Latest news with #Spiked
New York Post
29-05-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
Dems' suicidal groupthink, Israel haters' anti-aid insanity and other commentary
Liberal: Dems' Suicidal Groupthink Why, asks the Liberal Patriot's John Halpin, did Democrats' leaders ignore years of warnings about the party's 'setbacks and travails with working-class voters of all races' and how its 'economic and cultural agenda was falling flat with Americans across the country'? Maybe it was a 'groupthink' that fed a 'denial about the party's decline with black voters, Latinos, young people, and the working class'— all too often 'taken for granted as bedrock supporters of the party.' Groupthink brings 'the suppression of dissenting voices and rejection of information that doesn't fit the group's consensus,' and Dems foolishly 'told people to yell louder about how good the economy was doing' and how Trump was a threat 'to reproductive choice and democracy.' If the party won't 'confront' its 'deficiencies, it will never improve.' Conservative: Israel Haters' Anti-Aid Insanity You'd 'think the activist class would be pleased' at news that Israel, with American support, has launched the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation 'to get foodstuffs and other essentials to the benighted people of the war-ravaged Gaza Strip,' marvels Spiked's Brendan O'Neill, but 'they hate this initiative. Why? In 'their twisted minds, so addled by Israelophobia, everything Israel does is evil.' The United Nations claims GHF 'will 'militarise aid delivery,'' while the BBC's Jeremy Bowen 'insisted Israel should be working with the UN, not the US.' In fact, 'telling the suffering folk of the Gaza Strip not to accept the Jewish State's help,' despite their great need, is 'a kind of psychosis.' Youth beat: Religion on the Rebound After 60 years of 'devastating cultural losses,' Christians in America are making a comeback — thanks to the 'unexpected religiosity of Generation Z,' cheers John Hirschauer at City Journal. With the 'once-rebellious' left now dominating 'schools, workplaces and popular media,' religious faith 'has become a form of rebellion against a culture that rejects traditional values.' Findings from Pew Research: '63% of Americans now identify as Christian,' up from a low of 60% in 2022 — due to Gen Z's surprising fervor. 'Attend an Orthodox or traditional Catholic liturgy in any major American city, and you'll likely see young men in suits and even women in veils, worshipping much as their great-grandparents did.' Christianity still offers teens and young adults a sense of commitment and engagement — 'something the counterculture never truly could.' Advertisement Feminist: Trans Lunacy Drives Away Women When members of the Women's Liberation Front met with Sen. John Fetterman's chief of staff, he reportedly 'accused the women of lying about the importance of female-only spaces,' thunders Kara Dansky at The Hill. He was also dismissive of women 'leaving the Democratic Party over such treatment,' denied the fact 'that men are being housed in women's prisons' and 'that lesbians deserve their own spaces.' Fetterman and dozens of other Senate Democrats 'voted to block the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act in March.' All too many voters 'have had it with the Democrats,' largely 'because of the party's stubborn insistence on embracing gender identity and all things transgender.' From the right: GOP Bill Improves Health Care 'Democrats are proclaiming that' the budget bill's 'modest Medicaid reforms are deadly,' but 'the bill would improve healthcare by expanding private insurance options, which provide better access and health outcomes than Medicaid,' argues The Wall Street Journal's editorial board. 'Medicaid recipients have less access to doctors than Americans with private insurance because of low government reimbursement rates.' Plus, 'most states farm out their Medicaid programs to managed-care organizations,' which 'lack a market incentive to improve provider networks or deliver healthcare more efficiently.' The GOP bill would let 'employers provide workers with tax-free contributions to buy insurance on the individual market' and 'let workers without employer coverage spend pre-tax income on premiums.' As Dems present 'a false choice between Medicaid and no insurance,' Republicans 'are offering better and less costly healthcare.' — Compiled by The Post Editorial Board
New Statesman
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New Statesman
Russell Brand has lost his voice
Photo by'I'm just sightseeing, I don't want an interview, love,' the middle-aged man in the Kangol baseball cap and hard leather shoes (no socks) tells me. His lonely screams – no less than two minutes earlier – of 'Innocent! Innocent!' made me question the sightseeing defence. I am outside Westminster Magistrates' Court for the first hearing of Russell Brand. There are more press than fans; this man had travelled alone. 'Are you here for Brand?' I ask another man behind me in the queue for security. He sighs, 'Oh is that's what is going on?' I get the sense that big media tussles don't happen here that frequently, but that they are an enormous pain for everyone when they do. Brand's mystical figure – or perhaps just preternatural instinct for press attention – made this an exceptional case. He arrived to a throng of photographers and reporters, and in total silence he walked at a snail's pace to the front door of the court, unsettling and composed, over 6-feet tall with aviator sunglasses, a black shirt buttoned down to this sternum. Last month Brand was charged with one count of rape, one count of indecent assault, one count of oral rape and two counts of sexual assault in incidents involving four separate women between 1999 and 2005. There was a scrum to get into Court 1, where Brand had these charges and the conditions of his bail read out to him. He sat alone behind a glass screen in the dock, sunglasses in his hands now; his hair is typically long and his expression was still; he really does look a bit like Jesus. The comedian-cum-YouTube preacher has denied the accusations and said he has 'never engaged in non-consensual activity'. Brand has been through a vertiginous personal evolution. Once he was just a regular shock-jock political commentator. He sparred with Jeremy Paxman on Newsnight about bankers, he hosted anti-austerity marches, he endorsed Ed Miliband in 2015, and guest-edited an issue of this magazine. Now, over on his YouTube channel he preaches messianically about the Great Reset, the profiteering military-industrial complex and the lying establishment. He has converted to Christianity – and marked the occasion with a baptism in the Thames. Somewhere in Brand's career he became infected with all the anxieties of the new American right. It seems, more than anything, that all this once-venerated left-wing populist wanted was to be famous. His stint in the foothills of Hollywood (Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Get Him to the Greek) angled him towards a new level of stardom. But today he sits alone in court, once the mob of photographers had subsided and the reporters had taken their seats, perhaps more famous than he has ever been. It is strange to witness a man so defined by his voice – a rhythmic cockney accent, the cadence of slam-poetry meeting the content of Spiked magazine – so silent. The 49-year-old only spoke to confirm he understood his bail conditions, and to give his name, date of birth and address. Finally, the most important performance of his life and the self-styled messiah has lost his voice. Brand left with an entourage: an American whom I overheard complain about the English; a small man, kind of like a shrunken Conor McGregor, with a tattooed neck; someone who looked like the TikTok sensation famous for eating large Chinese takeaways, 'Big John'. As Brand walked out of court – this time the police had instilled a better crowd control system: we were pinned up to barriers – he was surrounded by them and his lawyers, not looking much like a preacher any more. He was bundled into a car. All charges have been referred to the Crown Court. The trial continues at the Old Bailey on 30 May. Subscribe to The New Statesman today from only £8.99 per month Subscribe Related
Fox News
24-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Fox News
Christopher Rich credits Reba McEntire for acting return after debilitating stroke left him unable to walk
Christopher Rich credited Reba McEntire for his return to acting after spending nearly a decade out of the spotlight. Rich, 71, who originally starred alongside the country music star in "Reba," appeared in McEntire's new show "Happy's Place" on Feb. 21. "I mean, I've basically taken the last decade off," Rich told Entertainment Tonight. "And if anybody was going to drag me out of the dark corner of the closet, it would be the redhead." Rich took a break from acting after suffering a stroke in 2018. "I feel so bizarre recovering from the stroke thing that I didn't even want to go out of my house for a lot of the time," he explained to the outlet. "But, [McEntire and Melissa Peterman] got me back out. They would invite me to parties and reunion things…" Rich and McEntire admitted they've spent a lot of time watching football together at the country music star's home with her boyfriend, Rex Linn. For Rich, the writers and producers of "Happy's Place" made him "feel safe" enough to "trot [his] broken body out again." "I love these two so much," Rich noted of McEntire and Peterman. "It means the world to me." Peterson and McEntire "were there from the beginning," Rich previously told People magazine. "I mean, they came to my hospital bed; they sent me gifts," he explained. "Melissa used to come over and bring me treats all the time in the hospital," he shares. "And she was such a great supporter." Right before his stroke, Rich starred in "The Christmas Trap" in 2018. He took on a role in "Spiked" in 2021 before appearing as a tattoo artist in the episode of "Happy's Place." The stroke left Rich unable to use the left side of his body. However, through physical therapy and rehab, the actor was able to learn to walk and talk again. "It's been a long journey," Rich told People about his recovery. "You know, I liken it to sort of climbing a marble facade of a building with your fingernails." "You make tiny little bits of progress, but you don't get up there very high."
USA Today
20-02-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Christopher Rich is 'really good,' reuniting with 'Reba' co-stars 7 years after a stroke
Hear this story On the eve of his return to TV, "Reba" star Christopher Rich is getting vulnerable about the health issues that kept him from acting in recent years. Rich, 71, reunites with "Reba" co-stars Melissa Peterman and Reba McEntire on Friday's episode of "Happy's Place." He told Us Weekly in an interview published Wednesday that he's feeling "really good" several years after experiencing a stroke and subsequent blood clots, which left him with limited mobility and a long road to recovery in their wake. "After my stroke and having a brain injury, it is like I got hit with an atomic bomb. So it all gets traumatized, and it is a hard reset," he told the outlet. "After I finally got out of the hospital, I was moving around again." He landed back in the hospital due to blood clots in his lungs and "debris in my heart." But "after surviving all of that crap, I'm feeling really, really good," he said. In his guest spot on "Happy's Place," Rich – who played Reba Hart's ex-husband Brock during the show's airing from 2001 to 2007 – takes on the role of a tattoo artist named Maverick who is also recovering from a stroke. "It's great to be able to be a disabled person and play a disabled person," Rich said. "I'm hoping that when some of this gets out there, that people that I've worked with in the past are going to say, 'OK, let's bring him back. We can work with him.'" Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle. Our chat with Reba:McEntire talks show 'Happy's Place,' casting her real-life boyfriend Being back on set reminded Rich of how much he loves acting. "The crew made it feel like the old Reba set because we were having a blast. They had as much fun as I did and that was really heartwarming for me. It felt like I was back home in a safe place," he said. "I was really well taken care of. It was a blessing. I want to go back so badly." 'I don't think I'll ever be exactly what I was before' Rich appeared in 2018's "The Christmas Trap" and spent some time away from acting, making his return in the 2021 streaming film "Spiked." Since his stroke, Rich has kept busy with philanthropy and work in "green energy." In promotional videos for medical clinics where he received treatment, Rich previously described undergoing stem cell treatments to "help heal the right side of my brain where the blood clot happened because it destroyed some of my brain." "My left side was completely frozen; I couldn't walk or use my left arm," he said in a clip for ReGen Clinics. The stroke happened in the middle of the night on Easter morning in 2018, he said in a video series for the Centre for Neuro Skills. Afterward, his voice sounded "abnormal," he had saliva leaking from the left side of his mouth and he struggled with his memory. "I don't think I'll ever be exactly what I was before, and I hope not, because this has been such a learning experience for me," Rich said.
