Latest news with #politicalfirestorm
Fox News
18 hours ago
- Politics
- Fox News
DAVID MARCUS: Why socialist NYC mayoral candidate's Uganda trip makes surprising sense
DemocratIc Party nominee for New York City mayor, Zohran Mamdani has been at the center of a political firestorm since his shock victory in the primary last month, and faced with mounting questions about his communist past, he's doing what leftists always do, running away and not answering questions. In this case to the African nation of Uganda where Mamdani was born. The socialist wonderboy's campaign swears that this ten-day excursion in the middle of the general election has nothing to do with politics, Mamdani and his wife are just celebrating their wedding, again, and if you believe that, I have a bridge to sell you that Zohran may be mayor of soon. The obvious political move being made here is to hide Mamdani, at least until the end of the month, and this isn't the first time. Last week, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, D-N.Y., brought Zohran to Washington DC to meet with Congressional Democrats in what turned into a laughable moment of cloak and dagger, here is how Fox News Digital described it: "Ocasio-Cortez and Mamdani were scheduled to host the 8 a.m. breakfast at the National Democratic Club. While the Democratic National Committee (DNC) is located right next door to where Wednesday's breakfast is being held, the DNC said it was not involved with the event. Minutes before the breakfast was scheduled to start, the location was moved to a restaurant a few blocks away." Reports indicate that the windows to the place were blacked out and that Zohran quietly exited out of a backdoor. What clearly happened here was that most Democrats in Congress, very wisely, didn't want a photo op with the most radioactive "Democratic Socialist" on the current political scene. In fact, in New York, political ads tying Democrats to Mamdani are already running. Zany Zohran is hightailing it out of, not just Gotham, but America, without the coveted endorsement of either House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, or Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, even both are also from New York City. And that underlines the point, these guys don't want to talk about Mamdani and a future Democrat party dedicated to seizing the means of production and abolitioning prisons, no Democrat who isn't a member of the Squad wants to. Serious Democrats understand that Mamdani is not some generational political talent, or the next Obama, he is a boilerplate archetype that Democrat Socialists use over and over, young, charismatic, edgy, social media savvy, and non-white. Examples of this DSA type abound, Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX), Minneapolis mayoral candidate Omar Fateh, Illinois Congressional candidate Kat Abughazaleh, and of course the trendsetter herself, AOC. The DSA and other George Soros backed operations excel at winning primaries in deep blue areas with young, far left candidates like those above, but what they don't do, ever, is win competitive general elections. The idea is supposed to be that once the Democratic primary is won, no Republican can win, so the socialist skates to victory, almost every wacko district attorney in our major cities came to power exactly this way. And this is the real reason Mamdani ran away to Uganda, just as Kamala Harris was hidden away when she became the presidential nominee last year because she had no defense for the Biden administration, so too, Zohran has no explanation for being a full blown communist ten minutes ago. While the hide behind the couch strategy failed for Harris, she was running against Donald Trump, Zohran is luckier and running against Eric Adams, an unpopular mayor, Andrew Cuomo, a disgraced former governor, and Curtis Sliwa, a legendary New Yorker, but also known best for his beret and love of cats. If all three of Mamdani's rivals remain in the race then the socialist will be able to hide his way to Gracie Mansion and control of America's greatest city, maybe he does one debate, goes on a few lefty podcasts, that will be enough. 10 days in far-flung Uganda, out of the blue, is the beginning of this strategy, even if Mamdani claims the trip is to celebrate his marriage and troll the supposed racists, mostly actually anonymous X accounts, saying he should go back to Africa. If, on the other hand, the three claimants to the right to take on Mamdani can settle it and get behind one candidate by September, then Zohran might actually be forced to run on his record and past statements, something no Democrat Socialist ever wants to do. For now, even when Mamdani gets back from his African Adventure, expect him to remain quiet, because unless and until he is facing one, serious challenger, hiding him in the basement is almost certain to secure him victory.
The Guardian
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Stephen Colbert declares ‘gloves are off' as cancelled Late Show host takes aim at Trump
Stephen Colbert declared to Donald Trump that 'the gloves are off' in his first broadcast since his Late Show was cancelled amid a political firestorm, as his fellow hosts lined up to defend him with Jon Stewart scathingly denouncing Paramount for trying to 'censor and control' its hosts. Colbert, the top-rated late-night talk show host in the US, said last week on his CBS show Late Night – which he took over from David Letterman in 2015 – that Paramount's decision to pay a $16m settlement to Trump over another flagship CBS show, 60 Minutes, amounted to a 'big fat bribe'. CBS is part of Paramount, which needs the Trump-controlled Federal Communications Commission to approve its $8bn sale to Skydance. Paramount pulled the plug three days later, with Trump revelling in the firing of one of his most prolific detractors, posting on his Truth Social platform: 'I absolutely love that Colbert was fired.' Colbert came out swinging on Monday, telling Trump to 'go fuck yourself'. He joked that it had always been his dream to have a sitting president celebrate the end of his career. 'They're pointing out that last Monday, just two days before my cancellation, I delivered a blistering monologue in which I showed the courage to have a moustache,' he joked. 'I mean, obviously, CBS saw my upper lip and boom, cancelled. Coincidence? Oh, I think not. This is worse than fascism. This is stachism.' In an anonymous leak over the weekend, CBS had appeared to suggest the Late Show lost $40m-$50m last year. Colbert joked that he could account for losing $24m annually. 'Where would Paramount have possibly spent the other $16m?' he joked. 'Oh yeah.' In a gesture of solidarity, Colbert's fellow late-night show hosts – Last Week Tonight's John Oliver, Late Night's Seth Meyers and The Daily Show's Jon Stewart – all showed up for a joke in Monday night's episode. They were joined by other entertainers and journalists including Lin-Manuel Miranda, Weird Al Yankovic, Andy Cohen, Anderson Cooper, Adam Sandler and Christopher McDonald. Meanwhile Stewart, who gave Colbert his late-night start in the 1990s, issued a blistering attack of his own. On Monday's episode of The Daily Show – which is also part of Paramount – Stewart lambasted its decision to cancel Colbert's show. 'The fact that CBS didn't try to save their No 1 rated late-night franchise that's been on the air for over three decades is part of what's making everybody wonder,' Stewart said on his Comedy Central program. 'Was this purely financial, or maybe the path of least resistance for your $8bn merger?' He added: 'If you believe – as corporations or as networks – that you can make yourselves so innocuous that you can serve a gruel so flavourless that you will never again be on the boy king's radar … Why would anyone watch you? And you are fucking wrong.' Stewart then led a choir and the audience in a chant of 'go fuck yourselves', directed at corporations who bent the knee to Trump. Over on The Tonight Show, host Jimmy Fallon noted that viewers were planning to boycott the network over the decision. 'CBS could lose millions of viewers, plus tens of hundreds watching on Paramount+,' he joked. On air, Colbert was visibly moved after his guest, the actor Sandra Oh, proclaimed a 'plague on CBS and Paramount,' paying tribute to his work speaking truth to power while staying funny. Skipping a promised question-and-answer session after the taping of Monday's show, Colbert told his studio audience, 'I was nervous coming out here,' and added: 'I will miss you.' Outside the headquarters of The Late Show, which is taped at midtown Manhattan's Ed Sullivan Theater, protesters held placards that said: 'Colbert Stays! Trump Must Go!' Audience member Elizabeth Kott, a 48-year-old high school teacher, called Colbert's firing 'terrible'. 'It's really awful that it's come to that in this country, where companies feel the need to obey in advance. It's really awful,' she told AFP.
Malay Mail
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Malay Mail
‘Gloves are off': ‘Late Show' host Stephen Colbert won't be pulling the punches for Trump
NEW YORK, July 23 — Stephen Colbert had an unflinching message for US President Donald Trump in his first broadcast since his Late Show was cancelled amid a political firestorm — 'the gloves are off.' Colbert, who addressed the cancellation of his show by a broadcaster that has been widely accused of seeking to curry favor with Trump for business reasons, came out swinging — telling Trump to 'go fuck yourself.' The Late Show, a storied US TV franchise dating back to 1993 when it was hosted by David Letterman, will go off the air in May 2026 following a surprise announcement by broadcaster CBS last week. The channel is part of Paramount, which is in the throes of an US$8 billion takeover that requires approval by the Trump-controlled Federal Communications Commission. It pulled the plug three days after Colbert skewered CBS for settling a lawsuit with Trump. He accused it of paying what he termed a 'a big fat bribe' of US$16 million (RM67.7 million) to the president for what he called 'deceptive' editing of an interview with his 2024 election opponent, former vice president Kamala Harris. Trump reveled in the firing of one of his most prolific detractors, posting on his Truth Social platform that 'I absolutely love that Colbert was fired.' Colbert joked Monday that it had always been his dream starting out as an improv comic in Chicago in the 1980s to have a sitting president celebrate the end of his career. He also disputed the logic of CBS who insisted the cancellation was 'purely a financial decision.' He said that in an anonymous leak over the weekend, CBS had appeared to suggest his show lost US$40 million last year. Colbert joked that he could account for losing US$24 million annually — but wasn't to blame for the other US$16 million, a reference to CBS News's settlement with Trump. Monday's cold open was an unsparing riff on Trump demanding that the Washington Commanders change its name back to its former name which was widely considered a slur against Native Americans. The segment suggested Trump sought to rename the franchise the 'Washington Epsteins', in reference to pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein whom it has been widely reported was close to Trump. Colbert returned to this topic after addressing his show's cancellation, proclaiming that they had killed his show but not him, and doing a deep dive on reporting about just how close Trump and Epstein were. It was a formula that would have been familiar to fans of the show: the deadly serious leavened with humor and quick wit. Outside the taping at Midtown Manhattan's Ed Sullivan theater, protesters held placards that said 'Colbert Stays! Trump Must Go!' Audience member Elizabeth Kott, a 48-year-old high school teacher, called Colbert's firing 'terrible.' 'It's really awful that it's come to that in this country, where companies feel the need to obey in advance. It's really awful,' she told AFP. 'A plague on CBS' Colbert's lead guest Monday, acclaimed actress Sandra Oh, did not hold back, proclaiming a 'plague on CBS and Paramount' — the network on which Colbert's channel is broadcast and its media giant proprietor. Colbert's lip trembled as Oh paid tribute to his work speaking truth to power while staying funny. His other guest, actor Dave Franco, said he had loved Colbert's work in everything from The Daily Show to The Colbert Report and then The Late Show. It was on The Daily Show, under the supervision of comic 'anchor' Jon Stewart, that Colbert perfected his alter-ego — a blowhard conservative reporter whose studied ignorance parodied actual right-wing broadcasters night after night. He moved up to a show of his own on the same network, Comedy Central, which was then part of Viacom and today is part of Paramount. Before long he took one of the most coveted chairs in US television — host of the CBS late-night slot. Colbert dropped his arrogant conservative persona and cultivated a reputation as one of the most trusted yet funniest figures on US television. Through the coronavirus pandemic he became a reassuring presence for millions, broadcasting from a spare room in his house and narrating the challenges he faced alongside his wife Evelyn. He also became an arch-critic of Trump, skewering the president for everything from his policies to his fondness for Hannibal Lecter. Skipping a promised question and answer session following the taping of Monday's show, Colbert told his studio audience that 'I was nervous coming out here.' 'I will miss you.' — AFP
The Guardian
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Stephen Colbert declares ‘gloves are off' as cancelled Late Show host takes aim at Trump
Stephen Colbert declared to Donald Trump that 'the gloves are off' in his first broadcast since his Late Show was cancelled amid a political firestorm, as his fellow hosts lined up to defend him with Jon Stewart scathingly denouncing Paramount for trying to 'censor and control' its hosts. Colbert, the top-rated late-night talk show host in the US, said last week on his CBS show Late Night – which he took over from David Letterman in 2015 – that Paramount's decision to pay a $16m settlement to Trump over another flagship CBS show, 60 Minutes, amounted to a 'big fat bribe'. CBS is part of Paramount, which needs the Trump-controlled Federal Communications Commission to approve its $8bn sale to Skydance. Paramount pulled the plug three days later, with Trump reveling in the firing of one of his most prolific detractors, posting on his Truth Social platform: 'I absolutely love that Colbert was fired.' Colbert came out swinging on Monday, telling Trump to 'go fuck yourself'. He joked that it had always been his dream to have a sitting president celebrate the end of his career. 'They're pointing out that last Monday, just two days before my cancellation, I delivered a blistering monologue in which I showed the courage to have a moustache,' he joked. 'I mean, obviously, CBS saw my upper lip and boom, cancelled. Coincidence? Oh, I think not. This is worse than fascism. This is stachism.' In an anonymous leak over the weekend, CBS had appeared to suggest the Late Show lost $40m-$50m last year. Colbert joked that he could account for losing $24m annually. 'Where would Paramount have possibly spent the other $16m?' he joked. 'Oh yeah.' In a gesture of solidarity, Colbert's fellow late night show hosts – Last Week Tonight's John Oliver, Late Night's Seth Meyers and the Daily Show's Jon Stewart – all showed up for a joke in Monday night's episode. They were joined by other entertainers and journalists including Lin-Manuel Miranda, Weird Al Yankovic, Andy Cohen, Anderson Cooper, Adam Sandler and Christopher McDonald. Meanwhile Stewart, who gave Colbert his late-night start in the 1990s, issued a bilstering attack of his own. On Monday's episode of the Daily Show – which is also part of Paramount – Stewart lambasted its decision to cancel Colbert's show. 'The fact that CBS didn't try to save their No 1 rated late-night franchise that's been on the air for over three decades is part of what's making everybody wonder,' Stewart said on his Comedy Central program. 'Was this purely financial, or maybe the path of least resistance for your $8 billion merger?' He added: 'If you believe – as corporations or as networks – that you can make yourselves so innocuous that you can serve a gruel so flavourless that you will never again be on the boy king's radar … Why would anyone watch you? And you are fucking wrong.' Stewart then led a choir and the audience in a chant of 'go fuck yourselves', directed at corporations who bent the knee to Trump. Over on the Tonight Show, host Jimmy Fallon noted that viewers were planning to boycott the network over the decision. 'CBS could lose millions of viewers, plus tens of hundreds watching on Paramount+,' he joked. On air, Colbert was visibly moved after his guest, the actor Sandra Oh, proclaimed a 'plague on CBS and Paramount,' paying tribute to his work speaking truth to power while staying funny. Skipping a promised question and answer session after the taping of Monday's show, Colbert told his studio audience that 'I was nervous coming out here,' and added: 'I will miss you.' Outside the headquarters of the Late Show, which is taped at Midtown Manhattan's Ed Sullivan theater, protesters held placards that said, 'Colbert Stays! Trump Must Go!' Audience member Elizabeth Kott, a 48-year-old high school teacher, called Colbert's firing 'terrible.' 'It's really awful that it's come to that in this country, where companies feel the need to obey in advance. It's really awful,' she told AFP.
News.com.au
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Cancelled TV host Stephen Colbert tells Donald Trump to ‘go f*** yourself'
Stephen Colbert had an unflinching message for US President Donald Trump in his first broadcast since his Late Show was cancelled amid a political firestorm — 'the gloves are off.' Colbert, who addressed the cancellation of his show by a broadcaster that has been widely accused of seeking to curry favour with Mr Trump for business reasons, came out swinging — telling Trump to 'go f*** yourself.' The Late Show, a storied US TV franchise dating back to 1993 when it was hosted by David Letterman, will go off the air in May 2026 following a surprise announcement by broadcaster CBS last week. The channel is part of Paramount, which is in the throes of an $US8 billion ($A12.3 billion) takeover that requires approval by the Trump-controlled Federal Communications Commission. It pulled the plug three days after Colbert skewered CBS for settling a lawsuit with Mr Trump. He accused it of paying what he termed a 'a big fat bribe' of $US16 million ($A24.6 million) to the president for what he called 'deceptive' editing of an interview with his 2024 election opponent, former vice president Kamala Harris. Mr Trump revelled in the firing of one of his most prolific detractors, posting on his Truth Social platform that 'I absolutely love that Colbert was fired.' Colbert joked Monday that it had always been his dream starting out as an improv comic in Chicago in the 1980s to have a sitting president celebrate the end of his career. He also disputed the logic of CBS, which insisted the cancellation was 'purely a financial decision.' He said that in an anonymous leak over the weekend, CBS had appeared to suggest his show lost $US40 million ($A61.4 million) last year. Colbert joked that he could account for losing $US24 million annually – but wasn't to blame for the other $US16 million, a reference to CBS News's settlement with Mr Trump. Monday's cold open was an unsparing riff on Mr Trump demanding that the Washington Commanders change its name back to its former name, which was widely considered a slur against Native Americans. The segment suggested Mr Trump sought to rename the franchise the 'Washington Epsteins', in reference to pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein whom it has been widely reported was close to Mr Trump. Colbert returned to this topic after addressing his show's cancellation, proclaiming that they had killed his show but not him, and doing a deep dive on reporting about just how close Mr Trump and Epstein were. It was a formula that would have been familiar to fans of the show: the deadly serious leavened with humour and quick wit. Outside the taping at Midtown Manhattan's Ed Sullivan theatre, protesters held placards that said 'Colbert Stays! Trump Must Go!' Audience member Elizabeth Kott, a 48-year-old high school teacher, called Colbert's firing 'terrible.' 'It's really awful that it's come to that in this country, where companies feel the need to obey in advance. It's really awful,' she told AFP. 'A plague on CBS' Colbert's lead guest Monday, acclaimed actress Sandra Oh, did not hold back, proclaiming a 'plague on CBS and Paramount' – the network on which Colbert's channel is broadcast and its media giant proprietor. Colbert's lip trembled as Oh paid tribute to his work speaking truth to power while staying funny. His other guest, actor Dave Franco, said he had loved Colbert's work in everything from The Daily Show to The Colbert Report and then The Late Show. It was on The Daily Show, under the supervision of comic 'anchor' Jon Stewart, that Colbert perfected his alter-ego – a blowhard conservative reporter whose studied ignorance parodied actual right-wing broadcasters night after night. He moved up to a show of his own on the same network, Comedy Central, which was then part of Viacom and today is part of Paramount. Before long he took one of the most coveted chairs in US television – host of the CBS late-night slot. Colbert dropped his arrogant conservative persona and cultivated a reputation as one of the most trusted yet funniest figures on US television. Through the coronavirus pandemic he became a reassuring presence for millions, broadcasting from a spare room in his house and narrating the challenges he faced alongside his wife Evelyn. He also became an arch-critic of Mr Trump, skewering the president for everything from his policies to his fondness for Hannibal Lecter. Skipping a promised question and answer session following the taping of Monday's show, Colbert told his studio audience that 'I was nervous coming out here.'
