Latest news with #anti-America
First Post
3 days ago
- Politics
- First Post
Pakistan Defence Minister's Truth Bomb: Satire or Hypocrisy? Vantage with Palki Sharma
Pakistan Defence Minister's Truth Bomb: Satire or Hypocrisy? | Vantage with Palki Sharma | N18G Pakistan Defence Minister's Truth Bomb: Satire or Hypocrisy? | Vantage with Palki Sharma | N18G There are three certainties in life: death, taxes, and Khawaja Asif saying something outrageous. This time, Pakistan's Defence Minister has set his sights on the U.S. military-industrial complex — accusing Washington of profiting from war. But is this a moment of clarity or classic misdirection? Khawaja Asif's anti-America monologue lands awkwardly, especially when you factor in the billions in U.S. aid to Pakistan. So, is it hypocrisy, satire or political theatre? Palki Sharma tells you. See More
Los Angeles Times
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Elisabeth Moss on ‘The Handmaid's Tale' finale moment that gave her chills
Red cloaks. Stiff white bonnets. Bent heads. If there's a single image that Hulu's 'The Handmaid's Tale' leaves audiences with as it ends its six-season run this week, it's this one: That of women in a dystopian anti-America called Gilead, evolving from anonymous sexual slaves into rebels, warriors and, sometimes, survivors. But for 'Handmaid's' creator Bruce Miller and star Elisabeth Moss, who also directed several episodes in the final season, the series, based on the 1985 book by Margaret Atwood, was never about what the women wore. It was about the women inside the color-coded uniforms. 'June started out as a normal person, a mom, a wife,' says Moss, whose other long-running roles include 'The West Wing' and 'Mad Men.' She won an Emmy for playing the 'Handmaid's' title character in 2017, the same year the show took home the first drama series prize for a streaming show. 'Then [June] had to shut down and become something that I don't think she wasn't proud of,' Moss continues. 'But I feel she comes out of that into a place of true heroism, where she is able to be herself, be generous, forgive, inspire other people, lead — but also be vulnerable, ask questions, not know everything.' Miller, who stepped back from showrunning duties for the final season, with Eric Tuchman and Yahlin Chang taking over, especially wanted to ensure that as a man, he was telling a female-forward story from the female point of view — both in the writers' room and on camera. 'I'm very mindful of the fact that I'm a boy, and who do I think I am?' he says, adding that winning the Emmy boosted his confidence in being a man telling a story about women's rights. (The series has 15 Emmys total.) 'Definitely, when you win an Emmy it helps you feel a bit less like you have one penis over the limit.' Knowing that, Miller says he centered the story on June and Moss alike, adjusting camera angles to focus on her point of view — but lowered to an eye level that corresponded with the actress' 5-foot-3 height. 'The crowd scenes get much more scary' when you do that, he says. 'I want to see the world not just through June's eyes — but also Lizzie's eyes, as much as she's able to show me those things.' Meanwhile, Moss used roles as executive producer and director to focus on the show's look and how June came across on camera. Frequently, she's shown smoldering with fury or dark intent, gazing up from under her brows with a lowered chin, something Moss says she lifted from Stanley Kubrick's films. 'That is 'Clockwork Orange,'' she says. 'I am certainly not the first person to do that look.' But she might be one of very few actresses to convey it onscreen. 'It's definitely not something women do [on camera],' she says. 'Women aren't allowed to get angry. [June] uses her anger and weaponizes it at so many points during the show — and by the final season, she knows when to do that and when not to.' The journey June, Elisabeth and 'Handmaid's' have been on began at an uncomfortably synergistic time in American politics: Amid the airing of a series about women subject to state regulation of their bodily autonomy, real-world politicians were successfully rolling back women's reproductive rights. In 2018, protestors began showing up at real-world events in those handmaid-red cloaks and white bonnets, putting the show in an unexpected spotlight. 'Art does have an impact,' says Moss about that kind of a response, but suggests that repurposing the show's images, outfits or story in service of real-world politics misses a key element of the series. 'I don't think any of us necessarily set out, when you're making a TV show, to [make a political statement], because that's the wrong way to go about it. You're telling this one woman's story. … It's always been 'The Handmaid's Tale,' her story.' That's one reason why after six seasons the series chose to end as it did: With June back in the house where it all began, starting her memoirs — 'The Handmaid's Tale.' When Miller pitched that final episode script, Moss says it made her cry. 'I love the idea that at the end is when she starts to tell the story that is the book, and the circular nature of that gives me chills,' she says. 'The fact that she realizes that she has to tell it because it wasn't all bad.' But the ending also does one more thing: It shows how little is truly resolved. June's daughter Hannah is still trapped in Gilead, for example. And fans of the series know the action will pick up 15 years later when 'The Testaments,' based on a 2019 sequel by Atwood and now in production, begins airing. (Moss won't say whether she'll cameo.) So this is an ending — just not the ending. Now, the story leaves off, still focused on the woman who escaped the bonnet and cloak and not about the trappings of her enslavement. 'For me, the ending is perfect,' says Moss. 'I also don't feel like it is an ending. The war is not over. June's journey is not over.'
IOL News
22-05-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
Letter writer warns: 'Be careful who you choose as friends'
We need to be careful about our choices Since Hamas has been the ruling power over Gaza since 2006 and we have seen so much terror and aggression come out of that area, maybe it's time for a proper revamp. Trump is suggesting the US take over the beautiful city, but France, the UK and Canada, unsurprisingly, want nothing to do with it. The United Nations is very naive to think that the world must somehow believe that by pouring trillions of dollars into Gaza, and having it governed by yet another terror-group ,such as Hamas or something similar, that things in the Middle East will improve. Over the years we have seen tons of concrete enter Gaza, only to be used by Hamas to build their underground terror tunnels. Similarly, funds that have entered the region, whether legally or not, have been siphoned off to be used in the building of weapons and rockets for use against Israel! The biggest mistake Hamas ever made was to start another war with Israel. When will they ever learn that attacking this tiny, but lethal Jewish nation, only brings pain to their people? The pager attacks of 2024, the death of terror masterminds Hanniyeh, Sinwar, Deif and destruction of Gaza, the Houthis being obliterated by both the US and the IDF – the list continues, yet they do not back down. Globalists around the world, better known as the deep state, want nothing more than for an all-out war and for Trump to be eliminated. The anti-Israel, anti-America-funded protests are all signs of a very dangerous, global propaganda machine aimed at destruction and the collapse of the West. Trump wants peace, but radical Islam, Marxist leaders and the global cabal of oligarchs and philanthropists of Davos want chaos. DIRCO is now also believed to be involved with radical Islamic propaganda, and with supporting nations such as Iran and Hamas, according to Rob Hersov. We must be very careful that we do not associate ourselves with terror instead of fighting for peace. We must hold our government accountable for siding with Iran and China or Russia. We are heading down a very slippery slope, and the price to pay for all this aggression will be utter destruction and a divided society. It's time that we stop feeling sorry for Gaza, and look at our own nation and where we stand, politically, and globally. Gaza has been getting what it deserved, and unfortunately, South Africa has been empathising with a people who chose their own demise, willingly. | L Oosthuizen Durban
The National
15-05-2025
- Politics
- The National
Ben & Jerry's co-founder arrested after US Capitol Gaza protest
Ben Cohen was one of seven people to have been arrested on Wednesday at a Senate committee hearing where Robert F Kennedy Jr was speaking. Both Cohen and his fellow co-founder Jerry Greenfield have previously been vocal about their opposition to Israel's assault on Gaza. READ MORE: Firefighters issue warning as 'extreme' wildfire alert renewed Earlier this year, their company filed court proceedings after its parent firm sacked its chief executive, alleging that it wanted to stop the boss from making political statements. Kennedy, the US government's health secretary, was speaking to the committee when the protests started. Shouts of "RFK kills people with AIDs!" could be heard, along with "when Bobby lies, children die," and, "anti-vax, anti-science, anti-America", which was in reference to Kennedy's views against vaccines. Police quickly flooded into the room and began dragging out protesters. Moments after, Cohen got to his feet and accused the US government of being complicit in the deaths of children in Gaza. The ice cream boss can be seen in footage saying: "You're killing poor kids in Gaza and paying for it by cutting Medicaid for kids here." As he was dragged out of the room, he continued shouting: "Congress and the senators need to ease the siege. They need to let food into Gaza. They need to let food to starving kids." Cohen and the six other protesters were arrested on charges of "crowding, obstructing or incommoding" assault of a police officer or resisting arrest, US Capitol police said in a statement. READ MORE: Anas Sarwar is all over the place on immigration. What does he actually believe? Police said Cohen was only charged with crowding, obstructing or incommoding, a misdemeanour punishable by 90 days in jail, a $500 fine, or both. Cohen later shared a video of the protest on social media platform Twitter/X, writing: "I told Congress they're killing poor kids in Gaza by using bombs, and they're paying for it by kicking poor kids of Medicaid in the US. This was the authorities' response." I told Congress they're killing poor kids in Gaza by buying bombs, and they're paying for it by kicking poor kids off Medicaid in the US. This was the authorities' response. — Ben Cohen (@YoBenCohen) May 14, 2025 Cohen, who is Jewish, said earlier this month that the US had a "strange relationship" with Israel which involved "supplying weapons for its genocide". In 2021, Ben & Jerry's announced that it would no longer allow its Israeli licensee to sell its ice cream in the West Bank and Gaza, saying that doing so would be 'inconsistent with our values'.
TimesLIVE
15-05-2025
- Health
- TimesLIVE
US health chief Kennedy clashes with legislators over vaccine comments
Robert F. Kennedy Jr came under fire on Wednesday from legislators who said he has made false statements over vaccine testing and safety since taking the nation's top health job. Kennedy made his first appearance in Congress since his confirmation as health and human services secretary in February, facing questions over everything from his mass layoffs at federal health agencies to his handling of a worsening US measles outbreak. Some of the most heated exchanges centred on his remarks on vaccines. Kennedy has for years sowed doubt about the safety and efficacy of vaccines, but pledged to maintain the country's existing vaccine standards to secure his appointment in the Trump administration. Republican US Senator Bill Cassidy, a physician from Louisiana who helped pave the way for Kennedy's confirmation, corrected the secretary's assertion that the Covid-19 vaccine is the only shot tested against a placebo in clinical trials. 'The secretary said no vaccines, except for Covid-19, have been evaluated against placebo. For the record, that's not true,' said Cassidy, who chairs the Senate committee on health, education, labour and pensions (HELP). 'Coronavirus, measles, and HPV vaccines have been, and some vaccines are tested against previous versions, just for the record,' said Cassidy. Democratic Senator Christopher Murphy of Connecticut said Kennedy had not lived up to his commitment to Cassidy and the committee during his confirmation hearing. 'As soon as you were sworn in, you announced new standards for vaccine approvals that you proudly referred to in your own press release as a radical departure from current practice, and experts say that departure will delay approvals,' said Murphy. 'You also said, specific to the measles vaccine, that you support the measles vaccine, but you have consistently been undermining the measles vaccine,' Murphy said. 'You told the public that the vaccine wanes very quickly ... and said that the measles vaccine was never properly tested for safety. You said there's fetal debris in the measles vaccine.' 'All true,' Kennedy shouted back as Murphy listed his comments. 'I'm not going to just tell people everything is safe and effective if I know that there's issues,' he said. The measles vaccine has been shown to be safe and highly effective at preventing infection and does not contain fetal debris. Kennedy has drawn condemnation from health officials for what they say is a weak endorsement of measles shots during an outbreak that has infected more than 1,000, mostly unvaccinated, people and killed three. Audience members at the HELP hearing wore stickers saying 'When Bobby lies, children die,' and 'anti-vax, anti-science, anti-America' in reference to Kennedy's vaccine views. Some protesters shouting opposition to Kennedy's positions, were dragged out by capitol police, including Ben Cohen, co-founder of Ben and Jerry's ice cream. 'You're killing poor children in Gaza and paying for it by cutting Medicaid for children here,' shouted Cohen, who had attended a pro-Palestine event with Democratic Representative Rashida Tlaib earlier on Wednesday, referring to Medicaid cuts proposed in the Republican spending bill and US support for Israel's war in Gaza. 'UP TO ME' Kennedy has said his top priorities as health secretary include identifying the environmental contributors to autism and tackling rising rates of chronic disease. He has vowed to remake the nation's health agencies, including cutting 10,000 jobs at the Food and Drug Administration, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health. Wednesday's Senate hearing and one before a House Appropriations subcommittee earlier in the day were meant to review Kennedy's health-related spending plans under President Donald Trump's budget proposal, including an $18bn cut to NIH funding and $3.6bn from the CDC. Democrats and other critics have portrayed the cuts as a gutting of the country's public health infrastructure. Kennedy told the appropriations committee they would save taxpayers $1.8bn per year and make the department more efficient. 'Our reductions have focused on aligning HHS staffing levels to reflect the size of HHS before the Covid-19 pandemic, which saw about a 15% increase in the number of employees,' Kennedy said in his opening statement to the House subcommittee. The cuts and firings were his decision, not edicts from Elon Musk, Kennedy said when asked about the billionaire Trump ally's involvement. Musk is leading the DOGE initiative to cut government funding and reshape the federal bureaucracy. 'Elon Musk gave us help in trying and figuring out where there was fraud and abuse in the department,' Kennedy testified. 'But it was up to me to make the decision, and there are many instances where I pushed back.' Kennedy said he was willing to work with Democrats on lowering prescription drug prices in response to a question from Senator Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent who votes with Democrats. Trump signed an executive order on Monday directing drugmakers to lower their prices to align with what other countries pay that analysts and legal experts said would be difficult to implement.
