Steve Pond's Blog, page 168
April 29, 2025
L.A. County Approves $4 Billion Sex Abuse Settlement, Largest Such Payout in U.S. History
Los Angeles County will pay out $4 billion in settlements to victims of sexual abuse at its juvenile facilities after the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved what will be the largest such payout in U.S. history.
The victims were children housed in county-run juvenile detention centers and foster homes dating back to 1959. Nearly 7,000 claims are involved, with the bulk coming from the 1980s to the 2000s, and thousands from the now-closed MacLaren Children’s Center in El Monte where staffers were accused of drugging and molesting children in their care for years.
The cash-strapped county, still reeling from the January wildfires blamed in part on budget constraints and resource mismanagement, says it will drain its rainy day fund and take out 25-year bonds to cover the disbursement, which is expected to be completed in five years, the Los Angeles Times reported.
“I never would have imagined persons hired to be the safety net and care for the most vulnerable could or would abuse their position and power in this way,” Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors chair Kathryn Barger said. “It angers and sickens me.”
The settlement, reached April 4, is based on the thousands of claims that county government officials failed to screen for predators across its network of facilities and foster homes, and did little to punish known perpetrators of abuse. It is by far the largest such single settlement in U.S. history, dwarfing The Boy Scouts of America settlement of $2.46 billion.
“We are going to be paying hundreds of millions of dollars that could be invested into the communities, into parks, libraries, beaches, public social services, until 2050,” L.A. County chief executive Fesia Davenport said.
The county is also contending with a two-day strike by more than 50,000 county workers unhappy with grinding contract negotiation. Davenport said those talks would be impacted by the settlement, $2 billion in estimated wildfire costs and federal funding under threat from the Trump administration.
The post L.A. County Approves $4 Billion Sex Abuse Settlement, Largest Such Payout in U.S. History appeared first on TheWrap.
Trump Spars With ABC News’ Terry Moran Over Abrego Garcia Knuckle Tattoos – and It Still Isn’t Clear Who Thinks What
Instead of “Who’s on First,” it was “Who’s in MS-13” Tuesday night on ABC News, where Donald Trump – in a fiery interview with Terry Moran – knuckled down on his insistence that deported immigrant Kilmar Abrego Garcia had the notorious El Salvadorian gang’s name tattooed on his fist.
But wait – did Trump actually believe the very obviously photoshopped letters-and-numbers labels on his Oval Office visual aid were actually part of the tattoos … and did Moran think he thought that?
After watching the segment multiple times, our only answer is: “I Don’t Know’s on third.”
Trump presented the digitally altered image earlier this month as evidence that the deported El Salvadorian is a member of the MS-13 gang, declaring: “This is the hand of the man that the Democrats feel should be brought back to the United States … even though he’s got MS-13 tattooed onto his knuckles.”
Some online sleuths thought the labels were a clumsy attempt at a pure visual deception – but a cursory look at the photo shows obvious signs that the letters are, in fact, intentionally added to correspond with and interpret the symbols on Abrego Garcia’s left hand.
That interpretation is still in some dispute, however. The four corresponding symbols – “Marijuana,” “Smiley,” “Cross” and “Skull” – have not been found in any law enforcement manuals to stand in for MS-13 gang identification, and the suggestion that “M,” “S,” “1” and “3” are visually embedded within them is shaky at best.
But let’s get back to what Trump said Tuesday night – because the president sure made it seem like he thought the photoshopped labels were actually inked on Abrego Garcia’s knuckles. Unfortunately, even what the president actually believes about the image is still open to interpretation.
TRUMP: He had MS-13 on his knuckles, tattooed!
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 30, 2025
MORAN: That was photoshopped
TRUMP: Terry, they're giving you the big break of a lifetime. I picked you. But you're not being very nice. pic.twitter.com/NgCpEB8o1S
Take a deep breath – here’s how it went:
Trump: “On his knuckles, he had ‘MS-13.'”
Moran: “There’s a dis – there’s a dispute on that.”
Trump: “Well wait a minute, wait a minute. He had ‘MS-13’ on his knuckles. Tattooed.”
Moran: “He has some tattoos that are interpreted that way, but let’s move on … “
Trump: “Wait a minute, Terry, Terry. Terry. Don’t do that … “
Moran: “He didn’t have the letters M, S, 1, 3.”
Trump: “Terry. It says M, S, 1, 3.”
Moran: “It’s photoshopped.”
Trump: “That was photoshopped? Terry, you can’t do that. Hey, they’ve given you the big break of a lifetime, you know you’re doing the interview, I picked you because uh, frankly, I never heard of you, but that’s OK … “
Moran: “I knew this would come.”
Trump: “But you’re not being very nice. He had MS-13 tattooed … “
Moran: “I’ll agree to disagree. But I want to move on to something else … “
Trump: “Terry. Terry. Do you want me to show you the picture?”
Moran: “I saw the picture.”
Trump: “And you think it was photoshopped.”
Moran: “Here we go, here we go … “
Trump: “Well, don’t photoshop it. Go look at his hand, he had MS-13 …”
Moran: “He did have tattoos that can be interpreted that way, I’m not an expert on them. I want to turn to Ukraine … “
Trump: “No no, Terry. Terry. No no. He had ‘M-S,’ as clear as you could be, not interpreted. This is why people no longer believe the news, because it’s fake news.”
Moran: “Well. When he was photographed in El Salvador, they aren’t there.”
Trump: “Oh, they weren’t there, but they’re there now, right?”
Moran: “No! But they’re there in your picture.”
Trump: “Terry. He’s got MS-13 on his knuckles. OK?”
Moran: “Alright. We’ll take a look at that.”
Trump: “You do such a disservice.”
Moran: “We’ll take a look at that, sir.”
Trump: “Why don’t you just say it, yes, he does, an go on to something else?”
Moran: “Alright. It’s contested.”
Trump could maybe have technically meant that the letters themselves are included in the symbols – again, shaky – and was doubling down on that. Or worse – as Moran seemed to be picking up on – Trump fell for his own communications team’s alterations … which means … they didn’t tell him? Or worse yet, they did, and he thinks we’re all gonna fall for it anyway? What in the wide world of sports is going on?
If only Moran had asked “Who’s on first?” … at least it wouldn’t been funny.
Watch the video above and decide for yourself.
U.S. courts have demanded the Trump administration “facilitate” Abrego Garcia’s return to the United States, where he has been living for the last 14 years in Maryland with his wife and young child. The administration has insisted that he is a gang member after officials initially admitted his deportation was initiated by an administrative error.
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Matthew Gray Gubler CBS Drama ‘Einstein’ Delayed Until 2026-27 Season
Matthew Gray Gubler’s CBS comeback will have to wait a year. The actor and EP’s new drama series “Einstein” will be held until the 2026-27 season after landing a series order at the broadcast network.
Representatives for CBS said that the new series was pushed due to “limited shelf space” in the 2025-26 TV schedule and that it would benefit from a longer pre-production window. The new CBS primetime schedule will be announced May 7.
The pending drama series will follow Lewis Einstein (Gubler), the great-grandson of Albert Einstein. Lewis Einstein is the most popular professor at Princeton, but when a series of homicides emerge, his circumstances serve as a real challenge for his vast intellect. In the description for the series, Gubler’s Lewis was described as “irreverent and misguided,” a genius whose famous legacy weighs heavily on him.
The “Criminal Minds” star will be joined by Rosa Salazar (“Bird Box,” “Undone”) as Veronica “Ronni” Paris, a detective inspector for the New Jersey State Police, who has conflicted feelings about working with Einstein.
The series is being described as a drama with comedic undertones, following Gubler’s “brilliant but directionless” Einstein. Andy Breckman has been tapped as a writer and executive producer for the upcoming series alongside EP and director Randy Zisk, and Gubler is set to produce. EPs Tariq Jalil, Rose Hughes and both Rodrigo Herrera Ibarguengoytia and Laura Beetz will join the team from Seven. One Studios International. “Einstein” comes from CBS Studios.
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‘Frozen’ Star Idina Menzel Thinks She Should Make Royalties Off Elsa Halloween Costumes
Idina Menzel shared on Andy Cohen’s SiriusXM radio show Monday that despite receiving royalty payments for her voice work in Disney’s beloved, now-iconic animated franchise “Frozen,” she thinks she and co-star Kristen Bell deserve one more thing.
“I mean, I make royalties on the music and on the movie and all that stuff, but one royalty that would be really — I can’t believe I’m saying this,” Menzel teased. “I’m going to get, like, fired.
“It would be nice to make a dollar off every Elsa, and I know Kristen Bell would say the same thing. Every dress during Halloween. I would just take Halloween day,” the actress said.
The Tony-winning Broadway legend known for originating Maureen in “Rent” and Elphaba in “Wicked” was on hand for “Andy Cohen Live” promoting her latest Broadway musical, “Redwood.” In Disney’s musical work, Menzel is best known for voicing Elsa in “Frozen” (2013), “Frozen II” (2019) and the franchise’s upcoming third feature. Bell co-stars as the ice princess’ sister, Anna.
Cohen agreed that Menzel’s royalties request was a good one: “Yes, yes. Wow. Just the 24 hours leading up to Halloween, you take.”
“And it’s not even the money,” Menzel said. “It’s more the idea that it’s just, you know, that there’s like billions of Elsas out there.”
Menzel’s SiriusXM appearance with Cohen is not the only time the actress has shared some unfiltered thoughts on “Frozen” while promoting “Redwood.” In a recent SAG-AFTRA Foundation interview, the actress joked that the role of Elsa follows her wherever she goes, even into general meetings when looking for her next project.
“I go in, and every, the biggest producers, the assistants at their desks, anyone who’s there, they bring Elsa material. They want me to sign everything for their kids — ‘Wicked,’ ‘Rent,’ everything. I feel like, ‘I’m going to get this job, these people worship me!’ And then I leave, and I feel used. I feel like they just had me come in so I could sign all of their stuff, and then I don’t get the job.”
SiriusXM’s “Andy Cohen Live” airs Monday–Friday at 10 a.m. ET.
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Meta Launches Standalone AI App That Will Learn ‘A Whole Lot About You’ Through Voice Conversations, Meta Glasses
Wearing a pair of Meta Glasses, Mark Zuckerberg recorded a Tuesday post on Facebook to announce a new, highly personalized Meta standalone AI app that he promises will “learn a whole lot about you” through voice conversations and other interactions – and give birth to future, yet-to-be-unveiled AI-powered devices.
“We built a new thing for you,” Zuckerberg began. “There’s almost a billion people who are using Meta AI across our apps now, so we made a new standalone Meta AI app for you to check out. Meta AI is designed to be your personal AI. That means first, it’s designed around voice conversations … you open up the app, and you can talk to it about whatever you want. From the news, to an issue that you’re dealing with, to just anything you want to learn about.”
Zuckerberg stressed the personalization aspect – a thing ChatGPT, for instance, does not outwardly emphasize – that for Meta is very much by design.
“We’re starting it off really basic, with just a bit of context about your interests, but over time, you’re going to be able to let Meta AI know a whole lot about you, and the people you care about across our apps if you want,” he said.
Zuckerberg said the app can also be used to control Meta Glasses, and hinted that it will also be applied to future gadgets that perhaps we’ve yet to dream of: “You’re going to be able to use the app to mange your Meta Glasses and other kinds of AI devices that we’re going to be building in the future.”
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MSNBC Says Trump’s Tariffs Call to Bezos Is a ‘Micro-Scandal’ That Would Never Happen Between Obama and Tim Cook | Video
MSNBC thinks that Donald Trump’s call to Jeff Bezos about Amazon reportedly letting shoppers know how much the president’s tariffs affected prices would never have happened between former President Barack Obama and Apple’s Tim Cook.
Teddy Schleifer, a contributor for the news organization who also works as a reporter covering billionaires for the New York Times, said the call the president made to the Amazon founder to stop the implementation of tariff pricing reveals a “micro-scandal.”
“Imagine any other president doing this in any other time, immediately just calls him up,” Schleifer said on MSNBC Tuesday. “It makes you wonder if this was Trump literally at the Resolute Desk or in the Oval picking up his cell phone and calling Bezos on his cell phone. Bezos apparently is very nervous about this understandably so he picks up the call and they have this one-on-one conversation. It sort of shows just how nuts the corporate White House interactions are these days.”
He added: “There is no bureaucracy, it’s purely mano a mano. Bezos has a reason to be concerned about Trump and Trump has a reason to be concerned about this anonymously sourced report and suddenly it’s a couple hours later and this is a huge micro-scandal on a Tuesday morning. You could never imagine this happening between Apple and Barack Obama a decade ago.”
On Tuesday morning, news broke that Amazon was going to start showing how Trump’s various Liberation Day tariffs increased the prices of certain products. After a tense few hours and a call, Trump told reporters things were good again between him and Bezos.
“Jeff Bezos was very nice, he was terrific,” the president said. “He solved the problem very quickly, and he did the right thing. He’s a good guy.”
Before an Amazon spokespeople came out to say the Punchbowl News story about the price reveals was fake, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt also blasted the news as a “hostile and political act.”
You can watch the full MSNBC clip in the video above.
The post MSNBC Says Trump’s Tariffs Call to Bezos Is a ‘Micro-Scandal’ That Would Never Happen Between Obama and Tim Cook | Video appeared first on TheWrap.
Donald Trump Responds to New Articles of Impeachment in First 100 Days Speech: ‘What the Hell Did I Do?’
In a speech celebrating the first 100 days in office of his second term, President Trump responded to new articles of impeachment brought against him by asking, “What the hell did I do?” to a crowd of cheering supporters in Warren, Michigan.
In a lengthy speech streamed live on Tuesday, he referred to Michigan Democratic Rep. Shri Thanedar, who filed seven articles of impeachment against him on Monday, as “this lunatic.”
Trump, who was unsuccessfully impeached twice during his first term, muttered, “Here we go again.” He stated that Democrats have “no control” over “a dumb guy like this” because “they have no confidence anymore as a party.”
Trump touted accomplishments like pulling the U.S. out of international alliances including the World Health Organization and the Paris Agreement on climate change, as well as creating a new DOJ task force focused on “anti-Christian bias.”
Trump also falsely claimed that he had reduced egg prices — one of the key factors in his 2024 campaign — by more than 80%.
“Prices are coming way down,” he continued despite multiple reports from major retailers and manufacturers that they are forced to raise prices because of Trump’s unpopular tariffs. “You know, the fake news is trying to say the prices have gone up,” he said.
He praised several staunch GOP members, including top White House aide Stephen Miller and MyPillow maker Mike Lindell, but also called out a few less loyal people in the administration, including “a Fed person who’s not really doing a good job,” referring to Jerome Powell, whom he first appointed in 2017 and who was named to a second term by former President Biden in 2021. “You’re not supposed to criticize the Fed,” he said, adding, “I know much more than he does about interest rates.”
Trump criticized “grandstanding Republicans” who have sided with Democrats on certain issues. “Remember who those grandstanders were and vote them the hell out of office,” he urged the audience.
During his speech, he urged the crowd to vote for the better term to describe Biden: “Crooked Joe” got more cheers than “Sleepy Joe” from the crowd.
The president also took issue with “fake news” providing “fake polls,” saying that the 44% approval rating reported in the most recent Fox News poll was probably closer to “60 or 70%,” but accused the pollsters of speaking mostly to Democrats. Earlier on Tuesday, Miller told Fox News they needed to “fire its pollster” after the disappointing results.
The speech opened to “God Bless America” and closed with “YMCA” by The Village People.
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‘St. Denis Medical’ Boss Unpacks Finale’s Romantic Cliffhanger, Teases ‘Getting Out of the Hospital’ in Season 2
Note: This story contains spoilers from “St. Denis Medical” Episode 18.
“St. Denis Medical” wrapped up its first season with big money and big reveals, setting the stage for interesting dynamic shifts upon its return.
Episode 18, titled “This Place is Our Everything” followed as Joyce (Wendi McLendon-Covey) juggled many demands from hospital staff on how to use the $10 million funds that were raised in last week’s gala. With an assist from Ron (David Alan Grier), Joyce was encouraged to reject everyone else’s ideas in favor of implementing her own to turn St. Denis into the prime destination for maternity medicine in Oregon — with the money helping to kickstart those efforts ever so slightly.
The episode also saw some full-circle moments for Matt (Mekki Leeper) and Alex (Allison Tolman). After spending the day getting questions from Serena (Kahyun Kim) about his ideal lover, Matt helped a patient with an EpiPen emergency, mirroring when he injected himself in the premiere. The rescue gave him the confidence to accept that Serena might not be into him romantically, giving himself the opportunity to move on. Then, the tables turned when Val (Kaliko Kauahi) told Serena about Matt’s crush — leaving her reaction to her coworker’s feelings for her ambiguous until Season 2.
“We really wanted to avoid making it a story where we just set up this want and then they get what they want. That would be the most boring version of it for me,” showrunner Eric Ledgin told TheWrap. “It feels very real to me in the workplace that there are these long-term longings that can evolve over time, and there are twists and turns that happen.”
As for Alex, after juggling her husband’s vasectomy appointment with work for long enough, an eye-opening conversation with Joyce finally led her to delegate — letting Serena handle any ER drama while she took care of her husband.
With Season 1 of the NBC medical comedy in the rearview mirror, Ledgin said seeing the reception to the show grow feels “validating.” “I’m even grateful for the haters,” he told TheWrap. “To be able to carve out our small corner of today’s very crowded landscape is an honor.”
Below, Ledgin breaks down the finale’s biggest moments and teases “getting out of the hospital” in Season 2.
Mekki Leeper in “St. Denis Medical.” (Ron Batzdorff/NBC)The finale has so much great character development, but Matt got to be a good nurse. I loved the full circle rescue with the EpiPen and his decision to maybe let go of his crush on Serena. How did his arc come together?
I think that part of it was going in without a plan, saying “let’s see how these two characters’ chemistry is. Let’s see what it wants to be as it unfolds.” Over time, it took a little convincing for us to be like, “Yes, these two characters, there is something there.” It feels very real to me in the workplace that there are these long-term longings that can evolve over time, and there are twists and turns that happen.
Val tells Serena about Matt’s crush on her and we get an ambiguous response from her, and we see her start to see him as a potential romantic match for someone else. Where is their story going from here?
It was nice to see Serena on her heels, because she’s such a cool, confident character that to have a moment of vulnerability like that felt really rewarding for me watching it back.
Wendi McLendon-Covey in “St. Denis Medical.” (NBC)Joyce decides to take Ron’s advice and use the money on her vision for the hospitals future. How far can she get with $10 million?
As we see in the finale, these places tend to be bottomless pits that can vacuum money up pretty quickly if you’re not careful. I think that Joyce holding the line on whatever money she needed to at least put the first step of her plan to action is what we are playing right now in Season 1. As we put things together we will see what it’s like when you get the means to do what you want, and now you have to make good on all these grand promises and visions that you had for the future. That’s obviously a lot of pressure, and I think Joyce is a fun character to watch deal with that pressure.
Alex also gets that reality check from Joyce about how she’s been prioritizing work over her life, and finally decides to choose her life. What led to this moment for Alex? What’s next for her?
This is something that so many people struggle with. We hear about work-life balance all the time and no one seems to have perfected it, so maybe there’s no such thing as the actual balance. But it’s something to strive for.
Alex is experiencing something that is very common, which is that there are times when you have to make a big choice, because it signals to the people around you whether or not you really matter to them. And I can’t imagine a world in which the Alex character that we have created and grown to love would make the wrong choice there, but I think there are moments where it feels like a closer call than it is, and are hard to take yourself out of it when you are dealing something with like life and death if that’s your job. I imagine it’s much, much harder to make those choices than it is for someone like me.
Kyle Bornheimer and Allison Tolman in “St. Denis Medical.” (NBC)It has been great to see the cast’s chemistry evolve throughout the season. Which episode did you feel like you guys really hit your groove?
There were two points in the season where I felt that. One was the prisoners episode, where it just felt like the comedy was hitting really hard and the camera work was fun. It was just one of those episodes that came together. It was just a really fun episode.
The second moment was when we made the ladybugs episode, because that was after we had shot most of the season and I had been in and out of the hospital for something that we used in that episode. It felt like despite all of the stress of making Season 1 of my first show, I hit a point where I was able to sort of let go of that and enjoy the process … everything coalesced in this episode that ended up being my favorite episode of the season. That was another moment where I was like, “We could keep doing this for a while.”
What is one joke or sequence that hurt you to leave on the cutting room floor?
Honestly, my rule of thumb is if something makes you laugh hard enough, it has to stay in and we have to find a way to work around it. That said, there was so much fun stuff in the pilot that did have to go away, just because we had to establish these characters. We had to tell this first story clearly enough to bring people into the show. There was one scene where Bruce is interrogating this patient about whether or not he’s been to the Congo, and that could be the source of his illness. That just kept going on and got much, much funnier. I wish we could have included all of it.
Season 2 is happening! How do you see the show growing from here for this next chapter?
I feel like we really hit a stride in the later part of Season 1, and I want to ride that momentum and keep telling these stories inside the emergency department of this hospital with pairings and groupings of characters that we now know are still fun to see together. But obviously, there are some different story turns suggested by the finale, and we are going to be following those threads and seeing what happens when Joyce gets something she wants, the evolution in Matt and Serena’s relationship now that the script has been flipped a little bit in terms of who knows what. And also just getting out of the hospital a little bit here and there, which is something we didn’t really do at all in Season 1. That’s something I’m also really excited about.
What’s a pairing that you have not been able to explore too much yet on the show that you are excited for these next few episodes?
I feel like we hit just about every pairing, and I’m excited to revisit them … and I want to see more of Val with anyone.
The medical genre had a huge resurgence this season, with “St. Denis” standing as the one comedy out of a sea of medical dramas. How has it been to see this TV phenomenon unfold, and now that your show was one of the first to secure a renewal?
The renewal part felt amazing, just from a standpoint of financial security and love of making the show. But I totally get the trend. Part of the reason that I wanted to make a medical show was because of how much the industry has changed in the last few years. There’s a role for these dramas. Some of them are soapy and fun. Some of them are really hard-hitting and expose huge problems in the medical industry. I think that as a comedy, our mission is to entertain people. It’s not anything much deeper than that, but if we have a role to play amongst the medical shows, it’s that I would like to be the one that’s reminding people that despite all the problems we have in the healthcare industry, it’s not the fault of these frontline workers who are, for the most part, doing their best with limited resources. So when you go to the hospital, which we all eventually will, I think it’s helpful to remember that.
Have you been able to watch any of the shows?
I am most of the way through “The Pitt,” which is so different tonally from “St. Denis” and yet, we cover a lot of a lot of similar setups and dynamics, which I find so interesting. It’s a testament to how much of a difference tone makes in a show. But, even the fact that they really lean into showing you the most gruesome stuff head-on, which I as a viewer, not only don’t mind, but usually like. But it’s certainly very far from what we’re doing.
The one kind-of funny reaction I’ve had to “The Pitt” is that there are times on this show as a comedy, where I’m like, “Is this too much of a coincidence? Is this too much to be happening in one hospital in one day?” And then I watched “The Pitt” and I’m like, “I’m overthinking that.”
“St. Denis Medical” Season 1 is now streaming on Peacock.
The post ‘St. Denis Medical’ Boss Unpacks Finale’s Romantic Cliffhanger, Teases ‘Getting Out of the Hospital’ in Season 2 appeared first on TheWrap.
Tucker Carlson and Megyn Kelly Agree: It’s a Mistake for Republicans to Go on Gavin Newsom’s Podcast | Video
Tucker Carlson guested on “The Megyn Kelly Show” on Tuesday, and both Republican commentators agreed: It’s a mistake for their right-wing colleagues to appear on California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s new podcast under the guise of reaching across the aisle.
“I’ve said I’m against conservatives going on his podcast because I think it’s helping him train for 2028, and I don’t think we should help him,” Kelly said of the “This Is Gavin Newsom” podcast, which launched earlier this year.
Carlson agreed, sharing that he knows Newsom personally and texts with him “occasionally,” adding of his California credentials that he’s from San Francisco and knows Newsom’s ex-wife Kimberly Guilfoyle.
The former Fox News host then shared that he originally accepted an invitation to interview on the podcast before having second thoughts.
“I have been bothering him for years, ‘You should come on my show.’ And he was kind of open to it. And then he whips around and he’s like, ‘No, you should come on mine,'” Carlson recalled. “I was like, ‘I would love to,’ because I would love to debate him about what he’s done to my state. And then I watched a parade of people go on, some of whom are good friends mine, and I realized – and I’m not attacking them at all – I almost did, but then I realized, oh, wait a second, the point of this is not to have a real conversation or to answer questions. The point of this is to rehabilitate.”
Carlson then took a dagger to Newsom’s character, saying he is “legit smart” but that there is nothing “at all at the core other than misery — another deeply, deeply unhappy person who we should be rooting for him to get his life together, but someone who kind of externalizes everything.”
“There’s nothing at the center, and so everything is about the public display,” he said. “A truly wounded, screwed up person on a very deep level — not joking — but also a talented person who will say anything, which in politics is an advantage.”
Watch the full “Megyn Kelly Show” segment below:
Representatives from Gov. Newsom’s office did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment.
It’s not the first time “This Is Gavin Newsom” has come under fire on “The Megyn Kelly Show,” with guest Charlie Kirk — conservative media personality and Turning Point USA co-founder — saying that the media effort will derail Newsom’s political career.
Shortly after, Newsom defended the podcast project, saying that the point is not to “go viral” or “own the conservatives” by winning any debates. Instead, the Democratic politician said his new podcast is about “exploring” what Republicans think — and why their message resonated with more voters during the 2024 election.
Watch the full segment from Carlson’s appearance on Kelly’s podcast in the video above.
The post Tucker Carlson and Megyn Kelly Agree: It’s a Mistake for Republicans to Go on Gavin Newsom’s Podcast | Video appeared first on TheWrap.
Ari Emanuel, Mark Shapiro and Bill Duffy Acquire WME Basketball, Duffy to Lead Day-to-Day Operations
Ari Emanuel, Mark Shapiro and Bill Duffy will acquire WME Basketball from WME Sports and form a new venture as the agency is divesting its basketball representation business, TheWrap has learned.
Duffy will continue to lead day-to-day operations for WME Basketball along with head of basketball marketing Carlos Fleming, head of basketball coaches and executives Bret Just and WME Sports co-head and EVP Karen Brodkin. Emanuel and Shapiro are investing in a personal capacity.
WME will continue to represent retired players and coaches for marketing, broadcast and content opportunities.
“Ari, Bill, and I are personally excited about continuing to build upon the success of WME Basketball with the stellar leadership team of Bill, Carlos Fleming, Bret Just and Karen Brodkin who collectively have built the industry’s leading basketball representation operation,” Shapiro said in a statement.
WME Basketball will keep its current roster of men’s and women’s players, including stars Luka Dončić, Anthony Edwards and Sabrina Ionescu, along with its coaches and front office personnel.
Last year the shareholder that has backed Emanuel, Silver Lake, moved to take Endeavor private. Lately Endeavor has been busy divesting various holdings, including selling IMG, On Location, and Professional Bull Riders to publicly traded TKO, with the aim to re-focus Endeavor back on talent representation. TKO is majority-owned by Endeavor.
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