Steve Pond's Blog, page 126

Doechii Slams Trump for ‘Using Military Forces to Stop a Protest’ in BET Awards Speech | Video

After winning the BET Award for Best Female Hip Hop Artist, Doechii set aside a traditional acceptance speech to instead address the Trump administration’s crackdown on protests in Los Angeles.

The ceremony was held Monday night at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, just blocks from where protests against a series of brutal ICE raids have been held in downtown Los Angeles. The “Alter Ego” rapper noted that proximity in her remarks, saying, “as much as I’m honored by this award, I do want to address what’s happening right now outside of the building.”

“There are ruthless attacks that are creating fear and chaos in our communities in the name of law and order. Trump is using military forces to stop a protest, and I want y’all to consider what kind of government it appears to be when every time we exercise our democratic right to protest, the military is deployed against us,” she continued. “What type of government is that people are being swept up and torn from their families?”

“And I feel it’s my responsibility to use this moment to speak up for all oppressed people, for black people, for Latino people, for trans people, for the people in Gaza. We all deserve to live in hope and not in fear and I hope we stand together, my brothers and my sisters against hate and we protest against it,” Doechii concluded.

Watch the whole speech below:

Doechii speaks out against use of the military against protesters in LA during her acceptance speech at the #BETAwards

— CJ Fogler (@cjzero.bsky.social) 2025-06-10T00:53:54.839Z

Doechii’s remarks come on the 4th day of protests across the region that arose in response to an increase in ICE raids. Since then Trump, falsely claiming that Los Angeles is beset by foreign invaders and citywide riots, federalized the California National Guard to suppress protests and is also sending U.S. Marines. Trump administration officials have also literally threatened to arrest Gov. Gavin Newsom for objecting to this. In addition, SEIU President David Huerta was arrested by ICE agents on Friday and is now facing federal criminal charged for protesting ICE activities.

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BET Awards 2025: Keke Palmer, Doechii, Kevin Hart and More Bring Red Carpet Style to Culture’s Biggest Night | Photos

The 2025 BET Awards descended on Los Angeles’ Peacock Theater on Monday night, and the stars delivered on the red carpet the we’ve come to expect from the annual ceremony. 

Keke Palmer, Snoop Dogg, Tyler Perry, Andra Day, Doechii, Shaboozey, Jordin Sparks, Kevin Hart, Ciara and Ashanti were just some of the top-tier entertainers on hand for occasion, dubbed “culture’s biggest night,” with Hart serving as the evening’s emcee, taking over for Taraji P. Henson. 

The 2025 BET Awards, which honors excellence in Black entertainment and media, was slated this year to spotlight Mariah Carey, Jamie Foxx, Snoop Dogg and Kirk Franklin as its Ultimate Icon Award honorees. Slated to perform were Lil Wayne, GloRilla, Leon Thomas, Teyana Taylor and more. And it marked an unlikely Monday night bash, shifting off of its traditional Sunday of years past. 

Taking the lead as the most-nominated musician this year is Kendrick Lamar, who earned 10 nods. Following behind him are tied competitors Doechii, GloRilla, Drake and Future. Battling it out for best actress is Angela Bassett, Viola Davis, Kerry Washington, Cynthia Erivo, Keke Palmer, Quinta Brunson, Coco Jones, Zendaya and Andra Day. Aaron Judge, Anthony Edwards, Deion Sanders, Jalen Hurts, LeBron James, Jayson Tatum, Saquon Barkley and Stephen Curry are going head-to-head for Sportsman of the Year.

Catch more of the event’s red carpet arrivals and all the best fashion looks in the photo gallery below.

Keke Palmer (Photo by Bennett Raglin/Getty Images for BET)Snoop Dogg and Shante Broadus (Photo by Bennett Raglin/Getty Images for BET)Ciara (Photo by Bennett Raglin/Getty Images for BET)Kevin Hart (Photo by Bennett Raglin/Getty Images for BET)Eniko Hart and Kevin Hart (Photo by Bennett Raglin/Getty Images for BET)2 Chainz (Photo by Bennett Raglin/Getty Images for BET)KJ Smith (Photo by Bennett Raglin/Getty Images for BET)Robin Thicke (Photo by Michael Tran/AFP via Getty Images)April Love Geary and Robin Thicke (Photo by MICHAEL TRAN/AFP via Getty Images)Machine Gun Kelly (Photo by Bennett Raglin/Getty Images for BET)Ashanti (Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images)Riley Burruss (Photo by Bennett Raglin/Getty Images for BET)Tia Mowry (Photo by Bennett Raglin/Getty Images for BET)Bennett Raglin (Photo by Bennett Raglin/Getty Images for BET)Andra Day (Photo by Bennett Raglin/Getty Images for BET)Cam Newton (Photo by Bennett Raglin/Getty Images for BET)GloRilla (Photo by Bennett Raglin/Getty Images for BET)Saleisha Stowers (Photo by Bennett Raglin/Getty Images for BET)

The post BET Awards 2025: Keke Palmer, Doechii, Kevin Hart and More Bring Red Carpet Style to Culture’s Biggest Night | Photos appeared first on TheWrap.

Moguls Take Aim at Zaslav’s Vision of WBD as Company Splits: ‘It Was a Failure’

In the narrow hallways where media moguls trade in brutal trash talk, David Zaslav’s move to split Warner Bros. Discovery into two companies — studio and streaming on one side and Turner-Discovery cable channels on the other — is being judged particularly harshly. 

Sure, say Zaslav’s peers, decoupling the streaming and content-producing side from the declining linear world makes sense now. NBCUniversal just did the same, into a new entity, Versant. Lionsgate has just separated streamer Starz from its studio. 

But Zaslav only arrived in Hollywood a hot minute ago, bringing a vision of creating a 21st-century Hollywood studio with barely enough time to buy the Beverly Hills digs of producer Robert Evans, get a convertible Rolls-Royce and hang out at the Polo Lounge.  

What was the point, after all, of combining Warner Bros. with Discovery in order to create streaming scale to compete with Netflix and Disney+ in 2022, if only to unwind the whole thing three years later with a 60% drop in the Warner share price? 

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“This whole thing was a waste of time,” said one openly-disgusted media executive, one of several who spoke to WaxWord. “They lost tremendous shareholder value. It was a failure.” This executive added: “It’s a deal that never had a shot and shouldn’t have been done. But they’ve also done a terrible job running the company.”

“The cable bundle has been rotting the business for the past eight years,” said another top media executive, who also declined to be named. “For him [Zaslav] and [shareholder John] Malone — as much Malone as Zaslav — they were trying to exit Discovery.” 

And doing so bought more time, at the expense of WBD employees, who have already experienced several rounds of layoffs and face heightened uncertainty now. 

Spinning out the cable channels “is a huge problem off his plate. It gives it to Gunnar [Wiedenfels, WBD’s CFO],” said yet a third top media executive. “Everyone is doing it — Lionsgate, Comcast, now Warner Bros. and the last person who’ll figure it out is [Disney CEO] Bob Iger.”

Doing the AT&T deal in 2022 may not have helped Warner, but it helped Zaslav. “He’s still at the table. If he hadn’t done the deal, he’d own Scripps and Discovery, and those things are the great disappearing act,” said this executive. “So he paid way too much, but he’s still at the table. In the end, for him, it was great. For the shareholders, it’s a disaster.”

The overpayment is what has made Zaslav’s challenge particularly daunting, saddling the company with a stunning amount of debt that is now down to $37 billion for a company with a $26 billion market cap. The spinoff will require another $17.5 billion loan. 

But Warner executives, not surprisingly, see it differently. In his call with analysts on Monday, Zaslav observed that he’d grown the Max streaming service – despite renaming it three different times – to a global content force. 

“When we formed WBD, HBO Max was largely a domestic streaming service that lacked scale, basic technological proficiencies and a differentiated content strategy, as well as losing more than $2 billion,” he said. “We remain on track to surpass 150 million subscribers by the end of 2026 and to deliver at least $1.3 billion in Adjusted EBITDA this year.”

The company reported 122 million streaming subscribers in Q1, including 57 million domestically. 

But Zaslav’s missteps have been well documented:  renaming HBO Max to Max (they’ve reverted); betting that HBO Max and Discovery+ subscribers would cross over and enjoy each other’s content (they didn’t); figuring that no one would really care if he shelved a couple of completed movies (the creative community had a new Big Bad at the studios).

And one former HBO executive reflected the concern among those who toiled at the premium network: “It is another (sad) attempt to salvage a sinking ship,” said this individual. “I have spoken with a few of my former surviving colleagues from the ‘glory’ days and they are quite concerned that this is another nothing-burger that gets press and does not move the needle as a long-term strategy. They are concerned about cuts and the devaluation of their work.”

But perhaps the most salient outcome of the split announced on Monday is the likelihood that both Warner Bros. and the Turner cable properties will become targets for M&A, as each becomes small enough to attract an acquirer once the split happens next year. 

“Anyone who thinks that Warner-HBO thing is going to continue as an independent company is missing what’s going on here,” said the second executive. “That thing is extremely attractive. It’s small enough in net value for any of those [streamers] – Netflix, Amazon, Disney – to buy it. Which they will.”

The third executive agreed. “This is just setting everyone up for the next M&A dance,” he said. “We know these things trade for 12-15x EBITDA, and they get sold 15-30x. That’s what Amazon paid for MGM. But none of that is going to happen when you’re dragging along a dead body. How do you get ‘Weekend at Bernie’s’ and cut the dead corpse loose?” 

This executive argued that ultimately Disney will need to do the same with its linear properties, including ABC and ESPN.

Merging Warner with Discovery “was a huge miscalculation, but was it any more a miscalculation than Iger made in buying Fox? He spent $71 billion for a bunch of cable assets. Both these guys thought they were buying a studio with a bunch of IP and linear was coming along. But it turned out the linear fell off a cliff.” 

Warner vehemently disputed that its version of SpinCo would be a “dead body,” and said that Wiedenfels was committed to investing further. 

“There is a misperception that our Global Networks is the same bad bank as Versant is,” said a Warner executive. “It’s definitively different and set up to have a chance to do well, stretch its wings, see what it can do. It’s global. It has digital assets. We didn’t cleave off a favorite network like Bravo – they’re all going. And it will have up to a 20% stake in the streaming and studios.”  

The first executive strongly disagreed, arguing that CNN faces a particularly dire future. “It’s a really bad day for CNN. The two biggest brands on that side of the equation are TNT and CNN. [TNT] now goes forward without the NBA. And CNN has been incredibly diminished.” 

Historians will argue over whether the pivotal moment for a glorious legacy brand like Warner Bros. was the $85 billion sale to AT&T in 2018. It took only three years for AT&T to then pivot and spin out that asset in the merger with Discovery led by Zaslav. 

All three top executives said that move merely staved off the inevitable outcome on Monday, resulting from the linear decline that most Hollywood legacy studios failed to predict.  

“All of them together missed the one fact, which is obvious here: The white walkers were coming,” said the second executive. “The fact that you’re following the Starks, the Lanisters, whoever – who cares? That was all going to happen.” 

WBD stock closed down 29 cents on Monday, to $9.53.

Lucas Manfredi contributed to this article.

The post Moguls Take Aim at Zaslav’s Vision of WBD as Company Splits: ‘It Was a Failure’ appeared first on TheWrap.

Gavin Newsom Says Trump Sending Marines to LA Is the ‘Deranged Fantasy of a Dictatorial President’

California Gov. Gavin Newsom believes Donald Trump’s choice to deploy U.S. Marines into Los Angeles as the protests against ICE continue is the “deranged fantasy of a dictatorial President.”

Trump initially announced Monday that 700 marines were being deployed into Los Angeles to support the National Guard as the city’s protest against the most recent ICE raids against undocumented individuals spilled into day four. Newsom was quick to fire back his thoughts on the escalation.

“U.S. Marines have served honorably across multiple wars in defense of democracy. They are heroes,” Newsom wrote. “They shouldn’t be deployed on American soil facing their own countrymen to fulfill the deranged fantasy of a dictatorial President. This is un-American.”

U.S. Marines have served honorably across multiple wars in defense of democracy. They are heroes.

They shouldn't be deployed on American soil facing their own countrymen to fulfill the deranged fantasy of a dictatorial President.

This is un-American. pic.twitter.com/v5Va7hbgBb

— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) June 9, 2025

The protests against the Trump administration’s federal arrests of undocumented individuals began Friday and continued through the weekend – sparking in intensity after the president sent additional National Guard troops into the city.

The governor added in a separate tweet Monday that Trump had ordered an another 2,000 troops into L.A. – despite the majority of the first batch largely doing nothing.

“I was just informed Trump is deploying another 2,000 Guard troops to L.A.,” Newsom tweeted. “The first 2,000? Given no food or water. Only approx. 300 are deployed — the rest are sitting, unused, in federal buildings without orders. This isn’t about public safety. It’s about stroking a dangerous President’s ego. This is Reckless. Pointless. And Disrespectful to our troops.”

I was just informed Trump is deploying another 2,000 Guard troops to L.A.

The first 2,000? Given no food or water. Only approx. 300 are deployed — the rest are sitting, unused, in federal buildings without orders.

This isn’t about public safety. It’s about stroking a dangerous…

— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) June 9, 2025

On Sunday night, the governor issued a letter asking the president to pull the initial deployment of the National Guard out of L.A.

“I have formally requested the Trump Administration rescind their unlawful deployment of troops in Los Angeles County and return them to my command,” he wrote Sunday. “We didn’t have a problem until Trump got involved. This is a serious breach of state sovereignty — inflaming tensions while pulling resources from where they’re actually needed. Rescind the Order. Return order to California.”

Trump’s decision to deploy marked the first time a president sent the National Guard to a state without a request from that state’s governor since the 1960s. Protestors and officers clashed off and on all weekend, with most of the intensity coming Sunday.

Newsom announced plans Monday to sue Trump over the deployment of the National Guard.

The post Gavin Newsom Says Trump Sending Marines to LA Is the ‘Deranged Fantasy of a Dictatorial President’ appeared first on TheWrap.

Trump Says ‘Israel Has Enough Problems Without Kidnapping Greta Thunberg,’ Suggests Activist Seek Anger Management

Donald Trump said Monday that “Israel has enough problems without kidnapping Greta Thunberg,” responding to allegations from the 22-year-old activist that Israeli forces had done just that over the weekend.

In a press conference following President Trump’s phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, he was asked if Thunberg’s detainment came up. The activist posted a video to social media over the weekend after her aid boat headed for Gaza was allegedly intercepted and detained by Israel’s military.

Watch a clip from his response below:

Trump: "I think Israel has enough problems without kidnapping Greta Thunberg" pic.twitter.com/Nq3RezZ0rl

— Ken Klippenstein (@kenklippenstein) June 9, 2025

“Well, she’s a strange person,” Trump said Monday. “She’s a young, angry person. I don’t know if it’s real anger – it’s hard to believe actually. But I saw what happened. She’s certainly different. Anger management. I think she has to go to an anger management class. That’s my primary recommendation for her.”

Thunberg posted a pre-recorded message to social media after the civilian aid boat she was on was intercepted by Israeli forces. The boat – a part of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition – was bound for Gaza to provide humanitarian aid to Palestinians.

“If you see this video, we have been intercepted and kidnapped in international waters by Israeli occupational forces or forces that support Israel,” Thunberg said. “I urge all my friends, family and comrades to put pressure on the Swedish government to release me and the others as soon as possible.”

The Israeli Foreign Ministry confirmed Monday that the vessel was under the country’s control and cited the naval blockade of Gaza as the reason for the interception.

“The ‘selfie yacht’ carrying Greta Thunberg and the other so-called ‘celebrities’ is continuing its journey toward an Israeli port,” the ministry posted on X. “Upon arrival, arrangements will be made for their return to their respective home countries.”

The account later added that the passengers of the FCC boat were undergoing medical examinations to “ensure they are in good health.”

The post Trump Says ‘Israel Has Enough Problems Without Kidnapping Greta Thunberg,’ Suggests Activist Seek Anger Management appeared first on TheWrap.

How to Watch the 2025 BET Awards

The BET Awards are back and they’re jam-packed with performances from popular stars like Lil Wayne and GloRilla. And we’re here with all the deets about how to tune into “culture’s biggest night.”

It’s the 2025 BET Awards, which honors excellence in Black entertainment and media, and this time around the ceremony will spotlight Mariah Carey, Jamie Foxx, Snoop Dogg and Kirk Franklin as its Ultimate Icon Award honorees.

Unlike before, the event won’t take place on a Sunday. But don’t worry, we’ve got you covered on everything you need to know about how to watch the 2025 BET Awards. 

What time do the 2025 BET Awards start?

Unlike previous years, the BET Awards will be held on a Monday this time around. The show kicks off Monday night, June 9 at 8 p.m. EST/PST.

The pre-show starts at 6 p.m. ET/PST on BET, and the live broadcast of the show set to kick off at 8 p.m. ET/PT on BET. It will be available to watch via CMTV, Logo, Nickelodeon, MTV, and Paramount Network.

Where to watch the 2025 BET Awards?

The 2025 BET Awards will air on its cable channel BET, and it will be streaming on its website BET.com. The awards will also simulcast across Paramount on BET, BET Her, BET Her Caribbean, Logo, Comedy Central, MTV, MTV2, Pop, TV Land, Nickelodeon at Nite and VH1. 

Who is performing at the 2025 BET Awards?

Several stars will be hitting the stage this year to perform, including Lil Wayne, GloRilla, Leon Thomas, Teyana Taylor and more.

Who are the nominees this year for the 2025 BET Awards?

Taking the lead as the most nominated musician this year is Kendrick Lamar, who earned 10 nods. Following behind him are tied competitors Doechii, GloRilla, Drake and Future. Battling it out for best actress is Angela Bassett, Viola Davis, Kerry Washington, Cynthia Erivo, Keke Palmer, Quinta Brunson, Coco Jones, Zendaya and Andra Day. Aaron Judge, Anthony Edwards, Deion Sanders, Jalen Hurts, LeBron James, Jayson Tatum, Saquon Barkley and Stephen Curry are going head-to-head for Sportsman of the Year.

Who is hosting the 2025 BET Awards?

While Taraji P. Henson has knocked it out the park the past few years as host, comedian and business mogul Kevin Hart will be taking the reins as host this year.

Where will the 2025 BET Awards take place?

The 2024 BET Awards will take place at Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.

The post How to Watch the 2025 BET Awards appeared first on TheWrap.

Annecy: Sony’s ‘Goat’ Promises Animal-Filled Basketball Mayhem

Sony Pictures Animation’s next theatrical feature “Goat,” is set in a world full of anthropomorphic animals in which the main character (Caleb McLaughlin), an actual goat, dreams of becoming a sports sensation. Yes, that title is pun on the acronym for Greatest Of All Time.

Sony premiered a first look at the film, produced in partnership with the NBA, at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, with director Tyree Dillihay and producer Michelle Raimo Kouyate on hand to explain the world of the film and to share some scenes.

The movie opens on February 13, 2026, timed with the NBA All-Star Game happening in Los Angeles that same weekend.

Dillihay, making his feature debut, said that the movie would center around roar-ball, a sport that is dominated by big animals, with courts as big as soccer fields. (ROAR stands for Regionally Organized Animal Roundball.) In this world, small animals aren’t allowed to play (“smalls can’t ball” is a refrain from some characters).

Eran Alboher, the film’s character designer, has created a unique spin on the animals, emphasizing their animal features through sharp angles and exaggerated shapes. Dillihay compared him to Cory Loftis, the legendary Disney character designer whose work made “Zootopia” so indelible. What’s nice is that the animals are all standing on two legs but when they need to, they switch to four legs, with the animators emphasizing the “weight, force, power and speed” of the creatures (according to Dillihay).

And like “Zootopia,” each area of the world in “GOAT” is dedicated to a different biome and a different type of species. Our main character Will Harris lives in Vineland, which is inspired by the jungle (Raimo Kouyate described it as “Brazil meets Brooklyn”). The slogan for the local team, the Thorns, is “Roots run deep.”

The first scene showed Will practicing at the local court and getting bullied by some larger animals. He just wants to play, but as they said, “smalls don’t ball.” The second scene, with the most completed animation, showed him retiring to a rented apartment, which is actually the garage of a gerbil – Will is behind on his rent money and if he doesn’t find some cash soon, he’s going to be on the streets. He looks to a pair of beloved sneakers, modeled after his favorite Thorns player Jett Fillmore (Gabrielle Union, who in real life is married to Dwayne Wade, professional NBA player and co-owner of the Utah Jazz). Will is in a real pickle.

The look of the movie is stylized and illustrative, although it’s hard to pinpoint its exact style yet (there was so little finished, or even remotely close, animation). Dillihay said that, since “Into the Spider-Verse,” Sony Pictures Animation has embraced their place as “rebels of the industry” and promised a new look for the movie. But again it’s hard to tell.

The second scene was scored to a cue from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’ score for “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem,” if you want to get a sense of the atmosphere and melancholy of the scene.

Of course, Will sells his Fillmore Fours but on the way back from the sneaker shop, he stops by the court, where Mane Attraction, a basketball-playing horse, is holding court. They shoot it out, set to DJ Shadow’s “Nobody Speak” (featuring Run the Jewels), and Will ultimately loses to Mane Attraction. But there were enough cameras at the game to turn Will into something of a social media superstar – as he walks down the street, he gets noticed by passersby.

When he finally gets to his job as a waiter at a greasy spoon called Whiskers Diner, he is met by Florence Everson (voiced by Jennifer Lewis), the owner of the Vineland Thorns. They’re down a player and she wants him to join their team of misfits and hasbeens, including Jett; a outrageous, Dennis Rodman-style lizard named Modo Olachenko (voiced by Nick Kroll); an insecure ostrich named Olivia Burke (voiced Nicola Coughlan); rhino tough guy Archie Everhardt (voiced by David Harbour); and Lenny Williamson, a laidback giraffe (Curry).

In another scene, Jett, a powerful panther, learns of Will’s recruitment and goes berserk in her home; in the next she goes to Florence’s office to complain about Will. She looks over to see that he’s sitting in the room. Jett tells Florence this is her whole point. “If I can’t see him in the room, how am I going to see him in the court?” she asks, incredulous.

The final scene is a press conference with Jett and Will, where she hangs him up to dry. The press are asking probing questions about Will and his abilities on the court – including whether or not his hiring was a publicity stunt. He doesn’t know how to answer and she lets him flounder. It’s a really charming, funny scene and the perfect note to end on.

There was a lot of talk during the presentation about the courts for the different biomes – one, in The Arctic (the team is called the Shivers), is on a floating glacier and if the glacier cracks and breaks the game keeps going, for example – but there weren’t any scenes to share from these dynamic environments and locations. Instead, it was these smaller scenes and sequences, which weren’t even all that finished either. It was clear, though, from the passion and commitment of Dillihay and Raimo Kouyate that they are looking to honor NBA and its culture (both on and off the courts, there’s a great commitment to the NBA tunnel walks, with the characters indulging in some high-fashion ensembles) and create a one-of-a-kind comedic sports adventure. Could “GOAT” be the greatest of all time? We’ll have to wait and see. “GOAT” opens on February 13, 2026 from Sony Pictures Animation.

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California Governor Newsom Taunts Trump Border Czar: ‘Arrest Me. Let’s Go.’

California Governor Gavin Newsom challenged the Trump’s administration’s Border Czar Tom Homan to arrest him on Sunday as tension continued to escalate between the federal and state authorities over immigration raids: “Come after me. Arrest me. Let’s just get it over with, tough guy,” Newsom said in a television interview, which he then posted on social media.

Trump’s border czar is threatening to arrest me for speaking out.

Come and get me, tough guy.

I don't give a damn.

It won’t stop me from standing up for California.pic.twitter.com/DvVQljAgir

— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) June 9, 2025

“The fear, the horror – [who] the hell is this guy,” he continued in an interview with NBC’s Jacob Soboroff. “I don’t give a damn. But I care about this community.”

The taunt escalated the ongoing war of words between Trump and his representatives and California officials over protests in Los Angeles.

In an interview with Soboroff on Saturday, Homan said that he would arrest officials who stood in the way of ICE officials continuing to arrest undocumented immigrants despite the chaos it was creating in parts of the city.

“I’ll say it about anybody,” Homan said, after Soboroff asked specifically if he would arrest officials like L.A. Mayor Karen Bass and Newsom if they “stand in the way of your enforcement operations.” 

Homan said: “You cross that line, it’s a felony to knowingly harbor and conceal an illegal alien. It’s a felony to impede law enforcement doing their job.”

Trump has sent National Guard troops to Los Angeles to quell protests over federal arrests of undocumented individuals, with about 300 troops arriving on Sunday. This is the first time a president has sent the National Guard to a state without the governor’s request since the 1960s.  

On Sunday evening, Newsom issued a letter formally demanding the troops to be withdrawn and Trump’s memo rescinded.

Trump continued to feed the tensions late into Sunday night, tweeting on Truth Social: “Looking really bad in L.A. BRING IN THE TROOPS!”

Newsom was visibly angry in the interview as he accused Trump of creating a situation of chaos and instability in Los Angeles, which he then claimed to want to solve. But he said the conflict in L.A. was a piece of more sinister strategy to move toward authoritarianism.

“This is part of that ongoing play that is unfolding in front of our eyes, under the guise of immigration, but it’s much deeper than that,” he said. “This guy has abandoned the core principles of our democracy.  He’s on a cultural binge. He’s rewriting history. Censoring historical facts.”

Finally, he addressed Trump directly, saying:  “Where’s your decency Mr President – stop. It’s indecent. It’s immoral… This is a serious moment. It requires serious leadership. It is time for you to be commander in chief of America.”   

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Cole Escola Becomes the First Nonbinary Performer to Win Lead Actor in a Play

It might not have spelled awards hardware for Sally Field in Steven Spielberg’s “Lincoln” at the Oscars in 2013, but Mary Todd Lincoln eventually had her day at the Tony Awards on Sunday.

Star-playwright Cole Escola won the Best Actor in a Play Tony for their riotously funny work in the outlandish comedy “Oh, Mary!,” marking the first time a nonbinary performer has scored a Tony win for any play category for acting.

Escola portrayed Mary Todd Lincoln as a boozy cabaret singer hopeful in a John Waters-style madcap production, in which she rants and raves while a queer-leaning Abe Lincoln (Conrad Ricamora) is heading toward a pre-determined assassination.

Escola has enjoyed a healthy pre-cursor awards lead-up, winning Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards for their high-wire act of a performance. Recently while on a planned leave, “American Primeval” star Betty Gilpin and “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” breakout Tituss Burgess played Mary Todd to great notices.

The show has attracted the likes of Steven Spielberg, Melissa McCarthy, Mark Hamill, Sally Field and Mia Farrow, among dozens and dozens of celebrity visitors both on Broadway, and in its original Off-Broadway berth in the West Village in New York City.

However, this is not the first time the Tonys have shined a light on nonbinary performers. Just two years ago, J. Harrison Ghee and Alex Newell won Best Actor in a Musical and Best Featured Actor in a Musical in the very same evening, for their work in “Some Like it Hot” and “Shucked,” respectively.

The Tonys — much like the Oscars and Emmys — have continued to separate gendered acting categories through the years, while some others, like the Drama Desk Awards, L.A. Film Critics Association and the Independent Spirit Awards, have created longlists of only lead and supporting nominees where all identifying actors can compete in either.

The post Cole Escola Becomes the First Nonbinary Performer to Win Lead Actor in a Play appeared first on TheWrap.

Tonys 2025: George Clooney, Nicole Scherzinger, Sadie Sink, Jean Smart and More Hit the Show in Style | Photos

The 78th Tony Awards set Radio City Music Hall ablaze with triple-threat talent on Sunday, as host Cynthia Erivo, nominees like George Clooney, Sadie Sink and Nicole Scherzinger, and current Broadway star Jean Smart hit the red carpet in style.

The Tonys ceremony aired live on CBS from 8 to 11 p.m. ET, with streaming available via Paramount+. Erivo emceed and started with a fun number poking fun at all the TV and film folks in Broadway shows this season, with an especially fun joke about “Just in Time” star Jonathan Groff’s projectile spittle reputation.

Going into the ceremony, three musicals — two based upon popular movies — emerged supreme amongst Tony nominators in 2025, banking an impressive 10 nods last month.

The tuners “Buena Vista Social Club,” based on Wim Wenders’ 1999 documentary and the even more popular album, the outlandish comedy “Death Becomes Her,” based on Robert Zemeckis’ 1992 cult classic, and the sweet robot romance “Maybe Happy Ending,” starring Darren Criss, all scored big.

Among plays, the top nomination-getters were the Sink-starring “John Proctor Is the Villain” and the long-closed but superbly-reviewed “The Hills of California,” directed by Sam Mendes. Both productions received seven nods.

Catch highlights from all the Broadway (and Hollywood-meets-Broadway) glamor in the photos below:

Cynthia Erivo attends The 78th Annual Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall. (Credit: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)Sarah Paulson attends The 78th Annual Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall. (Credit: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)Sadie Sink attends The 78th Annual Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall. (Credit: Michael Loccisano/Getty Images)Jean Smart attends The 78th Annual Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall. (Credit: Cindy Ord/Getty Images)Nicole Scherzinger attends The 78th Annual Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall. (Credit: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)Lea Michele attends The 78th Annual Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall. (Credit: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)Cole Escola attends The 78th Annual Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall. (Credit: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)Kristin Chenoweth attends The 78th Annual Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall. (Credit: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)Katie Holmes attends The 78th Annual Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall. (Credit: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)Audra McDonald attends The 78th Annual Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall. (Credit: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)Brooke Shields attends The 78th Annual Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall. (Credit: Michael Loccisano/Getty Images)Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves attend The 78th Annual Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall. (Credit: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)Aaron Tveit attends The 78th Annual Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall. (Credit: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)Amal Clooney and George Clooney attend The 78th Annual Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall. (Kevin Mazur/Getty Images)Jonathan Groff attends The 78th Annual Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall. (Credit: Michael Loccisano/Getty Images)Samuel L. Jackson and LaTanya Richardson Jackson attend The 78th Annual Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall. (Credit: Michael Loccisano/Getty Images)Zoey Deutch attends The 78th Annual Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall. (Credit: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)Michelle Williams attends The 78th Annual Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall. (Credit: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)Ariana DeBose attends The 78th Annual Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall. (Credit: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)Leslie Odom Jr. attends The 78th Annual Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall. (Credit: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)Danielle Brooks attends The 78th Annual Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall. (Credit: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)Sara Bareilles attends The 78th Annual Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall. (Credit: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)Bob Odenkirk attends The 78th Annual Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall. (Credit: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)

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