Case in point: this latest account of the South Carolina Republican’s reaction to Trump’s claims of voter fraud, published in the soon-to-be-released expose by Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Robert Costa. According to a preview of the upcoming book, Graham was initially consulted about the legitimacy of Trump’s legal claims should his election tampering conspiracy theories make it to the higher courts. Graham reportedly met with Trump’s former attorney Rudy Guiliani just a few days before the insurrection on Jan. 6th, where he demanded evidence of mass voter fraud, evidence Guiliani wasn’t able to convincingly provide.
“Give me some names,” Graham reportedly pressed Guiliani and former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows. “You need to put it in writing. You need to show me the evidence.”
When Trump’s legal team did hand over evidence — in the form of questionable memos deemed “inconsistent” and “sloppy” by Graham’s own lawyer — the GOP leader delivered a damning assessment of Trump’s argument. He was reportedly quoted as saying the claims were “suitable for third grade.”
Of course, as nice as it is to see Trump’s henchmen turn on him once he’s been removed from power, it’s probably best not to praise Graham’s momentary change of heart, considering how the fairweather politician is firmly back on the side of Team Trump and actively helping him to launch future political campaigns. Instead, it’s worth noting how all these GOP Trump diehards secretly hate the guy they’re simping for.
Every week, thousands of bettors place small dollar parlays in hopes of landing a massive payday by having the perfect week. Sportsbooks clean up on parlays, as they account for the highest percentage hold of any bet on the board, which is why they’re so happy to promote when bettors win, even when it’s a $10 bet that nets $80,000, because on the whole, they still win a ton on people’s dreams of cashing in big time.
This week’s massive parlay that is almost home comes from the state of Michigan, where a BetMGM bettor has gone a perfect 15-for-15 on NFL money line picks in a $25, 16-leg parlay that would win $726,939. The one problem? The last leg is the Detroit Lions (+400) against the Green Bay Packers on Monday night. Having the Lions on the parlay is a big reason it pays so well, but it’s also why despite a perfect start, they’re facing the prospects of winning nothing at all.
The biggest problem for this bettor is that hedging here is incredibly difficult. The Packers are -650 at the moment, which means this bettor would need to come up with some serious money in order to properly hedge this out. There’s no way they are going to be able to get to a real big money hedge (ideally you’d put down, like $500,000 on the Packers to ensure a healthy five-figure payout at worst), but they should at minimum be trying to get $6,500 in on Green Bay to ensure they walk away with, at worst, a four-figure profit. At that point, they’re still rooting hard for the Lions, but at least can rest easy knowing their hard work through Sunday picking every game correctly won’t be in complete vain.
During a recent press event for Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings, Awkwafina was challenged about her use of a so-called “Blaccent” in her early career, prompting a stumbling response from the rapper turned film star as she struggled to address the criticisms that have trailed her since she dropped her first music video for “My Vag” in 2012. When a clip of the interview hit Twitter, Awkwafina became a trending topic as commenters excoriated her for her inability to address the controversy after so many years in the spotlight.
It’s clear that the star was caught off-guard by the question and there are a number of reasons that could be. Interviews are a lot like quizzes; their subjects often practice giving the “correct” answers to questions they know they’ll be asked about their current projects. It’s likely that Awkwafina wasn’t fully prepared to answer a question about Girl Code or Yellow Ranger when she had “studied” to answer questions about her role in a Marvel superhero film.
However, part of the reason fans were so irritated by her non-answer is that she’s had several opportunities to form a coherent answer and just hasn’t. She’s done similar press runs for Ocean’s 8 and The Farewell and these criticisms followed her even then. As her profile grows, her response grows truer and truer. A real conversation does need to be had about why what she did was problematic — but also about how little of that has to do with her getting booked in a handful of Disney movies in the same year.
When she dropped “My Vag” in 2012, Awkwafina was part of a growing wave of rappers challenging the industry status quo and subverting the existing systems of selling and promoting music. She was also problematic. Both things can be true at once. However, at the time, Awkwafina was feted as an example of both a female rapper succeeding in the male space of rap music and an Asian woman offering an alternative perspective to rap’s rich and growing landscape.
However, even then, she faced criticism for her use of comedy as the defining characteristic of her music and many thought her presentation felt more like imitation or flat-out mockery, similarly to the reception of white male rapper Lil Dicky (who also found success in a pivot to acting). Some of this probably had to do with the existing stereotypes of Asian women in the popular imagination. Because it was so rare to see an Asian woman presenting herself so brashly, decked out in streetwear, it was easy to dismiss these elements as affectations meant to endear her to rap’s perceived audience.
I’m not here to argue whether Awkwafina’s presentation was authentic or not. Lord knows that many people of color in America are familiar with the concept of “code-switching” — acting differently in different environments. Unfortunately, Awkwafina was celebrated for behaving in a way that many people — mostly Black people — are punished for. While a plethora of Black comediennes were overlooked or demeaned for talking professionally the way they talk at home (see: Tiffany Haddish, who has definitely received more than her fair share of denigration), Awkwafina’s star has risen, with much of the main draw being the clownish character she often played in her rap videos.
Recently, though, it seems like she’s toned that down a lot; in her more recent features, for example, she’s derived more comedy from her incredulous, blunt but affable nature. In Raya And The Last Dragon, her character gets more laughs from being chronically naive and insecure than speaking in African American Vernacular English. Likewise, Katy in Shang-Chi is just a fish out of the water, bewildered by the mystical goings-on around her.
Does that mean she’s learned her lesson? I don’t know and I won’t hazard a guess. It is a sign that she’s growing as a person and as an artist, which is something we need to give people time, space, and grace to actually do. Not everyone can instantly rattle off a master’s thesis on complex sociological issues when prompted — although, now might be a good time for her to start studying (better late than never). But expecting her to, when that energy could be used more productively, doesn’t change much either.
Instead, why don’t we hold the systems of power in Hollywood, in business, in government accountable for holding back some people and rewarding others based on prejudices and stereotypes? Why don’t we champion positive examples of people using their platforms in ways we approve of, and acknowledge their achievements rather than angrily tearing down those we don’t? Imagine if all those people criticizing Awkwafina were praising Audrey Nuna, Ramengvrl, or Ruby Ibarra (all of whom use their music to call out injustice)?
Awkwafina may have benefitted from an unfair system, but she isn’t responsible for it. While there does need to be a conversation about it, that conversation should be had in the right forum, not during a random interview during a press tour for a Disney movie. On the other hand, when stars are called out, they should probably have something better to say than “we need to have a conversation.” And everybody should strive to do better in the future because actions will always speak louder than words.
That said, Drake is still doing quite well on the Hot 100, as he currently has three songs in the top 10 spots: “Way 2 Sexy” featuring Future and Young Thug (at No. 2), “Knife Talk” featuring 21 Savage and Project Pat (No. 4), and “Girls Want Girls” featuring Lil Baby (No. 10).
Meanwhile, Bieber spends his 30th week with a No. 1 song on the Hot 100, which moves him up the all-time list in that regard, into a 15th-place tie with Paul McCartney. He still has a ways to go to catch up with the leaders of that rank, though: Ahead of him are Mariah Carey (84 weeks), Rihanna (60), The Beatles (59), Drake (52), and a handful of others.
As far as other noteworthy chart entries, there’s Walker Hayes’ “Fancy Like,” which has risen to N0. 5 and become the year’s highest-charting country song following a remix featuring Kesha (although Kesha is not credited on the song as it appears on the Hot 100).
BTS have already earned their spot as global superstars ruling the charts, and today another global ruling body recognized their importance. BTS was tapped to perform “Permission To Dance” at the 76th United Nations General Assembly as well as give remarks to fans worldwide and the world leaders gathered to discuss sustainability.
The Washington Post reports that almost a million fans tuned in to watch the K-pop group perform and speak at the UN, and though they’ve visited before, this is their first time attending in their role as “special presidential envoy for future generations and culture,” a formal diplomatic designation from South Korea’s president Moon Jae-in. For his part, the president is more than a fan of BTS, calling them “the artist that is most loved by the people around the world.” Honestly, he’s not wrong.
While they were on the world stage, the group took a moment to heartily endorse vaccines. “Yes, all seven of us, of course we’ve received vaccinations. The vaccine was a sort of ticket to meeting our fans waiting for us and to being able to stand here before you today,” J-Hope said. Check out their special performance video above and look out for more political appearances from the band in the future, they’re officially diplomats now, too.
As we see viral videos of people ranting about mask mandates being tyrannical government overreach, the Daily Show with Trevor Noah reminds us that people said the same thing about seatbelt mandates back in the day.
A video of news footage from 1986 shows several people complaining about how requiring seatbelts was a violation of their freedom and how they weren’t going to comply. It’s really something to see now. Watch:
This clip from the Daily Show of people fighting against seat belt mandates in the 80s is absolutely surreal from s… https://t.co/4P0szXEXdV
There was intense resistance to seatbelt laws in the 1980s, which in hindsight seems quite silly. When used properly, seatbelts reduce motor vehicle fatalities by half, according to the CDC. People who are unbuckled are 30 times more likely to be ejected from a car during a crash. Most of us buckle up without even thinking about it now, which saves both lives and healthcare resources, but it took a mandate to get us here.
Now we see the same kinds of complaints with COVID-related mandates, despite COVID killing more than ten times as many people in one year as an average year of car accidents do. If the government could mandate seatbelt usage to save lives and healthcare resources, surely it can mandate masks in the midst of a global pandemic spread almost entirely by people’s mouth emisssions.
The purpose of our system of governance, according to the preamble to the Constitution, is to “establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity.” Sounds awesome, but sometimes those things can seemingly conflict with one another. What if what needs to be done for the defense or welfare interferes with our blessings of liberty?
It’s a sticky question, for sure. But sometimes it’s not really as sticky as people make it.
In the midst of a pandemic that has taken the lives of 675,000+ Americans and sickened millions more in a mere 18 months, it’s clear that our general welfare is taking a huge hit. We know there are measures we can take to minimize viral spread and save lives, but asking nicely and leaving it up to people to do the right thing doesn’t seem to be working. So in order to promote the general welfare, the government is requiring people to do the right thing (i.e., wearing masks in public places).
It’s understandable that people don’t want the government telling them what to do, but it’s also understandable that a government of the people, by the people, for the people would try to protect the people. Right now, that means protecting the public from those who are contributing to the spread of a deadly virus and clogging up our healthcare systems by remaining unvaccinated and refusing to wear masks.
Freedom that leads directly to the death of our fellow Americans is not true freedom. Some people still don’t seem to understand that we are in a viral pandemic that’s killing thousands of Americans a day. If we don’t voluntarily do the right thing, we’re asking for the government to step in to protect the general welfare.
I wish we could fast forward forty years to see how silly the anti-maskers look to future generations. Just like seatbelt mandates didn’t lead to tyranny, neither will mask requirements during a viral pandemic.
On Feb. 10, 2015, same-sex marriage became legal in Alabama. Gay couples started going to the courthouse, and straight couples showed up as well. Straight couples like these folks.
But the folks at the courthouse wouldn’t give ANY of the couples licenses — gay or straight.
It sounds like they might not have ever thought about what it feels like to be denied a constitutional right.
The interviewer basically asks how they feel as taxpayers not being able to conduct a regular state function like getting married.
I watched this GIF a few times because I think it’s so fascinating to see the exact moment someone comes to the realization that denying gay people the right to marry is unfair.
At this point, though, he still doesn’t “get it.”
He pauses to think, he looks away, and then the lightbulb goes off.
What it seems like he’s about to say is “It’s not fair. I mean, everyone [meaning straight people] should be able to get a license even if Alabama is fighting this fight with gay people.”
Mid-sentence, he seemed to switch what he was going to say.
He’s right. Denying gay couples the right to marriage, especially once it’s been declared legal in the state, wouldn’t be fair. That’s the point. And for some people, this is obvious. But for many people, maybe it isn’t. But now it is. That’s progress. That’s why empathy is such a powerful thing.
These lovebirds almost do a better job arguing this case than lawyers before the Supreme Court. Almost. I hope they have a wonderful, love-filled life with each other. And I hope they can get married soon.
When someone you know gets seriously ill, it’s not always easy to come up with the right words to say or to find the right card to give.
Emily McDowell — a former ad agency creative director and the woman behind the Los Angeles-based greeting card and textile company Emily McDowell Studio — knew all too well what it was like to be on the receiving end of uncomfortable sentiments.
At the age of 24, she was diagnosed with Stage 3 Hodgkin’s lymphoma. She went into remission after nine months of chemo and has remained cancer-free since, but she received her fair share of misplaced, but well-meaning, wishes before that.
“The most difficult part of my illness wasn’t losing my hair, or being erroneously called ‘sir’ by Starbucks baristas, or sickness from chemo. It was the loneliness and isolation I felt when many of my close friends and family members disappeared because they didn’t know what to say or said the absolute wrong thing without realizing it.“
Her experience inspired Empathy Cards — not quite “get well soon” and not quite “sympathy,” they were created so “the recipients of these cards [can] feel seen, understood, and loved.”
Scroll down to read these sincere, from-the-heart, and incredibly realistic sentiments.
Pretty great, right? If you know someone who’s in the less-than-ideal position of dealing with a serious illness, you can purchase any of these eight cards to share with them.
(We’re not being paid to share these, nor were we asked to do so. We came across the cards and I loved them, so I reached out to Emily McDowell Studio and asked if I could share them with you. Unfortunately, a lot of us know someone who could use a card like one of these.)
FACT CHECK TIME! This infographic is based on data from 2012. Unfortunately, because of the misinformation from the anti-vaccination movement, some of these diseases are trending up in a really bad way. Measles is the starkest example. There were about 61 cases of measles in all of 2012, but in just the first seven months of 2014, there have been nearly 600.
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