Steve Pond's Blog, page 118

Stephen Colbert Grins Over Trump Parade’s Low Turnout: ‘MAGA Stands for Make America Grass Again’ | Video

Stephen Colbert told his “The Late Show” audience on Monday that he was in a great mood thanks to the way Donald Trump was humiliated nationally over the weekend.

“This weekend was Father’s Day, and Daddy got just what he wanted: No one came to Trump’s big, stupid birthday parade,” Colbert said, referring to the military parade Trump insisted on having in Washington, D.C. ostensibly to celebrate the 250th birthday of the U.S. Army, though it also just happened to fall on Trump’s birthday.

As those of you reading this probably know by now, the event was a flop, with visibly sparse turnout, awkward looking marching and embarrassingly obvious low production values. The whole thing was overshadowed by the vastly larger “No Kings” protests held in cities all over the country the same day. But as tends to happen with Trump events, despite comprehensive coverage and mountains of video proof of the low turnout, the Trump administration has claimed 250,000 people attended. That falsehood led Colbert to a fun pun.

“No one came though, of course, the White House claims that 250,000 people attended. So now apparently a quarter of a million people looks like this,” COlbert said as footage displayed on screen showed the sparse crowds. “They must be really good at hide and seek. MAGA stands for Make America grass again.”

“It was so sparsely attended that these poor troops were forced to march past empty bleachers. You guys, I don’t think our parents came to our show. It’s not fair to the soldiers. They’ve got to be there. Wasn’t just the low turnout. It also lacked a certain showmanship, which is surprising, because we heard it had tanks and stuff, but in reality, this is what you got,” Colbert continued, as real footage played in which one of the tanks drove down a D.C. street past crowds so sparse (and quiet) you could hear it squeaking.

“We may have won WW2,” Colbert added, referring of course to World War 2, “but this weekend, we lost the battle of WD 40 for that tank.”

After roasting some of the other failures of the parade, including the cheaped-out elements like a single soldier carrying a drone, and the event’s sponsors, Colbert noted that “it looked like nobody was having a good time at this thing, not even Donald Trump. Here he is celebrating his birthday. That is one sad sack of potatoes,” Colbert said, showing the audience this photo of Trump clearly looking unhappy.

“I know this is exactly the birthday I wanted, a hot, wet, empty lawn with a band playing my favorite tune,” Colbert said in his Trump impression.

Watch the full monologue below now:

The post Stephen Colbert Grins Over Trump Parade’s Low Turnout: ‘MAGA Stands for Make America Grass Again’ | Video appeared first on TheWrap.

Anderson Cooper Drops UTA and Moves to CAA for Representation

Anderson Cooper is shaking up his representation in a big way, bolting longtime agency UTA for CAA, TheWrap has learned.

‘Befitting his TV news A-list status, the CNN anchor and “60 Minutes” reporter will repped directly by Creative Artists Agency CEO Bryan Lourd,” according to Variety.

CAA declined to comment when contacted by TheWrap.

Cooper’s move comes amid trying times for both broadcast and cable news, as both face increasing pressure from increasingly dominant streaming platforms. This pressure has led some media companies to make drastic moves regarding their cable and broadcast properties.

For instance, NBCUniversal is spinning its cable news properties off into a . The company, which will be publicly-traded and standalone company, will include CNBC, MSNBC, USA Network, Oxygen, E!, SYFY, Golf Channel and digital assets Fandango, Rotten Tomatoes, GolfNow and SportsEngine.

More relevant to Cooper’s jobs, Warner Bros. Discovery, parent company of CNN, is splitting its global linear network and studios & streaming businesses in mid-2026.

The Studios & Streaming business will include Warner Bros. Television Group, Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group, DC Studios, HBO and HBO Max, Warner Bros. Games, Tours, Retail and Experiences, as well as studio production facilities in Burbank and Leavesden.

Global Networks will include Anderson’s employer CNN, TNT Sports in the U.S., Discovery, top free-to-air channels across Europe, Discovery+ and Bleacher Report (B/R). It will retain a 20% stake in the studios and streaming business to help the company deleverage and in what may portend rougher seas ahead for its constituent networks, is expected to take the majority of WBD’s roughly $37 billion in gross debt.

The post Anderson Cooper Drops UTA and Moves to CAA for Representation appeared first on TheWrap.

Trump Mocks ‘Kooky’ Tucker Carlson for Getting Fired From Fox After Disagreeing on Iran-Israel Conflict | Video

President Donald Trump scoffed at Tucker Carlson’s criticism of his handling of foreign policy Monday, jabbing at the former Fox News host’s career since his firing.

Last week Israel bombed Iran. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu justified the attacks, saying Iran was on the verge of building a nuclear weapon. Though Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States was not involved, American forces did help intercept an Iranian barrage of missiles aimed at Israel.

The former Fox News personality called Trump “complicit” in Israel’s attacks in his newsletter Friday and said that his involvement could lead to a “all-out war.”

When the president was asked for a response to the criticism from his one-time staunch supporter, Trump was quick to push Carlson back down.

“I don’t know what Tucker Carlson is saying,” Trump said. “Let him go get a television network and say it so that people listen.”

Watch the exchange here:

Reporter: "Do you have any response to Tucker Carlson criticizing you and saying you that were complicit in the war?"

Trump: "I don't know what Tucker Carlson is saying. Let him go get a television network and say it so that people listen." pic.twitter.com/NO9r6F0whc

— TheBlaze (@theblaze) June 16, 2025

Later this afternoon, Trump posted to Truth Social, mocking “kooky Tucker Carlson.”

Since being fired from his post at Fox News as the host of “Tucker Carlson Tonight” in 2023, the media personality relaunched his show on X. In 2024 Carlson launched a weekly podcast, “The Tucker Carlson Show.”

Though the controversial, right-wing commentator does not appear on a television network, his podcast averages about 250,000 listens on Spotify per episode. The media personality has over 4 million subscribers on YouTube and averages about 450,000 views per video.

Carlson has not posted a new episode of his show in five days, though he typically releases episodes on Mondays.

Earlier in the day Monday, Carlson appeared on Steve Bannon’s show “War Room” and gave his up-to-date take on the president.

“I actually really love Trump. I think he’s a deeply humane, kind person,” Carlson said. “But I’m really afraid that my country’s going to be further weakened by this. I think we’re gonna see the end of the American empire.”

You can watch Trump’s response to Carlson in the video above. You can listen to Carlson on “The War Room” here.

The post Trump Mocks ‘Kooky’ Tucker Carlson for Getting Fired From Fox After Disagreeing on Iran-Israel Conflict | Video appeared first on TheWrap.

‘F1’ Diretor Explains Why He Cut ‘Bridgerton’ Star Simone Ashley From the Movie

If you’re a “Bridgerton” fan planning on catching Brad Pitt’s Formula One racing epic “F1” to see Season 2 star Simone Ashley at work, you might want to reconsider.

Director Joseph Kosinski revealed in a Monday interview that the British star of the hit Netflix romance was cut in the film as part of an editing decision that saw three subplots in the blockbuster movie reworked and scrapped.

“It happens on every film, where you have to shoot more than you can use. There were two or three storylines that ultimately didn’t make into the final cut,” Kosinski told People. “But Simone, she’s an incredible talent, incredible actress, incredible singer, and I would love to work with her again.”

Ashley still appears onscreen in the Pitt-led ensemble project, which also co-stars Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Tobias Menzies, Kim Bodnia and Javier Bardem. But she does not have any lines of dialogue.

At pub time, the 30-year-old actress had not publicly shared her thoughts on being cut from the final film, but she has spoken here and there in previous interviews about her experience on the project and expressed gratitude for being cast.

“I have a very small part, but I’m grateful to be in that movie,” she told Elle in a recent interview. “I got to experience many Grands Prix. I don’t think I’ll ever do anything like that again.” She added that the experience was “crazy.”

Representatives for Ashley did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment.

“F1” is a years-in-the-making sports drama starring Pitt, directed by Kosinski and written by Ehren Kruger. It follows Sonny Hayes (Pitt), an aging Formula One driver who, forced into retirement after a near-fatal crash, returns to mentor a rising star in the sport, Joshua “Noah” Pearce (Idris) for the Apex Grand Prix team.

“F1” hits theaters June 27.

The post ‘F1’ Diretor Explains Why He Cut ‘Bridgerton’ Star Simone Ashley From the Movie appeared first on TheWrap.

Patrick Soon-Shiong to Launch ‘Cancer Decoded’ in Partnership With Mark Halperin’s 2Way

Los Angeles Times owner and biotech billionaire Patrick Soon-Shiong is partnering with 2Way to launch “Cancer Decoded,” to be co-hosted by the live video platform’s editor-in-chief Mark Halperin, who left ABC in 2017 after multiple allegations at the height of the #MeToo movement.

The show will run on Los Angeles Times Studios’ streaming platform as well as 2Way’s YouTube and X Channels, according to a Halperin Substack post. The first episode debuts Tuesday at 4:30 p.m and will focus on glioblastoma treatment with guest Simon Khagi, a neuro-oncologist in Orange County.

The purpose of “Cancer Decoded” is to “create a space where science is made understandable, where patients and families feel supported and where we share conversations and perspectives with compassion, honesty and the belief that knowledge empowers healing,” Soon-Shiong said in a statement.

Halperin, who rose to prominence at Time for his coverage of U.S. elections and political strategy, was political director at ABC in 2017 when multiple allegations of sexual misconduct emerged. 2Way is one of several efforts to re-enter the media landscape, a comeback that has been met with mixed reactions.

2Way launched in October and features shows such as “The Morning Meeting,” which Halperin hosts with Sean Spicer and Dan Turrentine.

The post Patrick Soon-Shiong to Launch ‘Cancer Decoded’ in Partnership With Mark Halperin’s 2Way appeared first on TheWrap.

Warner Bros. Discovery to ‘Significantly Reduce’ David Zaslav’s Annual Pay After Split

After shareholders rejected David Zaslav’s $51.9 million pay package for 2024, Warner Bros. Discovery’s says it will “significantly reduce” the CEO’s annual compensation following the split of its global linear network and studios & streaming businesses in mid-2026.

Per a Monday filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, WBD will lower Zaslav’s annual cash compensation opportunity and shift the mix in his pay towards long-term incentives. As part of this change, the company will no longer specify performance metric weighting that applies to the annual cash incentive opportunity, annual performance equity awards or performance periods for the annual performance equity awards.

Zaslav will also receive a one-time inducement designed to “incentivize the successful completion of the Separation and stockholder value creation.” Additionally, the compensation committee also adopted a “double-trigger cash severance” provision for Zaslav in the event of a change in control transaction.

“We structured the new compensation packages to address shareholders’ feedback by fostering pay-for-performance alignment, ensuring industry-standard pay structures, and incentivizing contributions to position the two new leading media companies for success and shareholder value creation,” WBD board chairman Samuel A. Di Piazza, Jr. said in a statement.

Upon completion of the separation, Zaslav will become CEO of Streaming & Studios. Under his contract that runs through Dec. 31, 2030, he will receive a $3 million base salary per year and his annual cash bonus opportunity will be reduced to $6 million, with the actual payout based on the achievement of performance goals set by the compensation committee. The annual bonus payout is subject to a cap of 200% of the target amount.

Zaslav will also be eligible for annual equity awards with a target value of $15.5 million in the first year and will be reduced to an annual target value of $7.5 million per year thereafter.

Half of the value of any annual equity grant will be in the form of performance-based restrictive stock units, while the other half will be in the form of time-based restrictive stock units. In the first year of the separation, the annual target bonus will be prorated and Zaslav will only receive one annual equity award for the year.

On June 12, he received a stock option award consisting of 20,898,776 shares in the form of 60% performance-vesting stock options and 40% time-based stock options. The performance based options, which are divided into three tranches of 4,179,755 shares each, will be based on the following targets being reached by June 12, 2030:

Tranche A: achievement over a period of 30 consecutive days of a volume-weighted average stock price (a “VWAP Price”) equal to or exceeding 120% of the exercise price ($12.19)Tranche B: achievement of a VWAP price equal to or exceeding 150% of the exercise price ($15.24)Tranche C: achievement of a VWAP price equal to or exceeding 165% of the exercise price ($16.76)

Additionally, he’ll receive an option award for 3,052,734 shares on Jan. 2, 2026, which will be subject to the same split of performance-vesting and time-based vesting conditions, provided that he remains employed on that date. 92% of the stock option grant is subject to forfeiture if a separation or a qualifying transaction does not occur prior to Dec. 31, 2026. If WBD’s stock price exceeds $10.16 per share on Jan. 2, Zaslav will receive additional awards to address lost economic value attributable to the higher exercise price.

Under the new agreement, Zaslav will no longer have a “walk away right,” which allows him to voluntarily terminate his employment between 30 and 60 days following a change in control and receive substantial severance benefits.

Zaslav will continue to be required to hold 1.5 million WBD shares until the separation and an equivalent number of shares of Streaming & Studios following the separation.

Prior to the separation, Zaslav will be eligible for the same employee benefits that he was entitled to under the prior agreement. Those benefits include four weeks of vacation per year, insurance and retirement plans, a car allowance of $1,400 per month and use of a company-provided or other private aircraft for up to 125 hours of personal use per year. If the separation doesn’t occur, those benefits will be available through Dec. 31, 2027.

The post Warner Bros. Discovery to ‘Significantly Reduce’ David Zaslav’s Annual Pay After Split appeared first on TheWrap.

Press Groups Sue LAPD, Chief Jim McDonnell for Alleged Assaults of Journalists at ICE Raid Protests

Two press advocacy groups are suing the LAPD and Police Chief Jim McDonnell in a California federal court, alleging that police assaulted journalists and blocked their access to permitted areas during recent immigration-raid protests in Southern California.

The lawsuit, obtained by TheWrap, states that the journalists’ First and 14th Amendment rights were violated in sometimes “targeted” attacks. The filing seeks remedies to prevent further misconduct by the department.

“The widespread use of force against journalists by LAPD officers indicates an intent to prevent public scrutiny of police conduct toward demonstrators,” the lawsuit reads.

The suit was filed by Status Coup, an investigative reporting network, and the L.A. Press Club, alleging that among others, independent journalist Tina Berg was forcibly removed by law enforcement officers from areas where she was allowed to record during the demonstrations earlier this month.

In one case, she was more than 100 feet from demonstrators when she was told she was being made to leave for her own safety. It also notes that reporters from Cal Matters and The New York Times were shot by non-lethal rounds during ICE raid protests.

“In each of these cases the journalists in question were simply reporting on the protests as they had a right and duty to do,” the lawsuit states, noting that none “were engaged in conduct that would have justified the use of any force against them much less the force that was used.”

It also notes the widely shared moment in which Australian journalist Lauren Tomasi was shot in the leg with a rubber bullet while conducting a live broadcast. “The officer looked directly at her and fired,” the complaint alleges.

Another reporter, Jeremy Lindenfeld, was struck in the abdomen while wearing press credentials. “Journalists were not caught in the crossfire — they were targeted,” the National Press Club wrote in a supporting statement.

The LAPD did not immediately respond Monday to a request for comment.

Filed Friday in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, the suit claims LAPD officers violated state and federal laws protecting press freedoms by using excessive force, detaining reporters unlawfully and denying them access to areas critical for coverage.

“Being a journalist in Los Angeles is now a dangerous profession,” the complaint reads. The plaintiffs claim these actions reflect a systemic disregard for court orders and state statutes designed to safeguard press access.

The legal action points to previous LAPD misconduct during protests, including the 2007 May Day rally and the 2020 George Floyd demonstrations. The state of California has since enacted legislation to prohibit the use of force against journalists and guarantee their access.

“The LAPD has a long history of obstructing the press, and recent events demonstrate that they have learned nothing from past court rulings or legislative mandates,” wrote Carol Sobel, an attorney representing the plaintiffs.

The lawsuit seeks a court injunction to prevent future violations, a declaratory judgment affirming the city’s obligations to protect press freedoms, and attorneys’ fees.

The post Press Groups Sue LAPD, Chief Jim McDonnell for Alleged Assaults of Journalists at ICE Raid Protests appeared first on TheWrap.

‘Yanuni’ Review: Tribeca Fest Closes With Timely and Inspiring Eco-Doc

In 2009, 18-year-old Juma Xipaia announced that her destiny would be “fighting for the Indigenous cause. Standing up for my people. My life,” she added with understated prescience, “is going to be one of struggle.” Just six years later, she became the first female chief of the Middle Xingu, in Brazil’s Amazon basin. Since then, she has led a movement for international protection of the Amazon, survived half a dozen assassination attempts, studied law and medicine, served as Brazil’s first Secretary of Indigenous Rights, and become a mother. She is currently 34 years old.

For five years, documentarian Richard Ladkani (“Jane’s Journey”) embedded himself and his crew with Juma and her husband Hugo, the head of Special Operations for Brazil’s EPA. Though she is the primary focus, the result is an inspiring portrait of two undeniably remarkable environmental advocates. We are by their side as they experience both unexpected highs and devastating lows, which are impacted dramatically by the nature of Brazilian politics. When the autocratic Jair Bolsonaro is elected, the fate of the Amazon declines severely, and when he is defeated by the socially liberal Lula, there are hints of promise and even progress.

Juma is a producer on the film, which does undermine any sense of objectivity; “Yanuni” is as reverential as a portrait can be. But it also ensures immediate and intense access, allowing us to be present wherever she and Hugo may be: political meetings, raids on illegal mining camps, the hospital room where she gives birth.

Leonardo DiCaprio is also a producer, which adds a bit of gloss to an unexpected choice for the Tribeca Festival’s closing night film. But to the festival’s great credit, this unabashedly sober, openly political eco-doc is not a typical gala entry. Without a high-profile slot at a major festival, a film like this might very well get overlooked. As Juma clearly knows, when there is no end to exploitation, there is no rest for the exploited.

Which is, likely, why she wanted to participate in a documentary like this one. Land grabbing, mining, overfishing, logging: the avaricious claims on the Amazon and its Indigenous people are nearly endless. And every time she and Hugo expose or destroy one group of evildoers another appears, ready to make money while contaminating water, poisoning children, starving villages.

“We’ve been at war for a very long time,” Juma explains. The Amazon “is not just a forest. She’s our mother. She is knowledge, and the cure. They’re invading, stealing our territories. Our sacred place, home of the enchanted, of our protectors, of the animals, and the rivers they are drying up.”

The world may never free itself of corrupt leaders, or the careless opportunists who follow them like parasites. Which means that not only do we need more activists like Juma and Hugo, we need to know more about them, too. “Yanuni” is an ideal place to begin.

The post ‘Yanuni’ Review: Tribeca Fest Closes With Timely and Inspiring Eco-Doc appeared first on TheWrap.

Pedro Pascal Lookalike Contest Won by ‘Daily Show’ Crew Member

George Gountas, a lighting designer on “The Daily Show,” was the big winner of Sunday’s Pedro Pascal lookalike contest after being chosen as the entrant who most resembles the “Materialists” star. Gountas won $50 and a year’s supply of burritos from the Lower East Side’s Son Del North Mexican restaurant.

Contestant no. 5 wins Pedro Pascal lookalike contest on Father’s Day.

: James Kleinmann pic.twitter.com/Ax1QORDAPZ

— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) June 15, 2025

Gountas’ wife Jenny Gania told the New York Post the couple have been told of her husband’s resemblance to Pascal for a few years. “It started when the ‘Game of Thrones’ came out the first time — that’s when we first heard it,” she said. “Then some kids started noting it, too, so I was like, when we saw this [contest], I was like, ‘It’s Father’s Day. You have to go. It’s going to be your Father’s Day treat.”

“It’s funny, because he’s not on social media at all. But now he’s going to be everywhere,” she added.

Restaurant owner Annisha Garcia said she was inspired by a 2023 comment from Pascal about Mexican food, when the actor claimed there was nowhere to find any in the entire city. “I’m, ‘So sorry, but there’s no Mexican, good Mexican food in New York?,” Garcia explained. “And we were like, ‘There is, and we are here.’”

Gountas beat out around 30 other contestants to take home the honors.

The lookalike contest is not the only one that’s been held in the city. In October actor Timothée Chalamet crashed his own lookalike contest, much to the delight of participants and the assembled crowd.

The post Pedro Pascal Lookalike Contest Won by ‘Daily Show’ Crew Member appeared first on TheWrap.

Nezza Ignored LA Dodgers’ Request for English National Anthem, Chose the Spanish Version Instead: ‘Para Mi Gente’

As protests against the Trump administration’s immigration policy reverberated through the city, Singer Vanessa Hernández, who is more commonly known as Nezza, was told by the Los Angeles Dodgers she should sing the national anthem in English Saturday night. She sang the song in Spanish instead, “para mi gente,” she explained via TikTok.

The Dodgers have not commented on the performance.

DEPORT? Dodgers game singer performs the National Anthem in Spanish to protest ICE raids, despite being asked not to. pic.twitter.com/KMUtwiy3fJ

— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) June 15, 2025

Nezza sang “El Pendón Estrellado,” the official Spanish version of the national anthem. The song was commissioned by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1945. Clotilde Arias, a journalist and professional musician who had immigrated to the United States from Peru, was asked to translate the anthem into Spanish.

Roosevelt died before he could hear the song, which “became forgotten,” explained We Are All Human founder Gloria Romo Edelman in 2020. Arias’ grandson found the song in a storage box in 2006 and brought it back to life.

That history made Nezza’s decision all the more poignant, especially as protests against Trump were organized across the nation Saturday. A “No Kings” protest in Los Angeles drew 30,000 participants yesterday.

@babynezza

para mi gente i stand with you

♬ original sound – nezz

“We are going to do the song in English today,” someone with the Dodgers told Nezza in another video she posted Sunday. “I’m not sure if that wasn’t relayed.” The singer sang the song she wanted to perform anyway, all while wearing a shirt representing the Dominican Republic.

“I didn’t think I’d be met with any sort of no,” Nezza said in one of her videos. “Especially because we’re in L.A., and with everything happening. I’ve sang the national anthem many times in my life, but today, out of all days, I could not. I just felt like I needed to do it. Para mi gente.”

The New York Times reported Sunday Nezza was not kicked out of the stadium and she has not been banned from future appearances.

With the exception of Kiké Hernández, the Dodgers have been silent on the ongoing protests. “I may not be Born & Raised, but this city adopted me as one of their own. I am saddened and infuriated by what’s happening in our country and our city. Los Angeles and Dodger fans have welcomed me, supported me and shown me nothing but kindness and love.”

“This is my second home. And I cannot stand to see our community being violated, profiled, abused and ripped apart. ALL people deserve to be treated with respect, dignity and human rights. #CityOfImmigrants,” he captioned a post shared via Instagram Saturday. The caption was also shared in Spanish.

The post Nezza Ignored LA Dodgers’ Request for English National Anthem, Chose the Spanish Version Instead: ‘Para Mi Gente’ appeared first on TheWrap.