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Straits Times
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
Audio of special counsel interview adds to renewed debate of Biden's fitness as president
A 2023 audio recording of President Joe Biden speaking haltingly and having memory lapses is the latest in a series of recent disclosures that have reopened a debate. PHOTO: DOUG MILLS/NYTIMES WASHINGTON – A 2023 audio recording of President Joe Biden speaking haltingly and having memory lapses is the latest in a series of recent disclosures that have reopened a debate over Mr Biden's physical and mental fitness while in office and prompted fresh recriminations among Democrats. The recording, released by the news outlet Axios on May 16 night, documents a four-minute portion of Mr Biden's interview with Mr Robert K. Hur, a special counsel who investigated his handling of classified information. Mr Hur had concluded early 2024 that 'no criminal charges' were warranted in the case. But in clearing the president, Mr Hur portrayed Mr Biden as an 'elderly man with a poor memory,' based off an hours-long interview with the president, inflaming concerns that Mr Biden's fitness for office had significantly declined. The audio clip did not reveal new exchanges between Mr Hur and Mr Biden. But it gives a fuller picture of why Mr Hur described Mr Biden as he did, capturing the president's whispery voice and the long pauses in his speech. Trump administration officials have decided to release the fuller audio, according to two people familiar with the matter, speaking on the condition of anonymity to describe the decision, which has yet to be announced. The audio clip comes as a forthcoming book – written by Mr Jake Tapper of CNN and Mr Alex Thompson of Axios – has provided new details on Mr Biden's mental and physical decline and chronicled how Mr Biden's advisers stamped out discussion of his age-related limitations. Among other issues, the book recounts Mr Biden forgetting the names of longtime aides and allies, and outsiders who had not seen the president in some time being shocked at his appearance. Top Democrats who closed ranks to defend Mr Biden in his moment of crisis and vouched for his fitness for office have now had to rationalise those statements. In an interview on the 'Talk Easy With Sam Fragoso' podcast last month, Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts – who had urged Mr Biden to remain in the race to the end – visibly struggled not to laugh when the host asked if the president had at the time been 'as sharp as you'. 'I said I had not seen decline,' Ms Warren said, adding that Mr Biden 'was sharp, he was on his feet'. 'Senator, 'on his feet' is not praise,' Mr Fragoso said as Ms Warren smiled and chuckled. ''He can speak in sentences' is not praise.' Ms Warren replied: 'OK, fair enough. Fair enough.' The new debate recalls one of the Democratic Party's most painful periods, when Mr Biden and his allies struggled to right his reelection campaign amid calls by Democratic officials – both in private and in public – to drop out and name a successor. Those calls erupted after a disastrous debate performance against former President Donald Trump that doomed Mr Biden's campaign. The president ultimately cleared the way for his running mate, Vice-President Kamala Harris, to take his place at the top of the ticket. The Biden administration had already released a lightly redacted transcript of the interview, but not the audio, asserting executive privilege. A spokesperson for Mr Biden said the recording did nothing but confirm what was already public. In the clip of the October 2023 interview with Mr Hur, Mr Biden speaks softly and haltingly as he struggles to recall key dates – such as the death of his son, Beau, from cancer in May 2015. Mr Hur did not ask specifically about Beau, but Mr Biden told the special counsel that 'in 2017, 2018, that area,' Beau, who had served in the Delaware National Guard and had deployed to Iraq in 2008, had 'either been deployed or dying.' Minutes later, the president said that 'in 2017, Beau had died.' The death of Mr Biden's son was one of the most emotional moments in Mr Biden's life, and Mr Hur's assessment that Biden 'did not remember, even within several years, when his son Beau died', infuriated the president. 'How in the hell dare he raise that?' Mr Biden said in a news conference hours after the report was made public, adding, 'Frankly, when I was asked the question I thought to myself, it wasn't any of their damn business.' In one particularly meandering exchange, Mr Biden took the better part of a minute – interspersed with several seconds-long pauses – to say that 'Beau had passed and – this is personal – the genesis of the book and the title 'Promise Me Dad' was a – I know you're all close with your sons and daughters, but Beau was like my right arm and Hunt was my left,' referring to his son Hunter. Concerns about Mr Biden's lapses persisted through the end of Mr Biden's 2024 campaign, growing with each public fumble at a rally or news conference. Even during the news conference denouncing the special prosecutor's assessment of his memory, Biden spoke of 'the president of Mexico, el-Sissi,' confusing the presidents of Mexico and Egypt in response to a question about negotiations to release hostages held by Hamas. NYTIMES Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Viola Davis Said She Was Taught To Act Like A "Perfect White Actress" At Juilliard, And This Is How It Affected Her
Viola Davis shed light on her formal acting education at Juilliard and the white standard she was held to during each performance. The EGOT winner recently stopped by the Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso podcast for an insightful conversation about her journey to stardom, her liberating projects, and her formative years attending one of the most revered performing arts schools in the world. In the middle of the discussion, Sam asked, "In Juilliard, what was the purpose of their training? Are they shaping you into a good actress or a perfect white actress?" "Definitely a perfect white actress," Viola said. "What it looks technical training in order to deal with the classics — the Strindbergs, and the O'Neills, and the Chekhovs, and the Shakespeares. I totally understand that, to get your But what it denies is the human being behind all of that." Related: These 19 Celebs Started Acting As Kids, But Are Wayyyy More Popular Now — So I'm Positive You Won't Be Able To Identify Them From A Childhood Photo "I feel that as a Black actress, I'm always being tasked to show that I have range, by doing white work. So, if I can master Blanche DuBois in Tennessee Williams's A Streetcar Named Desire — I can do the best I can with Tennessee Williams, but he writes for fragile, white women. Beautiful work, but it's not me." The G20 star, who's known for taking on powerful roles like Nanisca in The Woman King, Annalise Keating in How to Get Away with Murder, Rose Maxson in Fences, added that she was never taught the works of any classic Black writers, which in turn, meant her white classmates weren't either. The limited source teachings felt like a disservice to her. Related: People Are Sharing The Celebrities They Genuinely Feel Bad For, And It's Heartbreaking "But we don't put those same parameters on white actors," Viola continued. "You can have a white actor who's 54 or 55 years old, which is a great age to play Mama in A Raisin in the Sun — is she going to be able to pull off Mama in A Raisin in the Sun? Is she going to be able to pull off Beneatha? Is she going to be able to pull off Molly in Joe Turner's Come and Gone, when Molly says, 'I ain't going south' and make me believe it? They don't have to do that." "So for those four years at Juilliard, all those white actors have to do is play all white characters. That's not me. Me, I'm tasked to only do the classics, and no Black writer is included in those classics. Then, once I leave Juilliard, guess what? Most of what I'll be asked to do are Black characters, which people will not feel I am Black enough. So then I'm caught in a quagmire, this sort of in between place, of sort of not understanding how to use myself as the canvas." Despite being thankful for everything she learned while being there, Viola eventually realized she wasn't able to bring her true, full self to Juilliard. "Juilliard was an out of body experience because once again I did not think that I could use me. Me needed to be left at the front door, even though me was what got me in there." This is why representation is so essential for everyone in all facets of life. People deserve to see themselves as the standard. Although she didn't see herself in any of the roles she took at school, Viola made sure to change that when she officially hit Hollywood, and she's been breaking barriers ever since. It's always interesting learning about the things that help shape the people we know today, and this conversation truly shed light on Viola's life and illustrious career. To learn more, you can watch a clip of this discussion below or watch her full interview on Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso here. View this photo on Instagram What did you think of Viola's comments? Share them with me in the comments! Also in Celebrity: These 21 Celebrity Ex-Marriages Were So Brief And Bizarre, They Practically Evaporated From Hollywood History Also in Celebrity: 28 Celebs Who Never Seem To Get Canceled Despite Some Pretty Awful Behavior Also in Celebrity: 33 Years After Getting A Breast Reduction As A Teenager, Drew Barrymore Made A Rare Comment About The Plastic Surgery
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Viola Davis Said She Was Taught To Act Like A "Perfect White Actress" At Juilliard, And This Is How It Affected Her
Viola Davis shed light on her formal acting education at Juilliard and the white standard she was held to during each performance. The EGOT winner recently stopped by the Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso podcast for an insightful conversation about her journey to stardom, her liberating projects, and her formative years attending one of the most revered performing arts schools in the world. In the middle of the discussion, Sam asked, "In Juilliard, what was the purpose of their training? Are they shaping you into a good actress or a perfect white actress?" "Definitely a perfect white actress," Viola said. "What it looks technical training in order to deal with the classics — the Strindbergs, and the O'Neills, and the Chekhovs, and the Shakespeares. I totally understand that, to get your But what it denies is the human being behind all of that." Related: These 19 Celebs Started Acting As Kids, But Are Wayyyy More Popular Now — So I'm Positive You Won't Be Able To Identify Them From A Childhood Photo "I feel that as a Black actress, I'm always being tasked to show that I have range, by doing white work. So, if I can master Blanche DuBois in Tennessee Williams's A Streetcar Named Desire — I can do the best I can with Tennessee Williams, but he writes for fragile, white women. Beautiful work, but it's not me." The G20 star, who's known for taking on powerful roles like Nanisca in The Woman King, Annalise Keating in How to Get Away with Murder, Rose Maxson in Fences, added that she was never taught the works of any classic Black writers, which in turn, meant her white classmates weren't either. The limited source teachings felt like a disservice to her. Related: People Are Sharing The Celebrities They Genuinely Feel Bad For, And It's Heartbreaking "But we don't put those same parameters on white actors," Viola continued. "You can have a white actor who's 54 or 55 years old, which is a great age to play Mama in A Raisin in the Sun — is she going to be able to pull off Mama in A Raisin in the Sun? Is she going to be able to pull off Beneatha? Is she going to be able to pull off Molly in Joe Turner's Come and Gone, when Molly says, 'I ain't going south' and make me believe it? They don't have to do that." "So for those four years at Juilliard, all those white actors have to do is play all white characters. That's not me. Me, I'm tasked to only do the classics, and no Black writer is included in those classics. Then, once I leave Juilliard, guess what? Most of what I'll be asked to do are Black characters, which people will not feel I am Black enough. So then I'm caught in a quagmire, this sort of in between place, of sort of not understanding how to use myself as the canvas." Despite being thankful for everything she learned while being there, Viola eventually realized she wasn't able to bring her true, full self to Juilliard. "Juilliard was an out of body experience because once again I did not think that I could use me. Me needed to be left at the front door, even though me was what got me in there." This is why representation is so essential for everyone in all facets of life. People deserve to see themselves as the standard. Although she didn't see herself in any of the roles she took at school, Viola made sure to change that when she officially hit Hollywood, and she's been breaking barriers ever since. It's always interesting learning about the things that help shape the people we know today, and this conversation truly shed light on Viola's life and illustrious career. To learn more, you can watch a clip of this discussion below or watch her full interview on Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso here. What did you think of Viola's comments? Share them with me in the comments! Also in Celebrity: These 21 Celebrity Ex-Marriages Were So Brief And Bizarre, They Practically Evaporated From Hollywood History Also in Celebrity: 28 Celebs Who Never Seem To Get Canceled Despite Some Pretty Awful Behavior Also in Celebrity: 33 Years After Getting A Breast Reduction As A Teenager, Drew Barrymore Made A Rare Comment About The Plastic Surgery
Buzz Feed
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
Viola Davis Said She Was Taught To Act Like A "Perfect White Actress" At Juilliard, And This Is How It Affected Her
Viola Davis shed light on her formal acting education at Juilliard and the white standard she was held to during each performance. The EGOT winner recently stopped by the Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso podcast for an insightful conversation about her journey to stardom, her liberating projects, and her formative years attending one of the most revered performing arts schools in the world. In the middle of the discussion, Sam asked, "In Juilliard, what was the purpose of their training? Are they shaping you into a good actress or a perfect white actress?" "Definitely a perfect white actress," Viola said. "What it looks technical training in order to deal with the classics — the Strindbergs, and the O'Neills, and the Chekhovs, and the Shakespeares. I totally understand that, to get your But what it denies is the human being behind all of that." "I feel that as a Black actress, I'm always being tasked to show that I have range, by doing white work. So, if I can master Blanche DuBois in Tennessee Williams's A Streetcar Named Desire — I can do the best I can with Tennessee Williams, but he writes for fragile, white women. Beautiful work, but it's not me." The G20 star, who's known for taking on powerful roles like Nanisca in The Woman King, Annalise Keating in How to Get Away with Murder, Rose Maxson in Fences, added that she was never taught the works of any classic Black writers, which in turn, meant her white classmates weren't either. The limited source teachings felt like a disservice to her. "But we don't put those same parameters on white actors," Viola continued. "You can have a white actor who's 54 or 55 years old, which is a great age to play Mama in A Raisin in the Sun — is she going to be able to pull off Mama in A Raisin in the Sun? Is she going to be able to pull off Beneatha? Is she going to be able to pull off Molly in Joe Turner's Come and Gone, when Molly says, 'I ain't going south' and make me believe it? They don't have to do that." "So for those four years at Juilliard, all those white actors have to do is play all white characters. That's not me. Me, I'm tasked to only do the classics, and no Black writer is included in those classics. Then, once I leave Juilliard, guess what? Most of what I'll be asked to do are Black characters, which people will not feel I am Black enough. So then I'm caught in a quagmire, this sort of in between place, of sort of not understanding how to use myself as the canvas." Despite being thankful for everything she learned while being there, Viola eventually realized she wasn't able to bring her true, full self to Juilliard. "Juilliard was an out of body experience because once again I did not think that I could use me. Me needed to be left at the front door, even though me was what got me in there." This is why representation is so essential for everyone in all facets of life. People deserve to see themselves as the standard. Although she didn't see herself in any of the roles she took at school, Viola made sure to change that when she officially hit Hollywood, and she's been breaking barriers ever since. It's always interesting learning about the things that help shape the people we know today, and this conversation truly shed light on Viola's life and illustrious career. To learn more, you can watch a clip of this discussion below or watch her full interview on Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso here.
Axios
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Axios
Elizabeth Warren pressed on her assessment of Biden in 2024
Sen. Elizabeth Warren had a hard time defending her support of former President Biden's mental fitness when pressed in a recent interview. Why it matters: It's the latest example that Democratic leaders had doubts about Biden before he stepped aside last summer. Driving the news: During "Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso," the host pressed Warren on her past statements that she "had not seen decline" in Biden. Warren seemed to be taken aback and even stifled a bit of a laugh when Fragoso asked her if she thought Biden was "as sharp as you." "Look, he was sharp, he was on his feet. I saw him. Live events. I had meetings with him a couple of times," Warren replied. "Senator, 'on his feet' is not praise," Fragoso returned. "'He can speak in sentences' is not praise." Warren conceded that Fragoso's take on her comment was fair.
