Steve Pond's Blog, page 120

‘No Kings’ Protests in Photos: Chicken Costumes, Anti-Fascism Signs and Police Stand-Offs

Large crowds gathered Saturday across the nation to protest the Trump administration’s deportation and detainment of immigrants, as well as the president’s $45 million military parade on what happens to be his 79th birthday.

Photos from the events largely show calm, but determined, protestors who began pouring into public areas, including Downtown Los Angeles, Liberty Plaza in Atlanta; at the state capitol in Nashville; outside Trump’s home in Mar-a-Lago and dozens of other locations.

Trump’s own military parade is set to begin at 6:30 p.m. The parade route will begin at the Pentagon and end at the White House.

Palm Beach, Florida

Crowds gathered near Trump’s home at Mar-a-Lago, where they were met by Palm Beach Sheriff officers.

WEST PALM BEACH, FLORIDA – JUNE 14: Palm Beach Sheriff officers keep protesters from crossing a bridge to President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home during a “No Kings Day” protest on June 14, 2025 in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)Amy Shaw dressed as a chicken joins with other protesters as they prepare to march near President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home during a “No Kings Day” protest on June 14, 2025 in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Getty Images)WEST PALM BEACH, FLORIDA – JUNE 14: Palm Beach Sheriff officers keep protesters from crossing a bridge to President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home during a “No Kings Day” protest on June 14, 2025 in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)WEST PALM BEACH, FLORIDA – JUNE 14: A cyclist raises his fist in support of a protest march near President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home during a “No Kings Day” protest on June 14, 2025 in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)WEST PALM BEACH, FLORIDA – JUNE 14: Protesters prepare to march near President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home during a “No Kings Day” protest on June 14, 2025 in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)WEST PALM BEACH, FLORIDA – JUNE 14: Protesters stand near President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home (in background) during a “No Kings Day” protest on June 14, 2025 in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)Los Angeles, California

Protests continued in downtown LA, where crowds have met daily to protest ongoing ICE raids in the city.

LOS ANGELES- JUNE 14: Protesters gather in downtown Los Angeles for an anti-Trump “No Kings Day” demonstration in a city that has been the focus of protests against Trump’s immigration raids on June 14, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)LOS ANGELES- JUNE 14: Thousands of protesters gather in downtown Los Angeles for an anti-Trump “No Kings Day” demonstration in a city that has been the focus of protests against Trump’s immigration raids on June 14, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)Native Americans perform a traditional dance as thousands of protesters gather in downtown Los Angeles for an anti-Trump “No Kings Day” demonstration in a city that has been the focus of protests against Trump’s immigration raids on June 14, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)LOS ANGELES- JUNE 14: Thousands of protesters gather in downtown Los Angeles for an anti-Trump “No Kings Day” demonstration. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)Atlanta, GeorgiaPeople take part in a “No Kings” protest at Liberty Plaza in Atlanta, Georgia, on June 14, 2025. (Photo by Elijah Nouvelage / AFP)People take part in a “No Kings” protest at Liberty Plaza in Atlanta, Georgia, on June 14, 2025 (Photo by Elijah Nouvelage / AFP)People take part in a “No Kings” protest at Liberty Plaza in Atlanta, Georgia, on June 14, 2025 (Photo by Elijah Nouvelage / AFP)

More to come…

The post ‘No Kings’ Protests in Photos: Chicken Costumes, Anti-Fascism Signs and Police Stand-Offs appeared first on TheWrap.

7 Charming Action-Thrillers Like ‘The Accountant 2’ to Watch Next

“The Accountant 2” is a fun, charming action thriller. It may not be the sequel that fans of its 2016 parent film were expecting, but that is why it works. It doubles down on the electric chemistry between its stars, Ben Affleck and Jon Bernthal, to deliver a sequel that has many of the same ingredients as the original “Accountant” but even more heart. As contradictory as it may seem to call a sequel original, “The Accountant 2” is, thanks to its combination of familial drama, intrigue and unsparing, pulse-pounding action, a unique concoction.

There are some films, however, that scratch the same itches as it. Case in point: Here are seven movies like “The Accountant 2” that you should watch next if you loved the film (assuming, of course, you have already seen the first “Accountant”).

“Warrior” (Lionsgate)“Warrior” (2011)

“Warrior” has more in common with “The Accountant 2” than the fact that they were both directed by the same filmmaker, Gavin O’Connor. Set in the world of mixed martial arts, the film follows two estranged brothers (Joel Edgerton and Tom Hardy) whose tortured relationship is brought front and center when they end up competing in the same MMA tournament. Like “The Accountant 2,” the film is ultimately about the difficult bond between its central brothers, and both movies handle their stories with the same violent machismo swagger and grizzled heart. If “Warrior” is not already on your watchlist, it should be.

“Midnight Run” (Universal Pictures)“Midnight Run” (1988)

“Midnight Run” is not just a noted favorite film of “The Accountant 2” star Ben Affleck’s. It is also a perfect companion film to that sequel. Directed by Martin Brest, “Midnight Run” follows a bounty hunter (Robert De Niro) who is hired to transport an in-hiding accountant (Charles Grodin) from New York City to Los Angeles. Along the way, De Niro’s Jack has to try to outsmart the pissed-off mob bosses and FBI agents who want to capture Grodin’s Jonathan themselves. An unlikely friendship forms between the two men, and while it is more of a straightforward comedy than “The Accountant 2,” “Midnight Run” has all of the action that fans of the former film could possibly want. It also packs the same earned, surprising emotional punch.

“Lethal Weapon” (Warner Bros. Pictures)“Lethal Weapon” (1987)

This one should not come as much of a surprise. Martin Riggs (Mel Gibson) and Roger Murtaugh (Danny Glover) may not actually be brothers in 1987’s “Lethal Weapon,” but their unpolished-vs-professional dynamic brilliantly mirrors the one shared by Affleck’s Christian and Bernthal’s Braxton in “The Accountant 2.” Both films are extremely effective, action-packed thrill rides as well, and they share the same lighthearted sense of humor. Directed by Richard Donner and written by “The Nice Guys” filmmaker Shane Black, “Lethal Weapon” is a buddy-cop dramedy thats influence can be felt even on films like “The Accountant 2,” despite it focusing on characters who operate on the other side of the law.

“Taken” (EuropaCorp Distribution)“Taken” (2008)

“Taken” has none of the comedic elements that “The Accountant 2” does, and it is a strikingly darker film. It does not have the same, unlikely-partners dynamic at the center of it, either. The film follows an ex-CIA officer (Liam Neeson) who sets out on a quest to save his daughter (Maggie Grace) and hunt down her Albanian human trafficker kidnappers. “Taken,” in other words, addresses some of the same social issues as “The Accountant 2.” Like that latter film, this iconic, oft-quoted 2008 thriller also offers moviegoers the rare, fantastical pleasure of getting to watch a well-trained vigilante bring justice to some of the most despicable criminals imaginable.

“Hell or High Water” (CBS Films)“Hell or High Water” (2016)

If “The Accountant 2” has left you in the mood for other, stirring and thrilling crime movies, then look no further than “Hell or High Water.” This 2016 drama from director David Mackenzie and writer Taylor Sheridan follows two brothers (Chris Pine and Ben Foster) who commit a series of daring bank heists in order to raise enough money to save their family ranch. The longer their crime spree goes on, however, the closer two determined Texas Rangers (Jeff Bridges and Gil Birmingham) get to catching them. Soulful and elegantly made, “Hell or High Water” is a propulsive, contemplative thriller that does not make a single misstep.

“The Sisters Brothers” (Annapurna Pictures)“The Sisters Brothers” (2018)

A wildly underrated dramedy, director Jacques Audiard’s “The Sisters Brothers” is a no-nonsense Western about the importance of family, especially in a world that is brimming with brutal, intentional and incidental violence. Based on a novel by Patrick deWitt, the film centers on Eli and Charlie Sisters (John C. Reilly and Joaquin Phoenix), a pair of assassin brothers, who set out in pursuit of a private detective (Jake Gyllenhaal) and a scientist (Riz Ahmed) who have concocted a plan to get rich quick mining gold together. The film flew under the radar when it was originally released seven years ago, but it is well worth your time. Not only is it a rewarding and engaging thriller, but it also has a shockingly tender heart not at all unlike the one at the center of “The Accountant 2.”

“Wolfs” (Apple TV+)“Wolfs” (2024)

Jon Bernthal and Ben Affleck just make sense as a screen duo, and that is what makes “The Accountant 2” so enjoyable. The same is true of George Clooney and Brad Pitt in “Wolfs.” This low-key Apple TV+ crime comedy from “Spider-Man: No Way Home” director Jon Watts follows two nameless criminal fixers who are forced against their will to work together to resolve the same problem. Over the course of one long, winding night, the two end up relating to each other in surprising ways, all while fighting desperately to hold onto their lives and professional reputations. More off-beat and less open-hearted than “The Accountant 2,” “Wolfs” will satisfy any viewer interested in spending a few hours watching two movie stars shoot bullets and crack jokes together.

The post 7 Charming Action-Thrillers Like ‘The Accountant 2’ to Watch Next appeared first on TheWrap.

‘Bridgerton’ Actress Uses Boxing Skills to Thwart Would-Be Phone Thief: ‘Was an Instinct’

“Bridgerton” actress Genevieve Chenneour isn’t easily rattled — at least, that’s what footage of an attempted phone robbery earlier this year seems to show. Chenneour, a former Amateur Boxing Association qualified boxer who also represented Great Britain at international artistic swimming events, told ITV this week that defending herself during the thwarted attack “was an instinct.”

Chenneour admitted the moment transpired quickly.

“I had a bit of a sixth sense that something wasn’t quite right, as woman you have that kind of intuition and I could feel people moving around me in a different way but I only became aware of it once the incident had happened,” she explained.

“I don’t know if I would advise anybody else to do it, I think I have very quick reactions, thanks to having three brothers growing up and I’m an aviated carded boxer,” she explained. ““I think it just was an instinct, I also do a lot of fight training for work and acting … I thought that was a normal reaction and I read all the comments [from the CCTV footage] and realized, actually a lot of people would just let them take the phone.”

Her attacker ramped things up and threatened to stab her, so Chenneour responded with the same energy. “It became a real matter, in my mind, life and death. So, I did things like, I remember kicking him back with my leg to create space in case he had a weapon on him … It was just a life-changing, crazy moment.”

Chenneour also said there’s a silver lining to the incident.

“It opened up so many conversations with people that I know and don’t know and I’ve been really made aware of how many people are living with that anxiety, men that have had their phone stolen and women. I can only talk from a woman’s perspective but I do know that men are dealing with that same level of anxiety.”

“I didn’t want to go outside. I mean as a woman we already, I think, have our wits about us around strangers and random men,” she said. “So, to have this happen to me while dealing with that base level that a lot of women have, just made me quite agoraphobic. Leaving the house was really hard.”

The thief, who was identified as Zacariah Boulares, also attacked TV host Aled Jones in 2023.

The post ‘Bridgerton’ Actress Uses Boxing Skills to Thwart Would-Be Phone Thief: ‘Was an Instinct’ appeared first on TheWrap.

Where to Watch ‘Past Lives’: Is Celine Song’s First Film Streaming?

Celine Song’s newest film “Materialists” is now in theaters, and yes, it’s just her second film ever. Her first was “Past Lives,” which scored two Oscar nominations in 2024.

“Past Lives” is also a love story, but not quite a rom-com. It tells the story of a man and a woman who met and fell in puppy love as kids, who then keep intersecting with each other later in life. It’s all about the “what ifs,” but we won’t spoil it for you.

Here’s where you can watch it now.

When did “Past Lives” come out?

“Past Lives” debuted in 2023 at the Sundance Film Festival, and released widely in the United States on June 2, 2023.

Where is “Past Lives” streaming?

You can currently watch “Past Lives” on Netflix.

Who’s in it?

The film stars Greta Lee, Teo Yoo, and John Magaro. As the story is focused on Nora (Lee) and Hae Sung (Yoo), the cast is pretty small.

What is it about?

The official synopsis is: “Nora and Hae Sung, two deeply connected childhood friends, are wrest apart after Nora’s family emigrates from South Korea. Two decades later, they are reunited in New York for one fateful week as they confront notions of destiny, love, and the choices that make a life, in this heartrending modern romance.”

Watch the trailer

The post Where to Watch ‘Past Lives’: Is Celine Song’s First Film Streaming? appeared first on TheWrap.

‘Dancing With the Stars’ Host Julianne Hough Breaks Down Resurgence for Season 33, Teases ‘Biggest Season Yet’

Julianne Hough has been involved in “Dancing With the Stars” in some capacity for nearly 20 years, long enough to see a resurgence for the ABC ballroom competition show among younger viewers during last season’s 33rd installment.

“We’ve seen multigenerations follow the show for years, but now, the babies that were born when their parents first started watching the show are now 18, and they’re creating their own new generation of people who love the show,” Hough, who now hosts the show, told TheWrap. “There’s just been this whole new resurgence of life like back into the show.”

Hough points to Olympian Ilona Maher as one Season 33 contestant who raised the bar for “Dancing With the Stars” with her vulnerability on the show, and brought in a new generation of fans who followed her on social media during the Paris Games. “Dancing” will draw in a similar younger audience as it welcomes influencer Alix Earle to Season 34 — one of the only celebrity contestants announced for the new season so far — alongside Robert Irwin.

“I am like everyone else at the moment where I have no idea who else is on the show, and I’m just as intrigued to find out as everyone else,” Hough said. “There’s an energy around the show right now, and I feel like it’s gonna be our biggest season yet.”

What Hough continues to love about “Dancing With the Stars” is its focus on transformation, which serves as an inspiration for fans as well. “Sometimes the best dancers don’t make it to the very end, but it’s the people who show up in absolute vulnerability [who make it to the end],” she said. “Even if they’re scared to do so, they commit to putting themselves out there.”

Hough joined “Dancing With the Stars” as a dance pro in 2007, before eventually moving on to become a judge on the show and now, serves as the co-host of “Dancing” alongside Alfonso Ribeiro. Hough sees her evolution on “Dancing” as the “perfect expression of life,” as her time as a dance pro and judge centered on her expressing herself and spreading that wisdom.

Julianne Hough, Chandler Kinney and Brandon Armstrongon “Dancing With the Stars” (Disney/Eric McCandless)

“This new chapter for me … is about how can I contribute and serve the people around me so that they can shine, and holding that space as a host to do so,” Hough said. “Hopefully, because I’ve been a part of the show for almost 20 years, there is a sense of authenticity, integrity and trust built in with our audience [and] the people who followed along from the very beginning.”

Throughout her career, dance has been a through-line for Hough as she explored different industries — from acting to music to entrepreneurship — with her on-screen roles often including dance, like “Burlesque,” “Footloose,” “Grease Live!” or “Rock of Ages.” Soon, she will appear in Maggie Gyllenhaal’s “The Bride!” which also stars Jessie Buckley and Christian Bale, and is slated to debut in theaters on March 6, 2026.

“It’s a stacked cast full of the most incredible artists, telling a … modern day monster story, but showcasing … the female perspective as well,” Hough said. “I get to dance in it, and really showcase where I shine.”

Hough has had a partner-in-crime by her side in her brother, Derek Hough, who currently serves as a judge on “Dancing With the Stars.” “Like any brother-sister relationship, we have our moments where we clash … but what’s so great about it is that we actually challenge each other to raise each other’s standards,” Hough said of their sibling relationship.

With her goal of giving in her next chapter, the brother-sister duo founded Ovation, a next-gen dance convention and competition tour for kids ages 7-18, as well as DanceOne, which will begin touring late 2025.

“We’re hoping that we can take all of our years of experience in the professional world and bring it to these young kids and elevate dance … in the best way we can, as well as give them the kind of training that we would have absolutely loved if we were kids to blend the two worlds of jazz, contemporary, hip hop, tap, as well as the ballroom in the Latin space,” Hough said.

As for what additional projects might be on the horizon for Hough, she’s focused on reclaiming her power as she looks back on projects in her career where she lost some of her power. “I’m in a very new clean slate building place right now, and I have some really exciting things on the horizon,” she said.

Past seasons of “Dancing With the Stars” are now streaming on Hulu.

The post ‘Dancing With the Stars’ Host Julianne Hough Breaks Down Resurgence for Season 33, Teases ‘Biggest Season Yet’ appeared first on TheWrap.

The 7 Best Sci-Fi Shows Streaming on Prime Video Right Now

Every streaming service has a host of great sci-fi tv offerings, but Prime Video boasts some of the very best.

Whether you want to be time-traveling, watching regular people with superpowers, or have a good, serious look at the rigors of space travel, there is something for everyone on Prime. Fans of the genre can truly eat good, but there are so many options that it can be tough to fight the choice paralysis.

Below are seven of the very best sci-fi offerings on the streaming service from “The Expanse” to “Heroes.” Check them out and settle your next binge-watch.

AmazonThe Expanse

We’re starting with the best of the best. “The Expanse” is the best hard sci-fi show to come out in the last decade. The series – an adaptation of the James S.A. Corey books – examines what our solar system might look like once we take to the stars.

Humans mostly fall into three factions: the UN, made up of Earth and the moon, the latest settlers of Mars, and the people of The Belt – those who grew up in the furthest reaches of the system on asteroids or space stations. When a new alien molecule finds its way into human hands, it sparks off a mad fight for control.

There are space battles, there are political intrigues, there are romance and murder, and everything in between. “The Expanse” is aces through and through.

Walton Goggins as The Ghoul in “Fallout” (Prime Video)Fallout

Video game adaptations are having their moment in the sun lately and “Fallout” is the latest shining example of one done right. Taking place in the titular fallout of a world that turned their nukes on each other, the series follows a group of survivors – one an irradiated Ghoul, another the sheltered resident of one of the many Vaults dotting the world, a third a flunky in the military group the Brotherhood of Steel – navigating the world.

As usual, Walton Goggins is a delight in full burn makeup as The Ghoul, a western cowboy monster, but it’s Ella Purnell who really pulls people in. The show hails from Jonathan Nolan (of “Westworld” and “Person of Interest” fame) and looks to be Prime Video’s next long-term hit.

Jim Caviezel and Michael Emerson in “Person of Interest” (CREDIT: CBS)Person of Interest

“Person of Interest” is only getting more timely as the world progresses. The series follows a man who invented a machine that can identify people who will commit a crime in the near future and the team he assembles to save lives. The show starts as a very standard CBS procedural, but over the five-season run, it evolves into a much more serialized story about the dangers of a surveillance state.

Michael Emerson is excellent as always in the show – and he should arguably be known for his role as Finch equally as much as “Lost’s” Ben Linus – but the show hits its stride when Amy Acker’s Root and Sarah Shahi’s Shaw join the show. Their chemistry with each other, and everyone else on the show, only elevates.

Man in the High Castle (Credit: Prime Video)The Man in the High Castle

Alternate realities and the multiverse are all the rage now, but “The Man in the High Castle” was ahead of the curve when it came to exploring those concepts. Set in an alternate history where the Third Reich one World War 2 and America is looking quite a bit different, the series follows a group of freedom fighters who also learn of another world where the Nazis lost the war. Now if they can just figure out how to get there.

Heroes (Credit: NBC)Heroes

The quality of “Heroes” really fluctuated across its four-season run, but when it sang, it really sang. Like one of the many popularized taglines said, the show was about a number of ordinary people with abilities letting them do extraordinary things, and that X-Men-like concept captivated audiences for a time.

Mileage may vary on the show as a whole, but any sci-fi fan should watch the show’s first season. It remains one of the great single seasons of TV to be made in the 2000s and the mania around “Heroes” during it is a testament to that.

Timeless (Credit: NBC)Timeless

Settling in Eric Kripke’s career following “Supernatural” and before “The Boys” – “Timeless” is an underappreciated series that clearly had a roadmap of stories that far outstretched its two-season run. The formula is simple: bad guy wants to mess with time, good guys put together a ragtag group to follow and stop him.

Abigail Spencer, Matt Lanter, and Malcolm Barrett have solid chemistry as they era-hop week to week. The show is also one of the rare few that was canceled and then uncanceled due to fan reaction. What little we got of “Timeless” was a blessing, thinking about all we missed is a curse.

Continuum (Credit: Syfy)Continuum

Shows don’t need the biggest budget to be a high-class sci-fi show – just look at “Continuum.” The Syfy series ran for four seasons and follows a police officer in 2077 hunting for a group of terrorists called Liber8 bent on taking down the various corporations that call the shots in the world. The group makes their move and figures out a way to escape repercussions by traveling through time, and the officer follows them.

The show is crisp, it’s fun, it knows its strengths and excels at all of them. If you want an easy sci-fi romp, “Continuum” is the show for you.

The post The 7 Best Sci-Fi Shows Streaming on Prime Video Right Now appeared first on TheWrap.

‘No Kings’ Immigration Protests Swarm Streets Across the Nation, Rain Delays Trump’s D.C. Military Parade

UPDATE 5:30 p.m.:
Saturday’s military parade celebrating the 250th anniversary of the United States Army – which just happened to coincide with Donald Trump’s birthday – rolled as planned in Washington, D.C., despite thunderstorms that delayed the procession by 30 minutes and a firestorm of protests around the nation that sought to oppose it.

Tanks, troops and aircraft paraded through central Washington, which was secluded by tall, black crowd-control fences. After the rain delay, the procession was uninterrupted, as social media users posted images of sparse crowds on the Mall and parade route, with people coming and going throughout the day to see modern and vintage equipment and uniforms stream through the streets and overhead.

The parade was the first of its kind since American troops returned from the Gulf War in 1991.

WASHINGTON, DC – JUNE 11: A U.S. Army reviewing stand in front of the White House ahead of the Army’s 250th birthday parade and celebration. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

UPDATE 4:30 p.m.:
Mark Ruffalo, Ellen Pompeo, Kerry Washington, Jimmy Kimmel, and many more notable people and celebrities spoke out in support of the nationwide protests or joined themselves, posting images from marches, messages on social media and speaking with reporters Saturday during the “No Kings” demonstrations.

“We see a president who has made himself a king and a dictator,” Ruffalo said. “And we don’t see an opposition that’s powerful enough to stand up against the trampling of our rights, and trampling the Constitution that’s happening every single day with executive orders. With the refusal to obey court orders. Kidnapping of immigrants, people who are here illegally, people whose children are being taken from them. We’re disgusted and we’re scared. And we know that the only way that — to fight this now is for the people, is to come together.”

Mark Ruffalo and Susan Sarandon, along with thousands of New Yorkers, march in opposition of Donald Trump’s presidency on the day of the military parade celebrating the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army on June 14, 2025 in New York, New York (Alex Kent/Getty Images)

UPDATE 2:30 p.m.:
One of the largest and liveliest “No Kings” rallies took place Saturday in Los Angeles, where thousands of people streamed to Grand Park in downtown to protest Donald Trump’s immigration policies. Waving signs an flags, the multitude marched along Hill Street, passing a line of National Guard troops protecting a federal building, the Los Angeles Times reported.

The “No Kings” logo – a hand-drawn crown with a red slashed circle – was everywhere, including on the shirt of Richard Ramsey, an Orange County resident who made the drive to central Los Angeles because of what he sees as government overreach.

LOS ANGELES, CA  – JUNE 14, 2025 – – Thousands participate in the, “No Kings” Day demonstration in Grand Park in downtown Los Angeles on June 14, 2025. (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

“We live in a democracy not an autocracy,” the 66-year-old said.

Click here to see a wide variety of images from the No Kings protests taking place Saturday across the nation.

UPDATE 11:30 a.m.:
At a rally of thousands before the Capitol building in St. Paul, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison paid tribute to State Rep. Melissa Hortman, who was shot and killed overnight, along with her husband, by an assassin dressed as a police officer. The assailant, who also shot a state senator and his wife – still fighting for their lives on Saturday following surgery – was still at large.

“Melissa was a valiant, brave, true warrior and truly compassionate person,” Ellison said. “I want you to know a little bit about Melissa, because Melissa is a person where if you did the things she did, yo’d be on the right track in life. She was a powerful political leader, but she also was a passionate and kind person. Melissa proved you can be a politician, and be a good person … she really was both.”

Ellison turned his ire toward the Trump administration’s immigration policy, repeatedly saying “No kings! No kings!” from the dais and calling the president a dictator. “Every single thing he does is so illegal and unconstitutional.”

“[Hortman] understood that everyone was entitled to due process. She understood that the rule of law is important in a free society. …. she was a beautiful human being.”

PREVIOUSLY:
From Southern California to Washington, D.C., and all points between, large crowds began to gather for the planned “No Kings” rally against the Trump administration’s ongoing immigration enforcement efforts on Saturday, the same day the president was set to preside over a 250th anniversary military parade on his 79th birthday.

The demonstrations followed a week of heated clashes between ICE protesters, state and local law enforcement, and National Guard and Marines who arrived in L.A. on Trump’s disputed orders.

Demonstrations began to materialize Saturday morning in the plazas and streets across the country. By mid-morning, thousands of people had already packed Liberty Plaza in Atlanta; at the state capitol in Nashville; Love Park in Philadelphia, and at dozens of other locations across the nation.

Los Angeles police chief Jim McDonnell said Saturday that an 8 p.m.-6 p.m. curfew for downtown would remain in place throughout the weekend. Protesters have been demonstrating for more than a week in the area, where much of the Trump administration’s immigration raids have been focused.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials have reportedly paused operations at hotels, restaurants and agriculture industry facilities.

Meanwhile Saturday, Trump was expected to be in D.C., where the U.S. Army’s 250th anniversary was being celebrated with a massive parade of military hardware and marching troops.

WEST PALM BEACH, FLORIDA – JUNE 14: Protesters march near President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home during a “No Kings Day” protest on June 14, 2025 in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

This story will be updated throughout the day …

The post ‘No Kings’ Immigration Protests Swarm Streets Across the Nation, Rain Delays Trump’s D.C. Military Parade appeared first on TheWrap.

Bill Maher Begs Elon Musk Not to Reconcile With Trump: ‘He’s Not Good for you’ | Video

Bill Maher devoted the “New Rules” segment of Friday’s “Real Time” to the topic of Elon Musk. And by the end he was basically begging the billionaire not to reconcile with Donald Trump, joking that it’s a “bad relationship” and that “he’s not good for you.”

The bit largely involved Maher credulously repeating some of the more uh highly exaggerated claims about Musk’s scientific and business acumen, pegged of course to his recent break with Trump, followed by his retreat from that fight. But he started with something Musk said during that break, when he suggested a party for “the 80%” of people Musk asserted don’t fit into either liberal or conservative labels.

Maher, who frequently both-sides political matters on “Real Time,” is a fan of the idea, but he argued Musk is absolutely “the worst guy to do it, because he doesn’t take anything to the middle. He takes it to Mars.”

As examples, Maher noted how Musk promised when he bought Twitter to bring it from “the far left” to “the middle.”

“But that’s not what happened, Elon… You just switched it from a place conservatives felt supremely unwelcome to the reverse. And that’s not what it looks like to appeal to 80%,” Maher said. As an example, Maher noted how Musk frequently boasted about his commitment to free speech, but when he hired Don Lemon to host a show on Twitter, Musk fired Lemon because he was offended by a serious question Lemon asked him on the show’s debut episode.

Maher also dinged Musk for the excesses of his “Department Of Government Efficiency,” joking that instead of actually cutting waste from the government, “you acted like a doctor who always wants to pull the plug and harvest the organs while the rest of us are going, ‘I just came in for a bikini wax.'”

“That wasn’t big dick energy, that was being a dick energy,” Maher quipped.

Maher argued that Government is “not for people like you. Was it worth a try? Sure, kind of like when Michael Jordan tried to play baseball. Buddy, Elon, did you really think you were going to fit in in Washington with that carnival of crayon eaters, Congress people? This is the job for people who are the opposite of exceptional. Corporate shills wearing flag pins. It’s ex-wrestling coaches, CrossFit trainers, restaurant owners, football coaches, reality show rejects, bartenders, beauty queens, steak salesmen,” Maher said, the last one referring of course to Donald Trump.

“I get it. You were hurt in your previous relationship with the left, so you threw yourself into a bad rebound,” Maher said as he neared the conclusion. “We’ve all been there, man. I just want you to look at everything you developed before Trump: the electric cars, the reusable rockets, the brain chips. And then look what you developed after Trump: a drug habit. And now I see you’re thinking of crawling back. Don’t do it. Don’t do it. It’s a terrible idea. He’s not good for you. And we need our boy genius to be more stable. Come on. You’re older now, pretty soon, you might even start having kids.”

Watch the whole thing below:

The post Bill Maher Begs Elon Musk Not to Reconcile With Trump: ‘He’s Not Good for you’ | Video appeared first on TheWrap.

2025 Bonnaroo Festival Canceled on Day 2 Due to Heavy Rain

The 2025 Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival has been canceled due to the onset of heavy rains, ending what was to be a 4-day event during its second day.

The Bonnaroo organization announced the decision in a statement posted to Instagram, which confirmed that all 1-day tickets for Friday, Saturday and Sunday will be fully refunded, while people who bought a 4-day pass will be refunded 75%. In addition, 4-day camping accommodations will be refunded 75%, with all refunds processed within 30 days.

Bonnaroo organizers cited an updated National Weather Service forecast of “significant and steady” rains that would make camping and exiting the festival extremely difficult. “We are beyond gutted but we must make the safest decision,” the statement said.

See that statement below:

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Bonnaroo was previously forced to cancel in 2021 due to widespread flooding caused by Hurricane Ida.

More to come…

The post 2025 Bonnaroo Festival Canceled on Day 2 Due to Heavy Rain appeared first on TheWrap.

Sam Rockwell Got His Head Shaved By Demi Moore and a Few Strippers Before Dropping Out of ‘G.I. Jane’ | Video

Sam Rockwell may have dropped out of “G.I. Jane” but he got a good story before he did.

During an appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” on Thursday night, Rockwell remembered a party thrown by “G.I. Jane” star Demi Moore for everyone cast as a Navy Seal in the film – which he was at the time. The actor ended the night with a shaved head.

“Demi Moore had just done ‘Striptease,’ the movie, and she got a strip joint, and she got all the strippers and the Navy Seals and the actors and got us drunk on tequila,” Rockwell said. “And they shaved our heads — the strippers and Demi shaved our heads, and we got drunk with the Navy Seals and got lap dances.”

Kimmel was shocked the actor would bow out of the movie after that. Rockwell explained that the movie involved so much time in the water and he was “really skinny at the time,” that he ended up experiencing “early hypothermia.” That and one other thing.

“I missed my girlfriend and I wanted to get out of there, so I did the boot camp, and then I split,” he said.

Despite dropping out of the film, there was no bad blood between himself and “G.I. Jane” director Ridley Scott. The two eventually worked together when Rockwell was cast in “Matchstick Men” in 2003.

Rockwell is considered a shoe-in for Emmy season in the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series category. He appeared as Frank – the estranged friend of Walton Goggins’ character Rick in “The White Lotus” Season 3. His partner Leslie Bibb also starred in the season as Kate.

You can watch the interview in the video above.

The post Sam Rockwell Got His Head Shaved By Demi Moore and a Few Strippers Before Dropping Out of ‘G.I. Jane’ | Video appeared first on TheWrap.