly calling the move “savvy” and “genius.” Since then, even those in his circle have begged him to stop heaping praise upon the deeply unpopular world leader. And now he has, sort of.
“I’m surprised — I’m surprised. I thought he was negotiating when he sent his troops to the border. I thought he was negotiating,” Trump told the publication. “I thought it was a tough way to negotiate but a smart way to negotiate,” he added, not able to resist slipping in a compliment anyway.
Trump then tried to rewrite history, contradicting past comments in which he praised the invasion. “I figured he was going to make a good deal like everybody else does with the United States and the other people they tend to deal with — you know, like every trade deal. We’ve never made a good trade deal until I came along,” Trump asserted. “And then he went in — and I think he’s changed. I think he’s changed. It’s a very sad thing for the world. He’s very much changed.”
But what will Putin think? Perhaps he’ll see through someone who mere days before this Washington Examiner interview was given the chance to denounce him — by Sean Hannity, no less — and simply couldn’t.
Since Bob Chapek took over Disney in 2020, he hasn’t had a problem on his hands like he has now. The CEO is under fire for not doing enough to combat what’s been called the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, the GOP-backed legislation in Florida seen by critics as anti-LGBTQIA+. His attempts at mollifying revolting employees haven’t worked. But at least one wing of the company is coming out full force against the bill.
As per Variety, Marvel Studios, which was purchased by Walt Disney Studios in 2015, did what Chapek has not, issuing a blistering condemnation of the bill.
“We strongly denounce any and ALL legislation that infringes on the basic human rights of the LGBTQIA+ community,” the statement read. “Marvel Studios stands for hope, inclusivity and strength; and we proudly stand with the community. Today, we pledge to continue our strong commitment as allies who promote the values of equality, acceptance and respect.”
It stands in contrast to Chapek’s own actions against the bill. Inititally, he released an internal memo claiming the company’s “unwavering commitment to the LGBTQ+ community,” but drawing the line at taking a public stance. That seemed to make employees more mad. Chapek subsequently announced he was pausing donations to politicians who voted for the bill, which passed both Florida’s House and Senate and is expected to be signed into law by Governor Ron DeSantis.
The same day as Marvel’s statement, employees at Disney announced a week of walkouts, following by an even bigger protest. Many schools across the state have seen protests as well.
The bill, which bears the generic-sounding “Parental Rights in Education” bill, seeks to remove any discussion of “sexual orientation or gender identity” from younger public school classes. Critics worry that it will lead to further marginalization of already marginalized group. DeSantis, who was recently caught on video bullying students, has responded to pushback by yelling at journalists and deriding Disney as “woke,” forgetting nearly a century of often un-“woke” product.
These days “Nitro” is more than just a ripped American Gladiator. Chances are you’re probably already familiar with a nitrogen-infused beverage or two, whether it’s “nitro cold brew” coffee, a creamy Guinness stout, or some other craft brew utilizing the particular creamy qualities of the nitrogen bubble — which are smaller and more numerous than their carbon dioxide (“carbonated”) cousins.
This month, Pepsi is getting in on the nitro craze, releasing what they’re calling “the first nitrogen-infused cola” (and I have no reason to doubt this claim): Pepsi Nitro — available nationwide on March 28th and ready for preorder on Walmart.com.
Who knows how long Pepsi has been wanting to produce this product. Just like James Cameron with the Avatar sequels, they may have had to wait for the technology to catch up to their ambitions. Perhaps you remember the old “widgets” from Guinness cans? Nitro Pepsi comes in a specially-designed can with the nitrogen widget built into the base of the can (meaning that they don’t rattle around like spray paint cans and you can’t easily pop them out for use as a projectile or dog toy like with the old Guinness tallboys — mildly disappointing, if we’re being honest).
Pepsi is calling the new soda (or “pop,” if you nasty) “softer than a soft drink,” a solution for consumers who found traditional colas too harsh. “Some people still cite heavy carbonation as a barrier to enjoying an ice-cold cola,” Todd Kaplan, Pepsi VP of Marketing said in a press release.
Well, we wouldn’t want any barriers between us and some ice-cold cola, now would we? To that end, the kinder, gentler new Nitro Pepsi is available in “Draft Cola” and “Vanilla Draft Cola,” sold in packs of four. The announcement notes that it’s best served cold, without ice, and “hard poured” (FULLY INVERT THAT CAN, BRO) with no straw.
With Nitro Pepsi set to hit stores this month, we got the opportunity to test drive a few samples in the comfort of my own home. We tried them fully chilled, of course (like me after a day enjoying some tasty waves), iced and non-iced, in cola and vanilla.
SAMPLE ONE, DRAFT COLA
Vince Mancini
My thoughts: Definitely creamier than a regular Pepsi, and I can see why they suggest we drink it without the ice, which floats to the top and cheapens the effect of the velvety head. You’re gonna want that “Nitro Pepsi mustache” effect.
Audience Reviews:
“I don’t like it.” -My brother-in-law.
“I love it.” -My wife.
“Tastes like a flat Pepsi.” -My sister-in-law.
SAMPLE TWO, VANILLA DRAFT COLA
Vince Mancini
My thoughts: The natural creaminess of the nitro makes a better complement with the vanilla flavor. Almost the first thought when drinking the non-vanilla version was “I bet this would go great with a vanilla or cream soda.” Hey, “cream soda,” that’s a free idea for you, Mr. Pepsi.
Audience Reviews:
“I like this a lot better.” -My brother-in-law.
“Yeah this is better.” -My wife.
“Eh.” -My sister-in-law.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Certainly one flaw of this test is that none of us sampling were big soda drinkers — more like once-a-week or once-a-month soda enjoyers at best. But for occasional soda drinkers like us, a big part of the appeal of that occasional soda is the carbonated “bite,” the crisp “ahhh” feeling you get when you crack open a soda and have a few gulps on a hot day. It’s hard not to expect that from a soda, and the nitro version feels distinctly lacking in that department. It even seems to turn flat faster, though it could just be that my pours weren’t HARD enough. Years of keg parties have turned me into a gentle pourer and it’s hard to just turn it off.
Conversely, Nitro Pepsi is smoother and creamier, more like a sweet version of a draft beer or a root beer float. It definitely is “less harsh,” in that sense, and makes you burp a lot less than a regular carbonated soda would, though as one of my tasters pointed out, “I like the burping.”
I don’t know if this would be my choice if I was just looking for a nice crispy sweet boy on a hot day. But it probably has its place. It’d make a great podcasting beverage; something you can enjoy with a little caffeine kick that doesn’t require you to stifle belches mid-sentence. Have we considered this market, Pepsi?? Please make me the VP of Podcaster Relations.
To me, Nitro Pepsi seems less like a carbonated soda replacement than a beer replacement for non-drinkers. I could see enjoying a creamy pint of this if the alternatives were seltzer water or something. It’s not exactly a revelation, but hey, why not?
The NBA is in the midst of quite the scoring spree, as someone is seemingly eclipsing the 50-point barrier each and every night since the calendar turned to March. On Monday night, Karl-Anthony Towns of the Minnesota Timberwolves became the latest player to join those ranks, setting a new bar for scoring in the league this year with a 60-point outing against the San Antonio Spurs.
It took one day for someone to match Towns’ mark. Kyrie Irving and the Brooklyn Nets went down to Orlando to take on the lowly Magic, and Irving managed to put forth the best scoring performance of his NBA career. Irving exploded for 60 points in a 150-108 Nets win, one that was much-needed as the team tries to make a late push to avoid the play-in tournament in the Eastern Conference.
Irving started the evening by playing one of the best halves of basketball we have ever seen. The Nets throttled the Magic in the game’s first half, taking an 86-56 lead into the locker room thanks to Irving’s ability to relentlessly score. The All-Star guard had 41 points on 14-for-19 shooting while connecting on six of his seven attempts from three and all seven of his free throws.
He didn’t just score, as Irving found a number of other ways to stuff the stat sheet, registering three rebounds, three assists, and three steals. Still, his scoring was the story of the evening, and his first half put him in rarified air — Irving joined Kobe Bryant and Klay Thompson as the only players to have a 40-point first half in the last 25 years, while Irving had the same number of points as Wilt Chamberlain when he dropped 100 in a game.
He didn’t quite match Wilt’s all-time scoring record, but a little more than midway through the third quarter, Irving got to 50 off of a nifty finish through contact by Wendell Carter Jr. The bucket marked a milestone, as Irving and Kevin Durant became the first teammates in league history to score at least 50 points in back-to-back games.
Despite being on the road, Irving’s ability to score got the crowd in Orlando fired up. That was especially true when he pulled up from way downtown and buried a three to get himself to 60 points on the night.
Irving went to the bench after that bucket and did not return, much to the chagrin of Magic fans. With the team getting demolished, the Orlando faithful started chanting “we want Kyrie” after his night came to an end.
Magic are down 41 points and the Orlando crowd is chanting “We want Kyrie” who was benched after scoring 60 points pic.twitter.com/Do2lqMjiya
Irving’s night eclipsed the previous franchise record of 57 points, held by Deron Williams. On the night, Irving connected on 20 of his 31 attempts from the floor, eight of his 12 threes, and 12 of his 13 free throws with six rebounds, four assists, four steals, and a block in 35 minutes of work.
Unfortunately for Brooklyn, this is the last time Irving will play in a game for more than a week, as they’re headed back to Brooklyn for a three-game homestand and he is still ineligible to take the floor due to the city’s vaccine mandate. Unless that gets changed, Irving will next play on March 23 against the Memphis Grizzlies.
The Republican party hasn’t tried to come for biological evolution in a while. It’s been a decade-and-a-half since the mishegoss over “intelligent design,” evangelical’s failed attempt at marrying creationism with actual science, which was laughed out of even the most conservative courts. But on Tuesday, one of the most controversial GOP candidates decided he’d try to bring the anti-evolution nonsense back — while, of course, getting one of the theory’s most basic fundamentals painfully wrong.
As per HuffPost, Herschel Walker — former footballer and current Trumpist candidate, running for the Senate seat in Georgia — made an appearance at a Georgia church on Sunday, when he decided to weigh in on one of biology’s most robust and most misunderstood theories, which he did not understand.
“At one time, science said man came from apes, did it not?” Walker told the crowd. “If that is true, why are there still apes? Think about it.”
Yes, please, think about it. Walker didn’t. Because if you do think about it, you’ll remember that no scientist claims humans come from apes. The two share a common ancestor from roughly 10 million years ago. Technically, humans are apes, though the two species have been on very different evolutionary paths for quite a long time. Generally speaking, if someone claims humans sprang from apes — or if they even question the veracity of biological evolution — they’re admitting they have no idea what they’re talking about.
Walker has been making should-be-disastrous headlines long before he decided to become a Trump-approved political candidate. Years after a brief foray into MMA in his late 40s (to his credit, he won both of his two fights), he swore he could do it again in his mid-50s. He didn’t actually attempt that.
He has since glommed onto a former president who may be losing everything but his token pensions, and has done well among GOP voters, despite accusations of threatening his ex-wife, having a son who hawks “All-American” swag that’s made in India, and actually hawking snake oil. He’s running against Raphael Warnock, who won his Georgia’s senate seat after defeating a GOP candidate who was mocked for sounding like a robot during debates.
Vince Staples has never been afraid to speak his mind, and even through his hilarious tweets that his fans enjoy, there’s always a hit of truth in them. An example of his honest thoughts came last summer when he said the music industry “monetizes people’s struggles” during a sit-down with The Independent. “We’ve seen people market and distribute death and destruction within our communities for decades; they do these things because it gets attention,” he said. Vince took a deeper dive into this topic during a recent interview with HOT 97’s Peter Rosenberg.
About an hour into the conversation, Vince slammed record labels for capitalizing on the deaths of rappers and finding “money in the violence” when that wasn’t always the case. “I feel like it was more protected,” he said while reflecting on hip-hop’s past. “When you hear N.O.R.E. and all those other people talk about the role that their A&R’s and executives had in their life, moving them out and doing certain things for them, like when Snoop talks about Master P moving him out to New Orleans. I don’t think anyone’s doing that anymore. I think they see the money in the violence. Back then, the violence ruined the money.”
He continued, “It’s money in it and they gonna keep selling it and we gonna keep perpetuating it and we gon’ be hurt when somebody die. I don’t necessarily know if they care. If they did, man the album ready in four weeks once you die. You get more press on the album after you die.” He concluded his message by directly addressing record labels.
“When it comes to these systems, they look at you like, ‘Oh, you’re dead, now we got something to move with,’” he said. “To the people that’s running music, just treat these people with humanity. You’re worth something before you die.”
You can view the full interview in the video above.
Who hasn’t been led astray by dumb bet? The promise of five bucks to name every state capitol, or a whopping $50 to eat something bizarre or grotesque … why, it’s a classic form of mindless (but mostly harmless) entertainment. And sometimes the entire plot of a movie.
When the chance of winning money is involved, that little voice inside our head that says “hey, since when can you do parkour?” can become nothing more than a whisper. Think Truth or Dare, but with a tiny capitalist twist. Plus, there’s the thrill of defying the odds. Get lucky, prove your friend wrong. What could be better?
Personally, I still tend to play it safe. I’ll make some quick cash testing my obscure sci-fi knowledge, but that’s about it. But clearly, some people take it up a notch. Jimmy Fallon recently asked his “Tonight Show” audience to share some of of their wagers with #MyDumbBet on Twitter. Here are 20 of the silliest, most satisfying responses. Bet you can’t get through them all without shaking your head.
1.
My friend bet me $50 he could finish his beer without touching it. He then paid the bartender $5 to pour it in his mouth. #MyDumbBet
in HS – friend bet me to hop out the window at school, run across the lot, and sneak back in – I did it!
I bet him to do it…he got out and ran, but as he returned, the teacher came to the window and stopped him dead in his tracks – his face was PRICELESS #mydumbbet
When we were kids I bet my brother he couldn’t sit in the babies safety swing at the park. Technically he won the bet but it took over an hour to free him and we had to call Mum and Dad #MyDumbBet
Last year in a snowy winter, I bet my friend if he touch the pole with his tongue 😛 then i will give him $20. He told me to give him a demo and I ended up with my tongue stuck in the pole for 30min.🤣
On the first day of my new high school, a classmate was reading the roll sheet and bet me $10 that I couldn’t spell a student’s first name since it’s “so odd”. The name was Shayna. I spelled it right and he asked how. I smiled and said, “That’s me”. Easiest $10 ever. #MyDumbBet
In high school, my friend Nancy and I couldn’t get to the ice cream shop fast enough after school, so I bet her we could beat the train that was coming down the tracks in my 1978 Ford named “Bucky.” Yeah. We made it in the nick of time. Dumb, invincible teenagers.#MyDumbBet
My anxiety shot through the roof after reading this one.
10.
I bet my friend $20 that a large trash bag could be used as a parachute. After breaking his ankles from jumping off the house, I’d say that I lost. Not as bad as him though. #MyDumbBet
It’s actually a cute one for me, a dumb one for my friend… I asked my friend if her gf would propose to her first, and she said her gf would never propose. I bet my friend she would… fully knowing that her gf was about to propose. Easiest $100 I ever won. #MyDumbBet
My cocky highschool friend was 3 weeks into martial arts lessons and was boasting his reflexes. He challenged me to red hands. He said “bet you $20 you can’t slap my hands”. SLAP. Then he got mad and said “double or nothin!”…SLAP. #MyDumbBet
This guy knew how to use language to his advantage.
14.
In high school I bet my coworker I could “open” the ice cream store in 15 min (usually took an hour). Going great until I poured 6 gallons of liquid froyo into the machine. Heard splattering. I forgot to put the fronts of the machines on. Took an hour to mop it up. #MyDumbBet
I bet my dad 100 bucks he couldn’t eat a slice of pizza with chopsticks in 30 seconds. He then somehow managed to fit the entire slice in his mouth in one big bite. #MyDumbBet
I bet my friend he couldn’t slap my teacher on his head He proceeded to the board and gave him a hot slap… He told Mr. Charles that there was a mosquito on his head.🤣🤣🤣
I was riding on the church bus going to Sunday School and a girl put her glasses on the floor and bet that I wouldn’t step on them. I put my foot over them, not intending to step on them but we hit a bump and I crushed them. #MyDumbBet
That’s the thing about dumb bets … you never know when you’re being set up for failure.
18.
I bet my nephew $50 he couldn’t stop saying the word “like” for one hour. Without hesitating he said, “This is gonna be like the easiest 50 bucks…Doh!” #MyDumbBet
#MyDumbBet I bet my college friend that she couldn’t catch more 10 peanuts in her mouth from across the room… She caught them all, but also found out she had an allergy…
Sometimes parody is not far from truth. To non-Fox News viewers, one of the network’s biggest stars, Judge Jeanine Pirro, is better known via Cecily Strong’s shouty wino lampoon on SNL. Thing is, she’s at least as shouty in real life as she is on late night sketch comedy TV. For proof, witness what happened when Geraldo Rivera dared suggest that her favorite former president, Donald J. Trump, may not have been as tough with Putin as he likes to claim.
The outburst happened on Tuesday’s episode of The Five, Fox News’ round-table chat session. Ever since Russia invaded Ukraine almost four weeks ago, Trump and his cronies have been claiming it would never have happened on his watch. Why? Because Trump is a self-professed tough guy who scared his good friend Russian President Vladimir Putin. (Or maybe, some have argued, Trump, who always kissed Putin’s butt, merely enabled him enough that he thought he could have gotten away with invading Ukraine.)
Rivera went further. “How do you know Putin wasn’t playing Trump?” he asked Pirro, who was sitting to his right. Pirro did not like that one bit.
Geraldo: How do you Putin wasn’t playing Trump? Jeanine: *explodes* Trump has everyone against the wall! Putin was a wuss when Trump was President!! pic.twitter.com/k5nSmqp2ic
“Oh stop it, he wasn’t playing Trump!” Pirro roared, actually jumping in her chair. The two talked over each other for a bit, with Rivera claiming he “loves Trump, too.” But Pirro wasn’t having that either. “It’s not about loving Trump! It’s about the fact that Trump had everybody against the wall! And don’t think it was anything different!”
As Rivera backed off, Pirro continued. “I don’t give a damn what Putin thinks! I only care what Putin did. And he was a wuss when Trump was president! And that’s the end of it!” Towards the end she was really hitting those “p”s hard. Co-anchor Greg Gutfeld, lounging in his chair, seemed to enjoy it.
Despite claiming on-air to “love Trump,” Rivera has not taken the party line since he lost re-election in November 2020. He was quick to call out his longtime friend’s voter fraud lies, pleading with him to stop spreading misinformation, often clashing with fellow Fox News regulars. Not only did he butt heads with Pirro on Tuesday’s The Five, he also targeted gas companies, not Biden, for the high prices that have enraged car-driving Americans.
Geraldo: “Exxon, Chevron, BP, and Shell are all enjoying the highest profits they’ve had in 7-1/2 years.”
Fox anchor Sandra Smith: “What’s your point?”
Geraldo: “My point is the oil companies are reaping record profits…”
“I concede that President Biden blew it when he crushed domestic oil production,” he said. But there was a “but.” “Exxon, Chevron, BP, and Shell are all enjoying the highest profits they’ve had in 7 1/2 years.” When asked what was his “point,” he replied, “My point is the oil companies are reaping record profits. Some of this could be handed to the consumers.” As his colleagues piled on him, he asked, “Why don’t we look to them?” rather than put the blame solely on Biden. “I am suggesting that the oil companies are reaping windfall profits.”
We’d welcome Geraldo to the resistance, but he’s been hesitantly part of it, to a degree, for a good while.
Cardi B has never been afraid to show love to another artist. Whether it be through a social media post or does so through an official collaboration, we’ve seen Cardi B do it time and time again. Examples include Lizzo, Lil Kim, Taylor Swift, BTS, Robert Pattinson, Penn Badgley from Netflix’s You, and many more. There’s now a new name to that list and who they are may come as a surprise to some people.
In a recent tweet, Cardi B showed love to My Chemical Romance by resharing one of their old videos. “They don’t make music like this anymore,” she wrote with a clip from the band’s 2004 video “I’m Not Okay (I Promise).” The video portrays the bands as outcasts at a fictional high school, and eventually, they face off against the popular kids who are strapped with croquet mallets. The song was the lead single from the band’s 2004 album Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge, which was certified Platinum less than a year after its release.
While My Chemical Romance has yet to respond to her post, Cardi’s fans did give some light-hearted responses to her tweet. “Cardi are you about to be in your emo era?” one fan asked while another wrote, “Remember when you used to release music? We miss that.”
You can view Cardi B’s tweet about My Chemical Romance above.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
If all goes to plan, Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen will return before the end of the regular season.
According to a report from Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, Allen has elected not to have surgery on his fractured left middle finger and there is “optimism” that the All-Star big man will play in one of Cleveland’s final 12 regular season games. Also per Haynes, a return date is to-be-determined as Allen’s finger is still dealing with swelling.
Allen hurt his finger on March 6 during the first quarter of a Cavaliers win against the Toronto Raptors. Since then, Cleveland is 2-2 with wins over the Indiana Pacers and Los Angeles Clippers and losses to the Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls.
If he’s healthy and able to play, the Cavs could certainly use Allen. The team currently sits in sixth in the Eastern Conference, but find themselves only a game up on the seventh-seed Raptors and four games up on the eighth-place Brooklyn Nets. For Cleveland to hold onto the sixth seed — and thus avoid the play-in tournament — it’ll need to be able to withstand late-season pushes from those two teams in particular. That includes games against elite centers like Joel Embiid twice and Nikola Jokic, where Allen’s absence will especially be felt. Cleveland also plays the Raptors once more before the season ends.
For the year, Allen is averaging 16.1 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game.
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