Latest news with #HandsOff
Yahoo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Elon Musk brands Bono a 'liar' and an 'idiot' over USAID cuts criticism
First, Donald Trump lashed out at one music icon... Now, Elon Musk is following suit and making his own rock star enemy. Bono was on the Joe Rogan podcast on Friday (30 May) to talk about the release of his documentary Bono: Stories Of Surrender. During the three-hour conversation, the U2 frontman took the opportunity to critise the Trump administration and singled out Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which oversaw the dismantling of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Bono, who has been a campaigner for humanitarian aid for decades, criticised the cuts to international aid and cited a Boston University study that estimated that the cuts will cause more than 300,000 deaths around the world. 'There's food rotting in boats, in warehouses – 50,000 tons of it,' Bono said. 'The people who knew the codes, who were responsible for distributing that aid, were fired. That's not America, is it?' Unsurprisingly, considering Rogan voted for Trump, his audience were quick to react – and not in a happy way. One wrote: 'That guy's about as evil as they come Joe', while others stated they would be skipping the episode altogether and that it would be 'the first time I look forward to commercials'. Then came Elon Musk's reaction, who took to X to say brand the singer 'such a liar/idiot', before adding that 'zero people have died' as a result of the USAID cuts. In a later exchange, he said: 'South Park lampooned Bono as the biggest shit in the world. They were right.' Musk stepped down from his wildly unpopular role at DOGE last week after serving the maximum 130-day term as a special government employee without Senate confirmation. During his time at DOGE, hundreds of thousands of people participated in the "Hands Off" protests across all 50 states of the US to express their opposition to the policies of the Trump administration and cuts made by Musk's DOGE. "Hands Off" event organizers said: "They're taking everything they can get their hands on — our healthcare, our data, our jobs, our services — and daring the world to stop them. This is a crisis, and the time to act is now." Check out some of the best signs seen during these nation-wide protests. Bono: Stories Of Surrender is a hybrid of concert movie and visual memoir, featuring spoken word passages from the singer's 2022 autobiography, 'Surrender.' It is streaming on Apple TV+ now.
Euronews
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Euronews
Elon Musk brands Bono a 'liar' and an 'idiot' over USAID comments
First, Donald Trump lashed out at one music icon... Now, Elon Musk is following suit and making his own rock star enemy. Bono was on the Joe Rogan podcast on Friday (30 May) to talk about the release of his documentary Bono: Stories Of Surrender. During the three-hour conversation, the U2 frontman took the opportunity to critise the Trump administration and singled out Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which oversaw the dismantling of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Bono, who has been a campaigner for humanitarian aid for decades, criticised the cuts to international aid and cited a Boston University study that estimated that the cuts will cause more than 300,000 deaths around the world. 'There's food rotting in boats, in warehouses – 50,000 tons of it,' Bono said. 'The people who knew the codes, who were responsible for distributing that aid, were fired. That's not America, is it?' Unsurprisingly, considering Rogan voted for Trump, his audience were quick to react – and not in a happy way. One wrote: 'That guy's about as evil as they come Joe', while others stated they would be skipping the episode altogether and that it would be 'the first time I look forward to commercials'. Then came Elon Musk's reaction, who took to X to say brand the singer 'such a liar/idiot', before adding that 'zero people have died' as a result of the USAID cuts. In a later exchange, he said: 'South Park lampooned Bono as the biggest shit in the world. They were right.' Musk stepped down from his wildly unpopular role at DOGE last week after serving the maximum 130-day term as a special government employee without Senate confirmation. During his time at DOGE, hundreds of thousands of people participated in the "Hands Off" protests across all 50 states of the US to express their opposition to the policies of the Trump administration and cuts made by Musk's DOGE. "Hands Off" event organizers said: "They're taking everything they can get their hands on — our healthcare, our data, our jobs, our services — and daring the world to stop them. This is a crisis, and the time to act is now." Check out some of the best signs seen during these nation-wide protests. Bono: Stories Of Surrender is a hybrid of concert movie and visual memoir, featuring spoken word passages from the singer's 2022 autobiography, 'Surrender.' It is streaming on Apple TV+ now.
Grazia USA
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Grazia USA
Cynthia Nixon On the Good, the Bad and the Cringe of 'Sex and the City'
Sex and the City star Cynthia Nixon attends the Broadway opening night of 'Our Town' at the Barrymore Theatre, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by) There are very few pieces of media that can stand the test of time two decades on, and according to Cynthia Nixon, Sex and the City is no exception. The cult show, which ran from 1998 to 2004, ruled TV screens, and the age-old question of whether you are a Carrie, Charlotte, Samantha, or Miranda still lives on. Yet, according to Nixon, there are facets of the cultural goliath that may be better left behind. The cast of Sex And The City ('The Caste System' episode). L-R: Kristin Davis, Kim Cattrall, Cynthia Nixon and Sarah Jessica Parker. 1999 Paramount Pictures 'It was always very difficult being on a show that was so white,' she told Grazia UK this week. 'I always hated that. When we would raise it, we were told; This is Candace Bushnell's world [the writer on whom the show is based] and it's a very white world. I'm like, OK…' 'Some of the trans stuff, some of the gay stuff was a little cringy to look at,' she lamented in retrospect. Her critique comes with credentials, as Nixon, who is part of the LGBTQ+ community herself, is no stranger to socio-political activism. She previously ran for New York Governor for the Democratic Socialists of America, has been actively advocating for Palestine, and just this month, she was seen at a Hands Off protest in New York City, among many other avenues of activism. Sex and the City's Cynthia Nixon greets New Yorkers during the petitioning parade for New York State Governor, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by) Though her appraisal comes with praise, too. Despite its shortcomings, Nixon stands by the show's representation of women. '[It's] a feminist show,' she continued. 'It's always been a feminist show… You can be a woman; you can have a lot of sex with a lot of different people.' When discussing its refreshingly open portrayal of sex, the actress believes the enduring fanfare is warranted. 'It didn't make you a slut and it didn't mean you were using sex to get something,' she said. 'You were having sex because you enjoyed having sex!' Further, the character of Miranda herself seems to have only gotten more appreciation for her feminist ethos as the show has aged. NEW YORK, NY – JUNE 10: Cynthia Nixon and Sarah Jessica Parker are seen filming 'And Just Like That…' on June 10, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Jason Howard/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images) 'Stuff she was ballyhooing from the rooftops, I think, became common wisdom,' Nixon noted. 'The culture did sort of move to meet where Miranda was standing.' However, she also added, reflecting on the current climate, 'Of course, in America, and I think in many places, the world is moving again… away from a lot of the feminist ideas that Miranda had.' With its continued relevancy, it is no wonder the franchise has resulted in multiple theatrical releases and its latest iteration, the And Just Like That spinoff series. Nixon stars in the series alongside Sarah Jessica Parker and Kristin Davis from the original show, with season 3 premiering this week. Kristin Davis, Sarah Jessica Parker and Cynthia Nixon are seen on the set of 'And Just Like That…' on July 20, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by James Devaney/GC Images) topics: Sex and the city, cynthia nixon, Sarah Jessica Parker, kristin davis, And Just Like That, celebrity, tv shows, Carrie Bradshaw, Charlotte York, Samantha Jones, kim cattrall, celebrity news, film, Film + TV, entertainment
Graziadaily
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Graziadaily
Cynthia Nixon: 'Sex And The City Was Always A Feminist Show'
Cynthia Nixon (who, it must be said, is such a Miranda) does not sugar coat it when I ask her how the mood is among liberals in New York right now, living under Trump 2.0. 'It's terrible. It's very hard to even say: how are you?' She shakes her head, lists a few things she is newly concerned about this week ('Like, why would we need a Department of Education? Ha!'), then tells me about a few of the things she is trying to do about it. Just before we meet, she and her wife, education activist Christine Marinoni, threw a benefit for the Democrat Socialist mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani at their house. It was co-hosted by Sarita Choudhury, her costar in And Just Like That , and Nixon's The Gilded Age co-stars Morgan Spector and Denée Benton. She's also due to walk in a 'fashion show for the trans community' and attend a Hands Off protest in Bryant Park, while also organising her 59th birthday party, a fundraiser for the Chicago Abortion Fund. Nixon, 59, is one of the most politically active actors out there: she ran for governor of New York City in 2018 (she lost but has said that the process enabled her to 'shed light on progressive issues'). Right now, 'I've been throwing myself into a number of political things. You're in despair all the time anyway, but either you're in despair and paralysed, or there are things you're working on.' At the same time, Nixon is currently promoting not one, but two major HBO shows. Aforementioned The Gilded Age is about New York City in its 1800s boom time. She plays Ada Forte, long-suffering sister of caustic aristocrat Agnes van Rhijn (Christine Baranski). And, of course, there's season three of And Just Like That . For the first time, the shows were filmed simultaneously, so Nixon's 2024 sounds pretty fraught, spent whizzing between centuries, characters and locations, from Brooklyn to Albany. We sit in an empty studio after Nixon's cover shoot. She has changed into her own clothes and carries a backpack that might well belong to one of her three kids, decorated with superhero-themed cartoon strips. Though Sex And The City will always be known for introducing the world to the Baguettes, Birkins and brownstones of the upper crust Manhattan lifestyle, it was never the glamour that appealed to Nixon. ('I never pay any attention to the clothes,' she says, and visibly glazes over when I ask about Miranda's wardrobe.) But she is passionate about the ways the show changed the media landscape for women. It is, she says, 'a feminist show – it's always been a feminist show'. 'What you have to remember is that we were in our thirties and forties. Of course, I look at the show now, we look like babies, but being single at that age, at that time, still had a kind of stigma.' Its central message was unheard of: 'You can be a woman, you can have a lot of sex with a lot of different people. It didn't make you a slut and it didn't mean you were using sex to get something. You were having sex – because you enjoyed having sex!' she says. When it first aired in 1998, long before shows like Girls , Insecure and Dying For Sex , that message felt revolutionary. In the late '90s and '00s, the show ruled pop culture so comprehensively that the question of whether one was a Carrie, a Charlotte, a Samantha or a Miranda became the Myers-Briggs of the age. Miranda, who cared less about designer labels and was 'defined by her career and friendships' was not necessarily the aspirational choice. 'People used to see her as very didactic and strident and humourless,' says Nixon. In recent years, however, she has developed a cult following, and many fans are firmly Team Miranda. Nixon has noticed the shift. 'Stuff she was ballyhooing from the rooftops, I think, became common wisdom. The culture did sort of move to meet where Miranda was standing,' she says – though she catches herself. 'I mean, that has been true in recent history. Of course, in America, and I think in many places, the world is moving again. Away from a lot of the feminist ideas that Miranda had.' Such a calibrated answer is typical of Nixon, who never tips into full-on nostalgia when speaking about the show, tempting as it is to do so. She watched the entire series in preparation for And Just Like That and felt that 90% was 'still pretty great', but 'certain things have really not aged well'. Even at the time, 'it was always very difficult being on a show that was so white. I always hated that. When we would raise it, we were told: this is Candace Bushnell's world and it's a very white world. I'm like, OK…' she says. Also, she says, 'some of the trans stuff, some of the gay stuff was a little cringy to look at'. Nixon is, of course, a high-profile member of New York's LGBTQ+ community herself. As has been relentlessly unpicked, And Just Like That attempted to address some of the omissions from the original series with more inclusive casting and storylines about race and LGBTQ+ relationships. The Sex And The City universe has always inspired big feelings in viewers (somewhere on Reddit there are still people complaining that Carrie cheated on Aidan), but the outpouring over some storylines, particularly Miranda leaving husband Steve for the polarising Che Diaz, was unprecedented. Nixon says the 'poor Steve' narrative 'doesn't really bother me. Our show always killed its darlings. If we're just gonna play it safe and nice, why are you watching?' Nixon, who suggested Sara Ramirez for the part of Che, says, 'I love Che, I love Sara. It's hard to know what people would have made of Che if Che hadn't ostensibly broken up Steve and Miranda. But I don't want a show in which everybody is behaving well all the time. A feminist show doesn't show women being perfect.' For all the drama in the comments, on set, she says, the show feels like home. She is close to Kristin Davis, who recently described Nixon as 'my protector', about which Nixon explains that, back in the day, Davis, despite being 'a very powerful person', could sometimes be a little 'too polite. I am the bull in the china shop.' She and Sarah Jessica Parker are firm friends and have a lot in common. They knew each other as child actors – 'we were always auditioning for the same thing. We both had moms who were really all about education and were all about not spending too much money. I mean, in Sarah's case, it was really dire. There is a kind of a theatre ratness about us, we're little kids who grew up in the theatre, we're very New York.' She can't say too much about this season of AJLT , though it has been announced that Ramirez won't return. 'Both the old show and the new show are more fun when people are dating, so Miranda will be dating.' She says that wild upheavals are the point. When she was younger, 'I always imagined that all of the big twists and turns of my life would happen by my early twenties. I thought life was a bit flat after that.' That has not been the case, for Nixon or Miranda, who came to the last season questioning her sexuality, her marriage ('dead in the water') and her career. 'When you're getting out of your childrearing years it is like a form of adolescence. You can return to yourself. There's a lot more behind you than ahead of you. And so it's like: how am I feeling about where I've got to so far? And if I don't like it, am I going to do something about it?' She says such questions are why the roles she is offered now are so much juicer than they were when she was younger. 'I feel like there is a desire to have women who are of childbearing age, sort of bland and sane, because we don't want women who are looking after children to be scary and complicated.' An alarm on her phone sounds. Then there's a phone call. A taxi awaits, to take her to view a prospective school for her youngest child. And with that she is off, backpack on shoulder. The next evening, I see her on Instagram, walking the catwalk wearing a neon green dress at an event for Trans Day of Visibility, with Madonna and Julia Fox in the audience; a week later she's posting from the Hand's Off NYC protest. Not one to sit still, as she told me. 'We're just doing what we can do. If one tries to think of a bright side or a silver lining or whatever, you know, these terrible times are when big things can happen.' Season three of 'And Just Like That' is on Sky Comedy and NOW from 30 May Photographer: Emily Soto Styling: Alicia Lombardini
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Why Is Everyone So Mad That Black Women Are Choosing Rest?
A regular Black woman in jeans and a T-shirt. She looks like your aunty, your cousin, your mom, or maybe she looks like you. She is just standing there. At rest. Hands on her hips, doing nothing, minding her own business. And people are mad at that. The recently erected giant sculpture in New York's Times Square by London-based sculptor Thomas J Price has elicited a number of reactions. Some racist reactions, of course, some sexist, some body shamers, and some Black folks themselves who feel like the depiction is 'stereotypical'. But my takeaway from all this is that one of the most triggering things for people is seeing a Black woman at rest. A post shared via Instagram In early April, thousands of Americans joined the #HandsOff protest across the United States, demanding 'change'. I watched some of the coverage on the news and you know what? I didn't see Black women marching with signs, I didn't see them at the front of the protest line where they usually would be. I went online and saw Black women at brunch, dancing, talking about books and makeup, encouraging each other to not protest, but to stay home and rest. A post shared via Instagram After an overwhelming 92% of Black women backed the Democrats in the 2024 U.S. election, many of our Black American sisters have decided to focus on themselves and their communities, and let the chips fall where they may. Things are a shambles in the U.S. My social feeds are full of angry people across the globe, cussing Trump about job cuts, funding cuts, tariffs, bullying Canada, Greenland, Panama, Mexico and, if we're honest, the world. Black women did not cause these problems but yet again, the world wants us to fix them. People are yelling, 'Where is Kamala?!? Why isn't she saying anything?' A post shared via Instagram Former Vice President Kamala Harris is now a private citizen because the American electorate didn't vote for her. She is resting, as are the 92 percent of Black women who voted for her. 'Why isn't she saying anything?!? Where is Michelle Obama?!' Michelle Obama is quiet and resting, too. So why are Black women are turning inward, focusing on themselves, their families, and building their communities? Because when it was necessary, when it was crucial to the benefit of Black people—and by extension, all people—the majority turned their collective back. At least that's what I've heard as a Canadian watching from the sidelines. But what are the Black women living and working in the U.S. saying? Sasha Whitney is a first-generation Nigerian American based in Washington, DC. She is a fitness instructor and content creator who discusses social issues, particularly those affecting Black women. She uses her platform to reflect and share her perspectives on topics such as rest, community building, and the American socio-political climate. I found Sasha on my TikTok feed when I was looking up the April 5 protests against President Donald Trump and Elon Musk across the U.S. I DM'd her and she agreed to speak with me. When I asked her why Black women are taking this time to rest, she referenced Malcolm X: 'The most disrespected person in America is the Black woman. The most unprotected person in America is the Black woman. The most neglected person in America is the Black woman.' Black women are frustrated. "It's just so in your face that this country hates Black women so that they would rather choose the opposite, someone who would be a detriment to the vast majority of people, than to elect a Black woman. It makes you realize that so many people are comfortable being on the receiving end of the efforts, the gains of Black women—Black women's work, labour, time, energy, everything—but to be led by a Black woman?" said Sasha. "I have done my part. I did what I was supposed to do. I've showed up, I've marched, I've organized, I have reached out, I've done my research, I've done everything that I can do. And so many Black women continue to do everything they can do, but our voices are just not respected. People would rather our labour than our voice." African American women knew what would happen if 2024 Democratic nominee Harris wasn't elected. They protested, rallied, and voted for the first Black and Asian vice president (but not the first Black woman to run for president). Now, just three months into the current Trump administration, everything Harris predicted has come to pass. When Sasha reflected on the 2024 election results, she realized things had to change. 'What am I doing this for? It caused me to refocus and reflect my time, my energy, and how I can better use it. There's this idea that Black women are resting. We're staying... I don't want to say silent, but we're resting, minding our business and staying hydrated.' So, she stopped protesting and decided to use her energy differently. That was her version of rest — but it looks different for everyone. For some, it's showing up to protest when they feel like it. For others, it's not showing up at all. For Sasha, it's commenting on her social platforms about what is happening in the country. After the April 6 protests, she posted a video about a first-time protester, who is also a white woman, complaining about the lack of entertainment at the protest for her child. At first, Sasha thought it was rage bait, but after checking the woman's profile, she realized it was a serious complaint. 'She's rating a protest, giving it a Yelp review,' Sasha recounted. 'It's so extremely tone deaf and exudes white privilege and the assumption of comfort as a right. It's not about you. It's about the larger message. A cause bigger than yourself, a cause that possibly could help your child someday, you're still thinking about you and your comfort.' African Americans have never had the privilege to demand comfort when protesting. During the American Civil Rights Movement and the fight against apartheid in South Africa, Black children who protested couldn't expect safety or comfort. They were attacked with fire hoses by police, attacked by dogs, beaten and brutalized, arrested, and sexually assaulted by police. 'It's Black children, not just in America, but globally, in their struggles and in their fight for freedom. There is no comfort. There is no bouncy house. They're out there legitimately fighting for their lives, their life, their freedoms. [This is] an example of what it is when we say we live in two separate worlds. We're fighting for two separate things." Recently, I saw my friend Nneka at a mutual friend's baby shower. It was a pleasant surprise because she had been living and working in the States. We started talking about the situation down south and she agreed to speak with me on the record — if I didn't use her real name. She's a Canadian citizen and is worried that U.S. border officials may not allow her back into the U.S. if she comments negatively about the Trump administration. "I travel back and forth from Canada to the United States often and never have had any issues, but I am hearing a number of stories... I'm feeling it. I'm a little afraid and so is my family," she explained. So, what does a Black Canadian living in New York City have to say about Black women sitting this out? Nneka looks at it like Sasha does: 'This is not a fight for Black women. I am taking a seat and letting those who may have a more direct impact on the way that this has occurred take the lead on this." Black women are the conscience of the United States. They are the canaries in the coal mine — but that also comes with a warning. 'Many forget that canaries often showed signs of distress or died before anyone took heed of the warnings. While Black women try to illuminate critical issues affecting our world, we often risk our own well-being in the process,' stated an article posted by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. There is anxiety about the future, but Sasha believes Black Americans will be OK. 'I'm always of the mindset that you control what you can control, and you leave the rest. So, what do I control? My energy,' she explained. 'The beautiful part is that Black people are going to survive. Black people are the most prepared for this — and Black women are especially prepared because we've been through this before.'
