Steve Pond's Blog, page 206

Trump Mocked For Getting ‘Weirder By the Day’ After Calling Himself the ‘Fertilization President’

Donald Trump touted himself as the “fertilization president” during a Women’s History Month celebration event at the White House on Wednesday.

During the event that had a number of female members of Congress in attendance, Trump spoke about his accomplishments specifically regarding fertilization. The Women’s History Month event was partially to announce the launch of a GOP Women’s Caucus headed by Rep. Kat Cammack.

“We’re gonna have tremendous goodies in the bag for women too,” he said. “The women, between the fertilization and all the other things we’re talking about, it’s gonna be great. Fertilization. I’m still very proud of it, I don’t care. I’ll be known as the fertilization president and that’s okay.”

He continued, “That’s not bad. I’ve been called much worse. Actually, I like it.”

Following the speech, the Internet obviously took the line and ran with it. Below are some of the best reactions to Trump’s proclamations on his “fertilization” accomplishments.

Fertilization president. pic.twitter.com/Okr74LCRBx

— Donny Donowitz (@BabooBott678) March 26, 2025

Well this gets weirder by the day.

— Jenny (@shindig101) March 26, 2025

Trump just called himself the fertilization president because he supports in vitro fertilization. I think Elon is the fertilization president. How many eggs has he fertilized again.

— Prez (@PrezLives2022) March 26, 2025

Leaning towards a Handmaids Tale scenario don’t ya think?

— Sheila Gilmore (@GilmoreSheilag) March 26, 2025

I do not consent to receiving a girly goody bag from the fertilization president. https://t.co/ihR2k8II6W

— Noelle Porter (@noe1le) March 26, 2025

Donald Trump babbling about being the “Fertilization President” is icky. pic.twitter.com/xc66sts8Nf

— Art Candee (@ArtCandee) March 26, 2025

“The fertilization president.” https://t.co/a0Iq0TIRRK pic.twitter.com/7on9kh45Sd

— Vincent Artman (@geogvma) March 26, 2025

Fertilization president.

I just threw up a little bit. https://t.co/pvQi2XQZSz pic.twitter.com/lLUqbfbDBQ

— Kassie (@KassiesVersion) March 26, 2025

His secret service code name is Stupid Gibbering Moron https://t.co/mpriy1GcRJ

— Jeff Timmer (@jefftimmer) March 26, 2025

Well… Many people do call him a dick.

— D-Fens (@the_coolwayne) March 26, 2025

The post Trump Mocked For Getting ‘Weirder By the Day’ After Calling Himself the ‘Fertilization President’ appeared first on TheWrap.

‘The Conners’ EPs Explain Big Season 7 Roseanne Storyline — Could It Lead to Her Return?

Note: This story contains spoilers from “The Conners” Season 7, Episode 1.

“The Conners” kicked off its seventh and final season with an eventful episode that brought Roseanne’s death back into the forefront. Could that signal a potential comeback for Roseanne Barr herself before the series comes to a close?

The ABC comedy series — famously spun-off from the short-lived ratings juggernaut “Roseanne” reboot after Barr was fired for racist tweets — is set to end its run with a six-episode farewell event. Wednesday’s premiere set the stage for a potential legal battle in the Conner family’s future, as Jackie (Laurie Metcalf) hoped to get the rest of the clan on board to pursue a lawsuit against the opioid company that manufactured the drugs that her sister accidentally overdosed on at the start of the spinoff series. The sitcom’s Season 7 premiere spinoff ended with Jackie and Dan (John Goodman) at a serious impasse, with him hesitating to dig up all the pain from his wife’s death but with Jackie urging him to help her seek justice.

“The Supreme Court handed us a storyline when they took away the immunity from all the opioid companies,” executive producer Bruce Helford told TheWrap.

“That storyline ticked a lot of boxes for us, and one of them was that the little guy finally gets some justice. We’ll see how that gets resolved in the last episode,” executive producer Dave Caplan added.

Indeed the producers had a tough task in wrapping up the story of the Conners, which encompasses two Roseanne shows, one spinoff and 37 years of TV history.

Helford said the “Roseanne” reboot was originally planned as a one-season celebration of the original series that would course-correct the sitcom’s much scrutinized final season. The show’s stellar ratings, however, made it prime for a Season 2 renewal in 2018. Then Barr’s tweets about Valerie Jarrett got her fired, which led to the producers bringing the team together without the titular star in “The Conners.”

Seven seasons later, “The Conners” will end its run in a very different America. So could Barr end up making one last appearance to close the show?

“We aren’t bringing anybody back from the dead,” Helford said, referencing old “Roseanne” plotlines that brought Dan back from the dead for the reboot. When pressed if Barr could return in ghost-form, Helford said, “Well, I didn’t say not, but yeah,” keeping it cryptic.

Below, “The Conners” producers talk about crafting the family’s heartfelt goodbye and more.

Laurie Metcalf, Sean Astin, Lecy Goranson, Sara Gilbert, John Goodman and Katey Sagal in “The Conners.” (Disney/Christopher Willard)

TheWrap: The premiere sets up a lot of great stuff to come in this six-episode farewell. How did you approach writing how this beloved TV family says goodbye this time around?

Bruce Helford: When we did the “Roseanne” reboot, the idea was to do one season just to finish off the original “Roseanne” in a better way than the lottery and all that stuff. Then that blew up and we had to do a new show. We thought we’d do another year to clear up the legacy of that mess. I tell you, we never expected it to go seven years. We were very happy that it went that way. But every year we had no contracts. Every year we had to decide whether we wanted to continue doing it or not, and we all decided to keep doing it each year. We were having fun and felt that the work was of quality. But we knew that there had to be a time, ultimately, where it had to come to an end.

So then we put our heads together… How do we want to be remembered? That was the original purpose. And also how to make this a six-episode event. A lot of times people just tune in for the last episode. We wanted this to be something special. So it’s six episodes that are all linked very carefully.

Dave Caplan: It was daunting to try to resolve the arcs of all the Conner characters in six episodes … But we did feel like there were big questions for especially the four main characters that had to be resolved. So we understood the marching orders, and we just had to get it done in six.

Last time the Conner family said goodbye on TV was with the much-scrutinized final season of the original “Roseanne.” How much creative liberty did you give yourselves this time around?

Helford: We didn’t take that much liberty … Every season, we prepare these long arcs. And we always leave the end with something cliffhanging. So we had a lot of chickens that had to come home to roost. We had built it in a way to ultimately do this someday, and I think we stayed within the parameters of the realities that we created.

Caplan: We wanted the six to be a big event, but we didn’t want to have anything artificial about it where we pulled in something brand new out of left field to create extra drama. There was enough drama inherent in how the lives of these characters were going to end up. And that was more than enough for us to write from.

Helford: And the Supreme Court handed us a storyline when they took away the immunity from all the opioid companies. So we thought this family would definitely try to take advantage of that.

Indeed the Conner family starts the season with a big impasse, as Jackie and Dan argue about whether to pursue legal action against an opioid company for Roseanne’s accidental overdose. Why bring that storyline to the surface now?

Caplan: We set out to figure out an ending that would honor the creation of the original show and the reboot and “The Conners,” and the Roseanne character was a big part of all of that.

It was a way to pay homage and try to cement that legacy for the family. And you know, “The Conners” was, to a large degree, about them dealing with the death of their matriarch. So it was painful to bring it up again for them, but it also provided a kind of complete closure that maybe they didn’t have before.

Darlene (Sara Gilbert) and Ben (Jay R. Ferguson) are clearly facing some distance in their relationship, and we know Seth Green is coming in later on to possibly throw a wrench on the marriage. Should we be worried for them?

Helford: I would worry about all of the Conners. They don’t always make the best decisions. (laughs)

Caplan: When everybody’s working, it’s hard on relationships, and Ben and Darlene are no exception. Ben’s working to get a business started. And little companies are the backbone of the entire American economy. But everybody that’s had a little business knows it’s hard. And it’s hard on relationships.

Jay R. Ferguson and Sara Gilbert in “The Conners.” (Disney/Christopher Willard)

I love that Jackie is going to try to return to her former job in the Lanford PD. But I especially loved seeing Laurie Metcalf’s daughter Zoe Perry in the role of her potential new partner/nemesis. How did that on-screen pairing come about?

Helford: We always wanted to have Zoe do something on the show, but she was busy with this, that and the other. And when this came up, it was like, “What about Zoe?” And for me, I’m always like well, I don’t know how actors feel about working with their family on the show. But they were totally game for it and totally up for it.

It was just interesting to watch them interact. At the end of each scene, Zoe would just giggle and point at her mom and go “My God, this woman!” Each time. It was like, she was just aware that she’s just really funny.

Caplan: It was Bring Your Daughter to Work Day so it worked out great!

Will Zoe stick around?

Caplan: She comes back again. We would take Zoe as much as we can get her, because she and Laurie … that chemistry, you can’t duplicate.

Helford: They got a kick out of working together, too. It was fun. I don’t know if they had ever worked together before.

Laurie Metcalf, John Goodman, Lecy Goranson and Sara Gilbert in “The Conners.” (Disney/Christopher Willard)

Is production all done for the final season? How was it to say goodbye?

Helford: October and November we wrapped. And then there was obviously editing and things like that… We all had our moments during the course of the six episodes. Some people started getting emotional early. Some people didn’t really till the very final moment. But it was hard. Everybody was in a certain amount of, honestly, denial. Because it felt like the show could go on forever. It did not feel tired in any way. It was really easy for us to come up with new storylines and all that. But everything does ultimately have to run its course, and so this was the natural place to do it. It was very emotional, very emotional for us.

Caplan: Think about how long not only that cast has been together, but a lot of our crew came from the early “Roseanne” show, so the people on stage have been together for a very long time, like and for it to come to an end was pretty traumatic.

Helford: A bunch of them from the original, from the very first episode of “Roseanne.” People would work out on that show all the way through.

This interview was edited for length and clarity.

“The Conners” airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT and streams the next day on Hulu.

The post ‘The Conners’ EPs Explain Big Season 7 Roseanne Storyline — Could It Lead to Her Return? appeared first on TheWrap.

‘The View’ Scolds Jasmine Crockett for Calling Greg Abbott ‘Hot Wheels’: ‘Never OK to Mock Someone’s Disability’ | Video

Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett took a lot of heat after nicknaming Texas Governor Greg Abbott “Hot Wheels,” including from the women of “The View” on Wednesday, following her statement that she never meant to make fun of his disability.

Alyssa Farah Griffin added, “It’s “never OK to mock someone’s disability… he was paralyzed from the waist down — governor Abbott — when he was 29 years old, a tree fell on him.” Griffin said, “It’s a tragedy, whether you like him or not. It’s off limits.”

See that conversation on “The View” below:

REP. CROCKETT SLAMMED FOR GOV. ABBOTT COMMENTS: #TheView co-hosts react to Rep. Crockett facing backlash for calling Texas Gov. Abbott "Governor Hot Wheels" and denying the comment was about his disability. pic.twitter.com/h9tjiFyzLS

— The View (@TheView) March 26, 2025

Previously, the Missouri-born Texas congressional representative said in a statement Tuesday that the nickname — bestowed on Abbott earlier this week during a speech at an event hosted by the Human Rights Campaign — didn’t refer to the fact that Abbott is in a wheelchair, but to his practice of deporting migrants using a variety of “planes, trains and automobiles.”

“I wasn’t thinking about the governor’s condition — I was thinking about the planes, trains, and automobiles he used to transfer migrants into communities led by Black mayors, deliberately stoking tension and fear among the most vulnerable,” she explained on X.

“Literally, the next line I said was that he was a “Hot A** Mess,” referencing his terrible policies. At no point did I mention or allude to his condition,” she continued.

Whoopi Goldberg, however, told the congresswoman on Wednesday’s show, “Your intentions may have been absolutely what you say, but once people hear you say something, it is not about what you said, it’s about what they think your intentions are. Everybody’s gotta be really careful.” 

Sara Haines said, “Representative Crockett is so much better than this…. Marjorie Taylor Green, we expect that. That’s the only way she can get a headline is by saying crazy stuff.” She suggested that Crockett say she was sorry and then “move on.”

Crockett also said in her tweet that she’s “appalled” the some of the criticism is coming from Trump supporters, since the president is known for “racially insensitive nicknames and mocking those with disabilities,” referring to an incident in November 2015 when Trump made fun of a disabled New York Times reporter.

The post ‘The View’ Scolds Jasmine Crockett for Calling Greg Abbott ‘Hot Wheels’: ‘Never OK to Mock Someone’s Disability’ | Video appeared first on TheWrap.

‘The Conners’ Season 7 Release Schedule: Here’s When the Final Episodes Air

After more than 100 episodes on ABC and decades on screen, “The Conners” are saying goodbye. The “Roseanne” spinoff series will bow out with a shortened final series that kicks off in March.

“For over three decades, audiences have followed along with the Conners as they navigate the daily struggles of life in Lanford,” an ABC statement read when the final season release was announced. “Dan, Jackie, Darlene and Becky grapple with parenthood, marriage, financial pressures and aging in working-class America. Through it all—the fights, the coupon cutting, the hand-me-downs, the breakdowns—with love, humor and perseverance, the family prevails.”

Starring John Goodman, Laurie Metcalf, Sara Gilbert, Lecy Goranson, Emma Kenney, Ames McNamara and Jay R. Ferguson, “The Conners” has just a few episodes left before the end — here’s when and where you can watch new episodes.

When does “The Conners” Season 7 premiere?

The ABC comedy returns for a final season on March 26, 2025.

What time do new episodes air?

“The Conners” debuts new episodes on Wednesdays at 8:00 p.m. ET.

How many episodes are in the final season?

With more than 100 episodes behind it, get ready for a short and sweet farewell — the final season of “The Conners” will span just six episodes.

“The Conners” Season 7 episode release schedule:

ABC has revealed the full details for the first three episodes of Season 7, but we will update the information below as more are announced.

S.7 Ep.1: “It’s Going to Be a Great Day” – March 26

Darlene celebrates her promotion, hoping it will allow her to spend more time with Ben. Meanwhile, Jackie stumbles upon an opportunity to sue the pharmaceutical company responsible for Roseanne’s addiction, which sparks a family debate.

S.7 Ep.2: “Fame, Flying Fists, and Cold Feet”

The Conners get a taste of fame when their family restaurant is featured in a reality TV show, which inspires Becky to become an influencer. Meanwhile, Jackie and Dan meet with a lawyer, and Darlene connects with someone at The Lobo Lounge.

S.7 Ep.3: “Applications, Accusations and a Man Bag”

Jackie decides to rejoin the police force despite everyone’s concerns. Darlene grows more skeptical about Mark’s secretive behavior. Meanwhile, Dan and Becky wade through uncomfortable conversations about Roseanne’s addiction issues and death.Where is “The Conners” streaming?

New episodes air first on ABC and will be available to stream the next day on Hulu. You can find Seasons 1-6 on Hulu too, while Seasons 1-5 are streaming free on Tubi and PlutoTV.

The post ‘The Conners’ Season 7 Release Schedule: Here’s When the Final Episodes Air appeared first on TheWrap.

10 Major Marvel Stars Missing From the ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ Cast Announcement

Marvel spent five and a half slow hours revealing the massive cast for “Avengers: Doomsday” and still did not have the time to include some fan-favorite characters.

It had been teased that Marvel was going to have a reveal that would sweep the Internet on Wednesday morning. That happened in the form of a slow panning of cast chairs revealing the names of the stars for the next big Avengers film. Among the biggest names were Marvel mainstays Chris Hemsworth, Robert Downey Jr., Anthony Mackie, and more. They also revealed a number of iconic members from the Fox-era X-Men movies would star including Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellan, James Marsden, and Rebecca Romijn.

Obviously, not every character was going to appear in “Avengers: Doomsday” – many who appeared in “Avengers: Infinity War” sat out most of “Avengers: Endgame” or vice versa – but below are ten characters that really made sense to appear in the upcoming team-up film.

Marvel Studios/SonyTom Holland as Spider-Man

With Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr. (kinda) out of the MCU picture at this point, Tom Holland’s Spider-Man really is the golden goose of the cinematic franchise. With “Spider-Man: No Way Home” being one of the few runaway successes for Marvel in a post-“Endgame” world the character seemed like an obvious choice for the next big team-up movie.

Spider-Man also has a long history with the Fantastic Four – fighting with and on the team numerous times and being a close friend of Johnny Storm. Him showing up for “Doomsday” certainly seemed like it lined up. A fourth entry in the MCU Spidey franchise is set to release just a few months after “Doomsday” and with everyone forgetting Peter Parker exists, that might explain his absence.

Marvel StudiosBenedict Cumberbatch as Dr. Strange

Benedict Cumberbatch’s Dr. Strange is the other major column holding up the pre-“Endgame” era of the MCU. With the next two “Avengers” films leaning so hard into the continued multiverse focus, the one character who has exclusively explored the concept in his recent outing – “Spider-Man: No Way Home” and “Dr. Strange and the Multiverse of Madness” – he again felt like a no-brainer choice.

Maybe he’s still galavanting around the multiverse on his own with Charlize Theron’s Clea, last seen in the “Multiverse of Madness” post-credit scene. He’s bound to show up in “Secret Wars” at least.

Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool/Wade Wilson in Marvel Studios’ DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2024 20th Century Studios / © and 2024 MARVEL.Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool

The X-Men are coming and they’ve already had their first bonafide MCU hit – but he’s nowhere in sight for “Avengers: Doomsday.” Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool already had a big movie win in 2024’s Fox/Disney Marvel mash-up “Deadpool & Wolverine,” so it would make sense for him to show up alongside the handful of other mutants showing up in “Doomsday.” But apparently, Wade and Logan are still off doing their own thing.

But fans are still waiting for that teary goodbye between Thor and Deadpool he saw from his future while at the TVA.

Marvel Studios/DisneyBrie Larson as Captain Marvel

Captain Marvel is one of the heavy hitters in the MCU and since she missed all of the Infinity War and most of the fight with Thanos in “Endgame,” it feels like she should be ready to rock for the next major Avengers threat. Add to that her increased focus on the multiverse after losing Monica to the X-verse at the end of “The Marvels,” it seems like Brie Larson’s character would be in the thick of things a bit more.

Marvel StudiosTeyonah Parris as Photon

Given some of the big casting choices revealed for “Avengers: Doomsday,” one of the more confusing exclusions is Teyonah Parris’s Photon. She was last seen being lost in a different multiverse at the end of “The Marvels” and being examined by Kelsey Grammar’s Beast – hinting she might be in the Fox X-Men universe.

If Grammar and the rest of the original X-cast are all in “Doomsday,” it seems weird for Photon to willingly choose to sit on the sideline and watch.

Chris Pratt as Peter Quill/Star-Lord in Marvel Studios’ Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2022 MARVEL.Chris Pratt as Star-Lord

Based on the ending of “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,” it did not seem likely many of the Guardians would be returning anytime soon, but the post-credit scene showed Chris Pratt’s Star-Lord chilling back on Earth with his grandpa followed by the final MCU “Star-Lord Will Return” tag. Are fans led to believe that Peter Quill is fine with just mowing his grandpa’s lawn and nothing else when some multiversal shenanigans start popping off? Doubtful, but apparently so.

Mark Ruffalo as the Incredible Hulk (Credit: Marvel)Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner/The Hulk

Mark Ruffalo’s The Hulk really is a lynchpin of “Avengers” movies. Some of that is due to the fact that Disney does not have the rights to make a solo Hulk film, but whether it’s Banner or Hulk, he really does feel like a character you bring in for an Avengers-level threat. Maybe Dr. Doom doesn’t move the needle for Hulk or maybe he’s back off planet with his newly introduced son. Either way, his brains and brawn are going to be missed in “Doomsday.”

Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye in “The Avengers” Battle of New York. (Photo: Marvel Studios)Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye

There are not many members of the Avengers Old Guard present in “Avengers: Doomsday.” In a lot of ways, that makes sense, let’s put the focus on all these new characters we spent setting up and getting to know in Phases 4 and 5, but something about an Avengers movie without Jeremy Renner’s Hawkeye just doesn’t feel right. Get everyone’s favorite salt of the Earth bowman back out there on the front lines.

Hugh Jackman in “Deadpool & Wolverine” (Marvel Studios/Disney)Hugh Jackman as Wolverine

“Avengers: Doomsday” is going all in on the X-Men legacy casting, but the most famous star – and mutant – from the original Fox lineup did not get his own chair. Yes, Hugh Jackman just starred in his own MCU movie with Ryan Reynolds in “Deadpool & Wolverine,” but given every other major mutant appearing in the upcoming Avengers flick, it’s a bit of a head-scratcher to exclude Logan.

Marvel StudiosElizabeth Olsen as Scarlet Witch

Everyone wanted Scarlet Witch back for the next Avengers movie. The last time fans saw her, she was being crushed by a mountain in “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.” Dead is never dead in the comic book world, but it still feels a bit early to bring back Elizabeth Olsen and her fan-favorite character – even though her kids have started taking center stage in Disney+ shows like “Agatha All Along.”

The post 10 Major Marvel Stars Missing From the ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ Cast Announcement appeared first on TheWrap.

The Shocking True Story Behind Hulu’s ‘Good American Family’

The Ellen Pompeo-led Hulu limited series “Good American Family” tells the seemingly improbable story of an Indiana family who adopted a six-year-old Ukrainian girl who they believed to be much older. After what her adoptive mother, Kristine Barnett, called “sociopathic” behavior, the Barnetts legally changed their daughter’s birth year from 2003 to 1989 and abandoned her.

This, in fact, is a true story.

“Good American Family” tells the true crime story from opposing perspectives, giving a glimpse into the Barnetts’ viewpoint, Natalia Grace’s and the eyes of the law.

Natalia Grace’s case first made headlines when her adoptive parents, Kristine and Michael Barnett, were charged with neglect in 2019 after allegedly abandoning their daughter alone in an apartment before moving with their three biological sons to Canada and cutting off contact.

Before the Barnetts left their 8-year-old, just over a year after adopting her in 2010, they petitioned Marion County to change Natalia’s birth records to indicate a 1989 birth year, making her 22 years old. They believed that Natalia, who has a rare form of dwarfism called spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia congenita, was tricking the family that she was younger than she was and harming their biological sons. The couple accused her of being a “sociopath” and alleged that she had pubic hair, adult teeth and was menstruating, according to the Investigation Discovery docuseries “The Curious Case of Natalia Grace.”

Natalia has repeatedly denied the allegations against her. In January 2025, she told People, “I didn’t understand why I was alone. I just knew I had this instinct in me to push and survive. All I was told was, ‘You’re 22 now. Whenever somebody asks you what your age is, you say you’re 22 and you tried to murder your family.’ I was taught to lie.”

The Barnetts, now divorced, faced neglect charges in 2019. The adoptive parents moved Natalia into an apartment on the second floor, which prosecutors deemed neglectful because of her disability. Because Natalia’s age had been changed legally in the state of Indiana, the courts did not take her age into account in the case, only her dwarfism.

Michael was found not guilty in October 2022, and Kristine’s charges were ultimately dismissed in March 2023.

After being left alone in the apartment building, a neighboring family, The Manses, took Natalia in in addition to their 10 children. In her docuseries “The Curious Case of Natalia Grace,” the Ukrainian adoptee detailed her experience with the “abusive” father and how she escaped from Cynthia and Antwon Mans.

In January 2024, a DNA test seemed to reveal that Natalia was, in fact, a child when the Barnetts adopted her — despite their claims otherwise. The blood test, which was conducted by the medical lab TruDiagnostic, showed that Grace was approximately 22 years old at the time when the lab work was completed in August 2023. The results of the test determined that Grace was 9 years old when she was adopted by the Barnetts in 2010.

Natalia now lives with The DePauls, the family who initially tried to adopt her but were denied in 2009. They are also little people.

“Good American Family” is available to stream on Hulu.

The post The Shocking True Story Behind Hulu’s ‘Good American Family’ appeared first on TheWrap.

Jimmy Kimmel ‘Can’t Help’ but Enjoy the ‘Confederacy of Dunces Running This Country’ After Signal Chat Fiasco | Video

Jimmy Kimmel was, like a lot of people, interested in the news this week that Trump administration officials openly discussed apparently classified military plans in a group chat on the encrypted messaging app Signal — a chat that included Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic.

But because of the details about how such a huge screw-up happened, Kimmel confessed during his monologue on Tuesday that he was actually enjoying it.

“Quick question for the audience – did anyone else get a group chat invite from the National Security Adviser today? Just me?” Kimmel joked. “I know we shouldn’t enjoy the fact that we have a confederacy of dunces running this country. But I’ll be honest. I can’t help it. I’m enjoying it right now.”

“This week, in the race between dumb and evil, dumb’s in the lead! Dumb has a big lead!” Kimmel said with glee.

The ABC host then caught his audience up on the details about the ongoing scandal — specifically how Goldberg was invited to the Signal chat by Trump National Security Advisor Michael Waltz, how the chat included Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and more. Who spent days talking about plans to bomb Yemen, and also talking smack about American allies — while unaware Goldberg could see it all.

“And just to add another ‘also’ to the mix, one of the people on the chain – was in Russia at the time of the texts,” Kimmel explained. “Not that they would ever try to look at those, but, so you would think, one would think that the administration would say, ‘hey, oops, we screwed up,’ and hold the people accountable. Oh, that’s where you would be very wrong.”

Kimmel noted how the Trump administration’s response has been to deny the facts, downplay the risks associated with the breach, and also smear Goldberg. This enabled Kimmel to talk about how nearly everyone who participated in the chat previously criticized Hillary Clinton over her use of a private email server when she was Secretary of State.

“In any other world, these people would be fired or worse for something like this. Instead, they keep saying, ‘oh this information wasn’t even classified,’ as if they wanted people to know about it,” Kimmel added. He then ran clips demonstrating this.

Eventually Kimmel mentioned how Trump himself has weighed in — and downplayed the matter considerably.

“What happened to this guy? He used to fire people on a daily basis. He fired Meat Loaf for less than this,” Kimmel joked. “Firing used to be his favorite thing. It’s kind of sad. He’s like an old dog who doesn’t chase the ball anymore.”

You can watch the whole monologue below:

The post Jimmy Kimmel ‘Can’t Help’ but Enjoy the ‘Confederacy of Dunces Running This Country’ After Signal Chat Fiasco | Video  appeared first on TheWrap.

Chris Hayes Calls Trump War Plans Breach ‘Almost Too Ridiculous to Be True’: ‘Olympian Incompetence’ | Video

MSNBC’s Chris Hayes kicked off Tuesday’s episode of “All In” with some commentary over the Trump administration’s massive breach of apparently classified military plans. While he mainly summed up the matter for people who might have missed it, he also expressed considerable disbelief that it even happened at all.

It’s “sheer, unfettered, Olympian incompetence,” Hayes said.

“The Trump White House has been caught in the worst, most embarrassing, most dangerous security breach of our lifetime. The details, I’m sure you’ve heard some of them, are almost too ridiculous to be true,” Hayes said at the start. “Trump’s cabinet accidentally texted war plans, like imminent details, to the editor in chief of one of America’s most prominent magazines. This was not an anonymous leak or a hack by a foreign adversary, but rather an act of sheer unfettered Olympian incompetence.”

“Members of Trump’s cabinet, including Secretary of Defense and the Vice President all hopped on a group chat on signal — It’s a commercial encrypted messaging platform anyone can download from the App Store — to discuss detailed, clearly classified plans about the military strike in Yemen,” Hayes continued. “Trump’s National Security Advisor accidentally included, why we still don’t know, Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor in chief of The Atlantic magazine on the text chain.”

Hayes discussed how one of the people on the chain appears to have literally been in Moscow at the time the text chain started, “which adds an entire new layer of just insane security concerns, as does the fact that as a former White House official told Politico, many of the participants, participants in the conversation, were likely using their personal cell phones, since generally that encrypted text app, Signal, is not allowed on government devices [because] quote, ‘their personal phones are all hackable.’ Yeah, no kidding.”

“And it’s highly likely that foreign intelligence services are sitting on their phones, watching them type the s— out before a White House official warned, of course, that is apparently a little consequence to Trump’s cabinet. They are group texting classified stuff because it defies the rules, because no one can hold them accountable, because they’re a bunch of incompetents, because they want to avoid the Freedom of Information Act requests,” Hayes explained.

“They want to avoid the prying eyes of responsible federal officials. Remember what happened when Trump called Zelenskyy in his first term? Right?” Hayes said, referring to when Trump attempted to extort Ukraine in order to get them to back false claims Joe Biden was involved in illegal deals there. This resulted in Trump’s first impeachment. “They want to avoid Inspector General reports. Right? They’re hiding it from others, just not foreign adversaries.”

There’s more, and you can watch the segment below:

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‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Might’ve Just Dropped Another Young Avengers Hint

Marvel has been slowly but steadily lining up potential members of the Young Avengers, and finally gave it a near explicit mention in “The Marvels.” Now, thanks to the latest episode of “Daredevil: Born Again,” we might have gotten a new update.

In the fifth episode of the season, now streaming on Disney+, we get a surprise appearance from Yusuf Khan (Mohan Kapoor), as the assistant manager of the bank that Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) is hoping to get a loan from. As they chat, Yusuf boasts about his daughter Kamala Khan, better known to some as Ms. Marvel.

In that conversation, Yusuf mentions that Kamala isn’t in Jersey City right now because she’s off in Los Angeles with her friends. It’s a quick aside, and Yusuf even admits he doesn’t know what she’s doing out there. But fans might.

After all, there’s a whole comic story arc centered on the “West Coast Avengers.”

The team first appeared in a 1984 run written by Roger Stern and drawn by Bob Hall and Brett Breeding. There’s been various iterations of them over the years, but in 2018’s “Fresh Start,” the team consists of Hawkeye, Kate Bishop and America Chavez, among others.

Kate Bishop and America Chavez are newer additions to the MCU, played by Hailee Steinfeld and Xochitl Gomez, respectively. Both are also members of the Young Avengers in the comics. So, could Marvel be combining the Young Avengers and the West Coast Avengers for the MCU?

It may be a stretch, considering they’re truly two different teams, but it’s worth recalling that, in the final minutes of “The Marvels,” Kamala Khan does track down Kate Bishop to recruit her, Nick Fury-style, to a team she’s putting together. As the scene ends, Kamala coyly asks Kate, “Did you know Ant-Man had a daughter?”

That daughter is Cassie Lang, played by Kathryn Newton in the MCU. She’s also a member of the Young Avengers in the comics, as are Wiccan, Eli Bradley, Kid Loki and Speed, all of whom have been introduced across the Marvel television series.

It’s impossible to say for sure at this point, we’re really just theorizing. But it’s not hard to imagine a world (especially considering the multiverse is real), where the friends that Kamala is with in L.A. are the new members of her team.

“Daredevil: Born Again” is now streaming on Disney+.

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‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Just Properly Crossed Over With the MCU — Here’s How

“Daredevil: Born Again” marks the official entrance into the Marvel Cinematic Universe for most of the characters in the show — save for Charlie Cox’s Matt Murdock, who first appeared via “Spider-Man: No Way Home” and then again in “She-Hulk,” and Vincent D’Onofrio’s Wilson Fisk, who appeared in “Hawkeye” and “Echo.”

The original Netflix series was technically set within the larger MCU, but rarely even indulged in references and kept mainly to its own corner of street-level heroes. Up until this point, “Born Again” has followed suit and hasn’t featured any major crossovers with the MCU at large, aside from a couple of references here and there.

Well, that changed with Episode 5, but if you haven’t kept up with the other Marvel shows on Disney+, you might be a little confused about how.

To be fair, “Born Again” technically connected itself to the larger universe with a brief glimpse of the Broadway marquee for “Rogers: The Musical,” which we first saw back in ‘Hawkeye.” But beyond that, there have been no major character appearances outside of those from the original Netflix “Daredevil” series.

And really, we wouldn’t call episode 5’s surprise character major. In fact, he’s kind of an unexpected choice to weave things together. But in a weird way, it worked. The character in question? Yusuf Khan, played by Mohan Kapur.

In the most recent episode of “Daredevil: Born Again,” now streaming on Disney+, Matt Murdock (Cox) heads to the bank to try and secure a loan for his law firm. He’s supposed to speak to the manager, but unfortunately, the manager isn’t in that day, which puts Matt at the desk of the assistant manager, Yusuf.

As he and Matt chat, Yusuf proudly boasts about his daughter Kamala Khan — better known now as the superhero Ms. Marvel. But, Daredevil has never heard of Ms. Marvel.

Now, if you watched the “Ms. Marvel” series on Disney+, or “The Marvels,” you definitely know who Kamala Khan is. But if you haven’t, here’s the short version: she’s a mutant, who can manipulate energy. Yes, a mutant. No, she’s not part of the X-Men.

She’s mostly known in Jersey City, but we also learned at the end of “The Marvels” that she’s hoping to put together her own team. And, if Yusuf’s offhanded comment to Matt about Kamala being in Los Angeles at the moment is anything to go off of, she might be doing just that.

Perhaps we’ll learn a little more if Matt ever makes it to Jersey City for dinner at the Khan household, as he was invited to do. But for now, “Daredevil: Born Again” has simply had its first official crossover with the larger world it exists in.

“Daredevil: Born Again” is now streaming on Disney+.

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