Steve Pond's Blog, page 2062
November 20, 2019
Kamala Calls Out Tulsi, Biden’s Poor Word Choice and 4 Other Highlights From 5th Democratic Debate
Ten Democratic candidates appeared on stage in Atlanta, Georgia, for the fifth Democratic presidential debate on Wednesday evening.
Wednesday’s debate, a year out to the month from the 2020 presidential election, was the first since the start of public hearings in the impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump. It also comes as, somehow, the pool of Democratic candidates appears to still be expanding, though no new faces made it onstage this time.
At the debate was former Vice President Joe Biden, New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, California Sen. Kamala Harris, Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, billionaire Tom Steyer, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, and entrepreneur Andrew Yang.
Here are six highlights from Wednesday’s debate.
1. Kamala Harris and Tulsi Gabbard go head-to-head over Gabbard’s record
Gabbard was asked by a moderator what she saw as the “rot” in the Democratic party — a term she has used to describe Hillary Clinton.
“Our Democratic party is unfortunately not the party of, by, and for the people. It is a party that has been and continues to be influenced by the foreign-policy establishment represented by Hillary Clinton, the military-industrial complex and other greedy interests,” Gabbard said. “I’m running for president to be the Democratic nominee that rebuilds our Democratic party, takes it out of their hands, and truly puts it in the hands of the people of this country.”
When asked if she had a response, Harris tore into Gabbard’s record — including her apparent ties to Syrian Dictator Bashar al-Assad — and called into question whether she’s actually a good faith member of the Democratic party.
“It’s unfortunate that we have someone on this stage who is attempting to be the Democratic nominee for the United States who, during the Obama administration, spent four years, full time, on Fox News criticizing President Obama,” Harris said.
“That’s ridiculous, Senator Harris,” Gabbard interjected.
“Who has spent, full time, criticizing people on this stage as affiliated with the Democratic party,” Harris continued, “when Donald Trump was elected, not even sworn in, buddied up to Steve Bannon to get a meeting with Donald Trump in the Trump Tower; fails to call a war criminal by what he is as a war criminal; and then spends full time during the course of this campaign, again, criticizing the Democratic party.”
“What Senator Harris is doing is unfortunately continuing to traffic in smears and lies and innuendos because she cannot challenge the substance of the argument that I’m making, the leadership and the change I am seeking to bring in our foreign policy,” Gabbard shot back.
2. Joe Biden’s poor word choice about violence against women
When Biden was asked how he planned to address the issues raised by the #MeToo movement, he said it came down to “fundamentally [changing] the culture of how women are treated.” But his response elicited a few nervous laughs when he used the phrase “punching at it.”
“No man has a right to raise a hand to a woman in anger other than in self-defense and that rarely ever occurs,” Biden said. “We have to change the culture, period, and keep punching at it, and punching at it, and punching at it.”
“No, I really mean it,” he said amid that nervous laughter. “It’s a gigantic issue.”
3. Biden, forgetting about Harris, says he is endorsed by the “only” African American woman elected to the senate
Joe Biden touts endorsement from Carol Mosley Braun, the 1st Black woman US Senator; then claims she’s the only one to ever serve in the Senate.
KAMALA HARRIS, THE SECOND BLACK WOMAN ELECTED TO THE US SENATE, interjected, “Nope, that’s not true. The other ones here.” #DemDebate pic.twitter.com/wSFSUffosF
— Madam Auntie Kamala Harris (Supporters) (@flywithkamala) November 21, 2019
Toward the end of the debate, Biden boasted that he was part of the “Obama coalition” and that he “comes out of the black community” in terms of support.
He then listed his supporters: “three former chairs of the black caucus” and “the only African American woman elected to the United States Senate,” referring to former Illinois senator Carol Moseley Braun.
His opponent Kamala Harris quickly interjected, “No, the other one is here.”
Biden quickly corrected himself, saying “the first African American elected, the first.”
But his boasting was deflated as Harris, the second black woman elected to Senate, laughed incredulously from the side of the stage.
4. Harris addresses white candidates’ outreach — or lack thereof — to black voters
“The larger issue is that for too long, candidates have taken for granted constituencies that have been the backbone of the Democratic party and overlooked those constituencies,” Harris said. “They show up when it’s close to election time, they show up to a back church and want to get the vote. But just having been there before, there are plenty of people who applauded black women for the success of the 2018 election, applauded black women for the election of a senator from Alabama.
“But at some point, folks get tired of just saying, ‘Well, thank me for showing up.’ They say, ‘Well, show up for me,'” she continued. “When black women are 3-4 times more likely to die in connection with childbirth in America; when the sons of black women will die because of gun violence than any other cause of death; when black women only make 61 cents on the dollar as compared to all women who tragically make 80 cents on the dollar, the question has to be, ‘Where ya been, and what are you going to do? And do you understand what the people are?'”
5. Pete Buttigieg attacks Gabbard’s “judgment” for meeting with Bashar al-Assad
Gabbard and Buttigieg had a contentious interaction over national security and foreign policy during the latter half of the debate.
“I think the most recent example of your inexperience in national security and foreign policy came from your recent careless statement about how you as president would be willing to send our troops to Mexico to fight the cartels,” Gabbard said, referring to his remarks at a forum in Los Angeles this week.
“As commander in chief, leader of our armed forces, I bring extensive experience serving for seven years in congress,” she continued, “meeting with leaders of countries around the world, working with military commanders of different commands, dealing with high-level national security briefings.”
“I know that it’s par for the course in Washington to take remarks out of context, but that is outlandish even by the standards of today’s politics,” Buttigieg said.
“Are you saying that you didn’t say that?” Gabbard asked.
“I was talking about U.S.-Mexico cooperation. We’ve been doing security cooperation with Mexico for years. With law enforcement cooperation and a military relationship that could continue to be developed,” Buttigieg said. “Do you seriously think anybody on this stage is proposing invading Mexico?”
“That’s not what I said,” Gabbard said.
“I’m talking about building up alliances. And if your question is about experience, let’s also talk about judgment,” he responded. “One of the foreign leaders you mentioned meeting was Bashar al-Assad. I have, in my experience, such as it is, whether you think it counts or not since it wasn’t accumulated in Washington, enough judgement that I would not have sat down with a murderous dictator like that.”
“What you’ve just pointed out is that you would lack the courage to meet with both adversaries and friends to ensure the peace and national security of our nation. I take the example of those leaders who have come before us, leaders like JFK, who met with Khrushchev; like Roosevelt, who met with Stalin.”
“Like Donald Trump, who met with Kim,” Buttigieg interjected, referring to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
6. Memorable one-liners
With so many people on stage and so many questions, some candidates used one-liners to drive their points home.
When addressing double standards for female candidates, Sen. Klobuchar said, “‘If you think a woman can’t beat Donald Trump, Nancy Pelosi does it every single day” — referring to the Speaker of the House who is currently leading the impeachment inquiry into Donald Trump.
'If you think a woman can't beat Donald Trump, Nancy Pelosi does it every single day' — Watch @amyklobuchar's answer to double standards for women at the #DemDebate pic.twitter.com/lBJj7PjqpF
— NowThis (@nowthisnews) November 21, 2019
Mayor Buttigieg used humor to distinguish himself from wealthy candidates, calling himself the “least wealthy person on this stage.”
Mayor @petebuttigieg: "I don't talk a big game about helping the working class while helicoptering between golf courses with my name of them. I don't even golf!" #DemDebate pic.twitter.com/bJ6qrVIB1j
— The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast) November 21, 2019
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Women's Group to DNC: Cancel 5th Presidential Debate Unless Co-Sponsor NBC News 'Cleans House'
2020 Presidential and Vice Presidential Debates Set With Dates and Locations
Apple Canceled ‘The Banker’ Premiere After Subject’s Son Accused of Sexual Assault by Sisters
Apple has not publicly disclosed why it canceled the planned premiere of its film “The Banker,” but it did so less than a week after producer Bernard Garrett, who is also the son of the film’s subject (portrayed by Anthony Mackie), was publicly accused of sexual assault by one of his half-sisters.
And on Wednesday night, the Hollywood Reporter reported that Garrett had been accused of sexual assault by both of his half-sisters.
“The Banker” was originally scheduled to premiere as the closing film of the 2019 AFI Festival in Los Angeles, but the screening was abruptly canceled Wednesday afternoon. Apple did not disclose the reason for doing so, saying in a statement only that “Last week some concerns surrounding the film were brought to our attention. We, along with the filmmakers, need some time to look into these matters and determine the best next steps. In light of this, we are no longer premiering ‘The Banker’ at AFI Fest.”
Also Read: Apple Nixes 'The Banker' AFI Festival Premiere Over New 'Concerns' About Fact-Based Film
But the move came just five days after Garrett Jr.’s half-sister, Cynthia Garrett, tweeted that the film “LIES TO HIDE THE PRODUCER WHO SEXUALLY MOLESTED MY SISTER AND I FOR YEARS THEN STOLE MY MOMS LIFE STORY WITH OUR DAD.” And according to THR, Cynthia and her sister, Sheila Garrett, told Apple approximately a week ago that Garrett Jr. molested them over a period of several years in the early 1970s, when they were little girls.
The sisters spoke to THR, and said that the film misrepresented the timeline of real-life events so that they and their mother were left out of the story entirely. “This entire project is poisoned. It’s the fruit of crime, lies and deception,” Cynthia Garret told THR.
Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment from TheWrap. Cynthia Garrett also did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Romulus Entertainment, which co-produced the film, also did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Attempts to contact Bernard Garrett Jr. were unsuccessful.
Also Read: Anthony Mackie and Samuel L Jackson Buy Up White America in 'The Banker' Trailer (Video)
The drama starring Mackie and Samuel L. Jackson is based on the true story of two real estate investors and businessmen, Bernard Garrett (Mackie) and Joe Morris (Jackson), who managed to buy banks and homes in all-white neighborhoods and loan it back to black people looking to find their own American dream in a still segregated world that made that dream difficult. Nicholas Hoult co-stars in the film as the white man the duo hired to be their stand-in for business deals with white bankers.
George Nolfi directs the drama written by Niceole Levy, Nolfi, David Lewis Smith and Stan Younger from a story by David Lewis Smith, Stan Younger and Brad Caleb Kane.
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TIFF Announces Layoffs As Long Term Strategies Are Reviewed
The Toronto International Film Festival has laid off 15 employees as the organization rethinks its long term plans, s TIFF spokesperson said Wednesday.
“In recent months, TIFF undertook a comprehensive review of its ‘Audience First’ strategic plan and operating model, to evaluate where we are as an organization relative to our stated goals,” the spokesperson said in a statement provided to TheWrap.
Announced in 2017 following the retirement of longtime CEO Piers Handling, the “Audience First” plan was designed to expand TIFF beyond its annual September film festival and create more “transformative experiences through film” year round. New Executive Director Joana Vicente is overseeing the project with TIFF Artistic Director Cameron Bailey, and it’s designed to help the festival navigate the widespread transition of moviegoing from cinemas to streaming.
Also Read: Beanie Feldstein Comedy 'How To Build A Girl' Acquired by IFC Films
Among the events included in the plan was the Toronto Film Festival Tribute Gala, a fundraiser for TIFF that launched at this year’s festival and featured Meryl Streep, Joaquin Phoenix and Taika Waititi as its initial guests of honor.
“As a normal course of business, we recalibrated our strategic plan to achieve optimal impact and be more efficient,” TIFF said. “The TIFF team is working over the next few months on the implementation of this refocused plan. We will have more details to share in the spring.”
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Fox News Maintains Ratings Lead Over CNN, MSNBC for Third Day of Trump Impeachment Hearings
EU Ambassador Gordon Sondland Confirms 'Quid Pro Quo' in Trump's Dealings With Ukraine
Watch Gordon Sondland Testify in Day 4 of Trump Impeachment Hearings Via Livestream (Video)
Kamala Harris Calls Out Tulsi Gabbard for Fox News Appearances, Trump Meeting and Assad Stance (Video)
Senator Kamala Harris criticized elements of Representative Tulsi Gabbard’s past track record during Wednesday’s debate, pointing out Gabbard’s regular appearances as a guest commentator on Fox News and pointed to reports that she buddied up with former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon to meet with President Donald Trump.
Gabbard was asked by a moderator what she saw as the “rot” in the Democratic party — a term she has used to describe Hillary Clinton.
“Our Democratic party is unfortunately not the party of, by, and for the people. It is a party that has been and continues to be influenced by the foreign-policy establishment represented by Hillary Clinton, the military-industrial complex and other greedy interests,” Gabbard said. “I’m running for president to be the Democratic nominee that rebuilds our Democratic party, takes it out of their hands, and truly puts it in the hands of the people of this country … who are calling for an end to this ongoing Bush-Clinton-Trump foreign policy doctrine, of regime change wars … and instead invest our hard-earned taxpayer dollars actually into serving the needs of American people right here at home.”
Also Read: 'A Warning': 10 Takeaways From Anonymous Senior Trump Official's Book About 'Unfit' President
“Senator Harris, any response?” the moderators asked.
“Oh, sure. I think that it’s unfortunate that we have someone on this stage who is attempting to be the Democratic nominee for the United States who, during the Obama administration, spent four years, full time, on Fox News criticizing President Obama,” Harris said.
“That’s ridiculous, Senator Harris,” Gabbard interjected.
“Who has spent, full time, criticizing people on this stage as affiliated with the Democratic party,” Harris continued, “when Donald Trump was elected, not even sworn in, buddied up to Steve Bannon to get a meeting with Donald Trump in the Trump Tower; fails to call a war criminal by what he is as a war criminal; and then spends full time during the course of this campaign, again, criticizing the Democratic party.”
“What Senator Harris is doing is unfortunately continuing to traffic in smears and lies and innuendos because she cannot challenge the substance of the argument that I’m making, the leadership and the change I am seeking to bring in our foreign policy,” Gabbard responded.
Watch Harris go in on Gabbard above.
Lawrence Yee contributed to this report.
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Impeachment Hearing Day 4: 7 Highlights From Gordon Sondland, Laura Cooper and David Hale’s Testimonies
Gordon Sondland, U.S. ambassador to the European Union, appeared before the House Intelligence Committee on Wednesday morning for the fourth day of impeachment hearings into President Donald Trump. Wednesday afternoon, he was followed by Laura Cooper, the deputy assistant secretary of defense for Russian, Ukrainian and Eurasian affairs, and David Hale, the under secretary of state for political affairs.
Sondland had previously been blocked by the Trump administration from testifying in the hearing but ultimately came forward to discuss his dealings — alongside other State Department officials — with Ukrainian officials at the behest of Trump and his lawyer Rudy Giuliani.
Here are seven highlights from the hearings, which stretched into the evening. (A livestream of the hearing can also be viewed above.)
Drew Angerer / Getty Images
1. E.U. Ambassador Gordon Sondland confirms there was a “quid pro quo”
Sondland asserted during his opening statement that the Ukrainian president’s White House meeting with Trump was conditioned on the Ukrainians announcing investigations into Burisma and debunked accusations about 2016 election meddling.
“I know that members of this committee have frequently framed these complicated issues in the form of a simple question: Was there a ‘quid pro quo?'” Sondland said in his opening statement. “With regard to the requested White House call and White House meeting, the answer is yes.”
The ambassador said that he, Energy Secretary Rick Perry, and U.S. special envoy to Ukraine Kurt Volker — the latter of whom testified on Tuesday — were first directed by Trump to work with Giuliani on Ukrainian matters in May.
Also Read: EU Ambassador Gordon Sondland Confirms 'Quid Pro Quo' in Trump's Dealings With Ukraine
“We weren’t happy with the president’s directive to talk with Rudy. We did not want to involve Mr. Giuliani. I believed then, as I do now, that the men and women of the State Department, not the president’s personal lawyer, should take responsibility for Ukrainian matters,” he said. “We did not want to work with Mr. Giuliani. Simply put, we were playing the hand we were dealt.
“Mr. Giuliani demanded that Ukraine make a public statement of the investigations of the 2016 election/DNC server and Burisma,” he added. “Mr. Giuliani’s requests were a ‘quid pro quo’ for arranging a White House visit for President Zelensky.”
The corruption accusations connected with Burisma, the Bidens, and circulated by Trump’s campaign have been debunked. Claims that Joe Biden, in his vice president position, made efforts to remove a top prosecutor in Ukraine who was investigating Burisma, a natural gas company that Hunter Biden was on the board of, are false: The prosecutor was fired because he was corrupt and wasn’t investigating Burisma, and there is no evidence that Biden called for his removal in order to benefit his son.
Alex Wong / Getty Images
2. “Everyone was in the loop” — including Vice President Mike Pence, Sondland says
Sondland said that he expressed his concerns to Vice President Mike Pence, shortly before the vice president’s meeting with Zelensky in Warsaw, that military aid to Ukraine was getting tied with Trump’s desires for an investigation into Burisma and 2016 election meddling.
“The vice president nodded, like he heard what I said, and that was pretty much it,” Sondland said.
He also said that the National Security Council and the State Department were kept “apprised” of their dealings with Ukraine.
“Everyone was in the loop. It was no secret,” Sondland said. “Not once do I recall encountering objection.”
Also Read: 'Morning Joe' Suggests Nikki Haley Is Angling for VP With Trump Praise, Advises Mike Pence to 'Duck'
Later on Wednesday, Pence’s chief of staff, Marc Short, disputed Sondland’s account.
“The vice president never had a conversation with Gordon Sondland about investigating the Bidens, Burisma, or the conditional release of financial aid to Ukraine based upon potential investigations,” Short said in a statement. “This alleged discussion recalled by Ambassador Sondland never happened.”
Yara Nardi / Getty Images
3. Chairman Adam Schiff makes a case for obstruction
“We have not received a single document from the State Department. And as those documents bear directly on this investigation and this impeachment inquiry,” Schiff said. I think we know now, based on a sample of the documents attached to Ambassador Sondland’s statement, that the knowledge of this scheme was far and wide and included, among others, Secretary of State Pompeo, as well as the vice president.
“We can see why Secretary Pompeo and President Trump have made such a concerted and across the board effort to obstruct this investigation and this impeachment inquiry,” Schiff said during his opening statement. “They do so at their own peril.”
Schiff then harkened back to Richard Nixon’s impeachment, where one of the articles of impeachment against the president was his refusal to obey to congressional subpoenas.
Also Read: 'A Warning': 10 Takeaways From Anonymous Senior Trump Official's Book About 'Unfit' President
Sondland also echoed Schiff’s concerns about the State Department withholding documents that would allow him to reconstruct the past events of the year.
“This process has been challenging and, in many respects, less than fair. I have not had access to all of my phone records, State Department emails and other State Department documents,” he said. “My lawyers and I have made multiple requests to the State Department and the White House for these materials. Yet, these materials were not provided to me. They have also refused to share these materials with this Committee.”
Sondland also pointed to efforts from the Trump administration in October to block him from testifying in the impeachment inquiry.
“I agreed to testify because I respect the gravity of the moment and I believe I have an obligation to recount fully my role in the events,” he said. “I did so despite the directives from the White House and the State Department.”
Mark Wilson / Getty Images
4. “Trump loves your ass”
During Democrat counsel questioning, Sondland said he likely told Trump that Ukrainian President Zelensky “loves your ass” during a July 26 call.
“Sounds like something I would say,” Sondland said. “That’s how President Trump and I communicate. A lot of four-letter words. In this case, three letter.”
The phrase was mentioned in previous testimony by David Holmes, a State Department official who overheard Sondland and Trump’s phone call.
Mark Wilson / Getty Images
5. Trump’s notes, Giuliani’s deleted tweet
Speaking with reporters on Wednesday morning, Trump brought out a notepad of his Sharpied notes and a printout of past tweets.
“I don’t know him very well, I have not spoke with him much. This is not a man I know very well,” Trump said of Sondland. “He seems like a nice guy, though.”
But earlier in October, Trump had tweeted about Sondland — who had donated $1 million to Trump’s campaign — and said he was “a really good man and great American.”
When asked to comment on Trump’s statement later during the hearing, Sondland said, “Easy come, easy go.”
Giuliani also tweeted during the hearing that he and Sondland had “VERY little contact” but later deleted his own tweet.
Giuliani has since deleted this tweet.
— Kadia Goba (@kadiagoba) November 20, 2019
Rep. Jackie Speier (D-California) pictured at the Nov. 19 impeachment hearing. (Jacquelyn Martin / Getty Images)
6. “The president of the United States has five Pinocchios on a daily basis, so let’s not go there”
During member questioning, Rep. Jackie Speier (D-California) referred back to a Washington Post article about “Schiff’s claim that the whistleblower has a ‘statutory right’ to anonymity.” The article had been brought into the record minutes earlier by Rep. Mike Conaway (R-Texas) to argue that there was an “unlevel playing field” when it came to Democrats’ attempts to protect the whistleblower.
When questioning turned to Speier, she excerpted passages from the same article and quoted a national security analyst: “We’ve stepped into bizarro-land when senior policymakers are trying to yank a CIA employee into the public spotlight in retaliation for making a whistleblowing complaint, especially when there are credible threats to that employee’s personal safety.”
“And I don’t know why our colleagues on the other side of the aisle-” Speier began, before she was interrupted by Conway. The Texas representative interjected to say that the article she was referring to got “three Pinocchios,” referring to the Washington Post’s fact-checking rating system.
“The president of the United States has five Pinocchios on a daily basis, so let’s not go there,” Speier shot back to applause in the room.
Since Trump has taken office, he has made 13,435 false or misleading claims, according to the Post.
Jackie Speier: “The President of the United States has five Pinocchios on a daily basis, so let’s not go there.”
???????????????????? pic.twitter.com/wyTxliR3Io
— Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) November 20, 2019
7. Cooper’s testimony shifts the timeline
Cooper testified Ukraine may have been aware that U.S. aid was being withheld as early as July 25, which moves the timeline Trump’s defense rests on.
Here’s how Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell explained it on Twitter: “Laura Cooper just told @HouseIntel the Ukrainians first asked about @realDonaldTrump‘s hold on their security assistance on July 25 (same day as shakedown call). This testimony destroys the President’s central defense, that the Ukrainians did not know about the hold.”
Cooper said the July 25 emails showing “the Ukrainian embassy and House Foreign Affairs Committee are asking about security assistance” were brought to her attention by her staff after her deposition. She noted she was under the impression the aid was restricted because of administrational concerns over “corruption” in Ukraine.
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‘The Masked Singer’ Reveals Another Celebrity Masked Singer: And The Flower Is… (Video)
(Warning: This post contains spoilers for Wednesday’s episode of “The Masked Singer.”)
Fox’s “The Masked Singer” revealed the identity of another Season 2 celebrity contestant during tonight’s episode of the smash-hit singing competition: The Flower.
On Wednesday, four out of the eight remaining second-season contestants competed, including The Flower, The Leopard, The Flamingo and The Rottweiler.
At the end of the episode, panelists Jenny McCarthy, Nicole Scherzinger, Ken Jeong and Robin Thicke and the studio audience, along with guest panelist Joel McHale, chose the “weakest” contestant, which ended up being The Flower. She was unmasked and revealed to be none other than Patti LaBelle.
Watch the reveal video above.
Now we’re waiting to find out the identities of the seven remaining contestants, including The Leopard, The Flamingo, The Rottweiler, The Butterfly, Thingamajig, The Fox and The Tree.
“Collectively, all of the Season 2 undercover celebrities have amassed 69 Emmy Award nominations, 42 Grammy Award nominations, 22 Broadway shows, three New York Times best-sellers and two have been named Time magazine’s Most Influential People,” according to Fox.
“The Masked Singer” is off next Wednesday, but fans can look forward to a double helping of the competition the week of Dec. 9, when a holiday-themed semifinals episode will air on Dec. 11, one night after the show airs an episode in a special 8 p.m. Tuesday time slot.
“The Masked Singer” airs Wednesdays at 8/7c on Fox.
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Michelle Obama Just Got a Grammy Nomination
Among the many talented artists nominated for Grammys this morning, one name might jump out at you: Michelle Obama.
The former first lady of the United States of America is nominated in the Best Spoken Word Album category, which includes poetry, audio books and storytelling.
Her “Becoming” memoir will go up against the Beastie Boys, among others. See all the nominees in that category below.
Also Read: 2020 Grammy Nominations: Lizzo, Billie Eilish and Lil Nas X Lead the Pack
Best Spoken Word Album (Includes Poetry, Audio Books & Storytelling):
Beastie Boys Book — (Various Artists) Michael Diamond, Adam Horovitz, Scott Sherratt and Dan Zitt, producers
Becoming — Michelle Obama
I.V. Catatonia: 20 Years As A Two-Time Cancer Survivor — Eric Alexandrakis
Mr. Know-It-All — John Waters
Sekou Andrews & The String Theory — Sekou Andrews & The String Theory
Obama joins her husband, two-time nominee Barack Obama, as a Grammy nom. Fellow ex-president Jimmy Carter actually won three Grammys: in 2007, 2016 and 2019.
See the full list of nominees for the 2020 Grammy Awards here.
2020 Grammy Nominations: Lizzo, Billie Eilish and Lil Nas X Lead the Pack
The nominations for the 2020 Grammy Awards are in, with Lizzo (eight nominations), Billie Eilish (six), and Lil Nas X (six) leading the pack.
Bebe Rexha, Alicia Keys, Gayle King, Recording Academy President and CEO Deborah Dugan, and Chair of the Board of Trustees Harvey Mason Jr. all pitched in to read off the names Wednesday morning via a live stream and on “CBS This Morning.”
Keys will return to host next year’s Grammys, her second turn as emcee of “Music’s Biggest Night.”
The nominees are below.
Also Read: Alicia Keys to Return as Grammys Host
Record Of The Year:
“Hey, Ma” — Bon Iver
“Bad Guy” — Billie Eilish
“7 Rings” — Ariana Grande
“Hard Place” — H.E.R.
“Talk” — Khalid
“Old Town Road” — Lil Nas X Featuring Billy Ray Cyrus
“Truth Hurts” — Lizzo
“Sunflower” — Post Malone & Swae Lee
Album Of The Year:
i,i — Bon Iver
Norman F***ing Rockwell! — Lana Del Rey
When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? — Billie Eilish
thank u, next — Ariana Grande
I Used To Know Her — H.E.R.
7 — Lil Nas X
Cuz I Love You (Deluxe) — Lizzo
Father Of The Bride — Vampire Weekend
Song Of The Year:
“Always Remember Us This Way” — Natalie Hemby, Lady Gaga, Hillary Lindsey & Lori McKenna, songwriters (Lady Gaga)
“Bad Guy” — Billie Eilish O’Connell & Finneas O’Connell, songwriters (Billie Eilish)
“Bring My Flowers Now” — Brandi Carlile, Phil Hanseroth, Tim Hanseroth & Tanya Tucker, songwriters (Tanya Tucker)
“Hard Place” — Ruby Amanfu, Sam Ashworth, D. Arcelious Harris, H.E.R. & Rodney Jerkins, songwriters (H.E.R.)
“Lover” — Taylor Swift, songwriter (Taylor Swift)
“Norman F***ing Rockwell” — Jack Antonoff & Lana Del Rey, songwriters (Lana Del Rey)
“Someone You Loved” — Tom Barnes, Lewis Capaldi, Pete Kelleher, Benjamin Kohn & Sam Roman, songwriters (Lewis Capaldi)
“Truth Hurts” — Steven Cheung, Eric Frederic, Melissa Jefferson & Jesse Saint John, songwriters (Lizzo)
Also Read: Grammys: Ben Winston to Take Over as Executive Producer After Ken Ehrlich's 40th Year
Best New Artist:
Black Pumas
Billie Eilish
Lil Nas X
Lizzo
Maggie Rogers
Rosalía
Tank And The Bangas
Yola
Best Pop Solo Performance:
“Spirit” — Beyoncé
“Bad Guy” — Billie Eilish
“7 Rings” — Ariana Grande
“Truth Hurts” — Lizzo
“You Need To Calm Down” — Taylor Swift
Best Pop Vocal Album:
The Lion King: The Gift — Beyoncé
When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? — Billie Eilish
thank u, next — Ariana Grande
No. 6 Collaborations Project — Ed Sheeran
Lover — Taylor Swift
Also Read: Philippe Zdar, Electronic Music Star of House Duo Cassius, Dies in Paris Fall at 52
Best Dance Recording:
“Linked” — Bonobo
“Got To Keep On” — The Chemical Brothers
“Piece Of Your Heart” — Meduza Featuring Goodboys
“Underwater” — RÜFÜS DU SOL
“Midnight Hour” — Skrillex & Boys Noize Featuring Ty Dolla $ign
Best Rock Album:
Amo — Bring Me The Horizon
Social Cues — Cage The Elephant
In The End — The Cranberries
Trauma — I Prevail
Feral Roots — Rival Sons
Best R&B Performance:
“Love Again” — Daniel Caesar & Brandy
“Could’ve Been” — H.E.R. Featuring Bryson Tiller
“Exactly How I Feel” — Lizzo Featuring Gucci Mane
“Roll Some Mo” – Lucky Daye
“Come Home” — Anderson .Paak Featuring André 3000
Also Read: Dr John, Legendary New Orleans Musician, Dies at 77
Best Rap Album:
Revenge Of The Dreamers III — Dreamville
Championships — Meek Mill
I Am > I Was — 21 Savage
Igor — Tyler, The Creator
The Lost Boy — YBN Cordae
Best Country Song:
“Bring My Flowers Now” — Brandie Carlile, Phil Hanseroth, Tim Hanseroth & Tanya Tucker, songwriters (Tanya Tucker)
“Girl Goin’ Nowhere” — Jeremy Bussey & Ashley McBryde, songwriters (Ashley McBryde)
“It All Comes Out In The Wash” — Miranda Lambert, Hillary Lindsey, Lori McKenna & Liz Rose, songwriters (Miranda Lambert)
“Some Of It” — Eric Church, Clint Daniels, Jeff Hyde & Bobby Pinson, songwriters (Eric Church)
“Speechless” — Shay Mooney, Jordan Reynolds, Dan Smyers & Laura Veltz, songwriters (Dan + Shay)
Best Jazz Vocal Album:
Thirsty Ghost — Sara Gazarek
Love & Liberation — Jazzmeia Horn
Alone Together — Catherine Russell
12 Little Spells — Esperanza Spalding
Screenplay — The Tierney Sutton Band
Also Read: All 15 EGOT Winners, From Audrey Hepburn to John Legend (Photos)
Best Gospel Album:
Long Live Love — Kirk Franklin
Goshen — Donald Lawrence Presents The Tri-City Singers
Tunnel Vision — Gene Moore
Settle Here — William Murphy
Something’s Happening! A Christmas Album — CeCe Winans
Best Latin Rock, Urban Or Alternative Album:
X 100PRE — Bad Bunny
Oasis — J Balvin & Bad Bunny
Indestructible — Flor De Toloache
Almadura — iLe
El Mal Querer — Rosalía
Best Americana Album:
Years To Burn — Calexico And Iron & Wine
Who Are You Now — Madison Cunningham
Oklahoma — Keb’ Mo’
Tales Of America — J.S. Ondara
Walk Through Fire — Yola
Also Read: Nipsey Hussle, Grammy-Nominated Rapper, Shot Dead in Los Angeles
Best Spoken Word Album (Includes Poetry, Audio Books & Storytelling):
Beastie Boys Book — (Various Artists) Michael Diamond, Adam Horovitz, Scott Sherratt & Dan Zitt, producers
Becoming — Michelle Obama
I.V. Catatonia: 20 Years As A Two-Time Cancer Survivor — Eric Alexandrakis
Mr. Know-It-All — John Waters
Sekou Andrews & The String Theory — Sekou Andrews & The String Theory
Best Song Written For Visual Media:
“The Ballad Of The Lonesome Cowboy” — Randy Newman, songwriter (Chris Stapleton), Track from: Toy Story 4
“Girl In The Movies” — Dolly Parton & Linda Perry, songwriters (Dolly Parton), Track from: Dumplin’
“I’ll Never Love Again” (Film Version) — Natalie Hemby, Lady Gaga, Hillary Lindsey & Aaron Raitiere songwriters (Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper), Track from: A Star Is Born
“Spirit” — Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, Timothy McKenzie & Ilya Salmanzadeh, songwriters (Beyoncé), Track from: The Lion King
“Suspirium” — Thom Yorke, songwriter (Thom Yorke), Track from: Suspiria
Best Music Film:
Homecoming — Beyoncé
Remember My Name — David Crosby
Birth Of The Cool — (Miles Davis)
Shangri-La — (Various Artists)
Anima — Thom Yorke
Also Read: Grammys Draw Almost 20 Million Viewers, But Still Set New All-Time Ratings Low
Find the nominees in all 84 categories here.
The 62nd annual Grammy Awards air Jan. 26, 2020 on CBS.
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Watch Gordon Sondland Testify in Day 4 of Trump Impeachment Hearings Via Livestream (Video)
The fourth day of public hearings in the House of Representative’s impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump begins on Wednesday morning at 6 a.m. PT/9 a.m. ET. Former U.S. ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland will be testifying in front of the House Intelligence Committee at that time and at 11:30 a.m. PT/2:30 a.m. ET, Laura Cooper, the deputy assistant secretary of defense for Russian, Ukrainian and Eurasian affairs, and David Hale, the under secretary of state for political affairs, will testify.
In addition to broadcasts from the major television networks, you can tune into the hearing via the above livestream on C-SPAN. The network will offer “full, uninterrupted, and unfiltered coverage of the hearing,” according to an announcement from a C-SPAN spokesperson.
Also Read: Impeachment Inquiry Hearings Hand Fox News Its Highest Rated Week of 2019
In September, Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced that the House of Representatives would be pursuing a formal impeachment inquiry into Trump.
The decision came in light of a whistleblower complaint that the president sought to use foreign power for his own political gain during a phone call with Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, by asking that Ukraine investigate the son of former Vice President Joe Biden. The president later confirmed that his administration withheld nearly $400 million in aid to Ukraine but denied that it was done for leverage.
Also Read: 8 Key Moments From Trump Impeachment Hearing Day 3
Last month, the House of Representatives approved a resolution that formalized the inquiry and outlined the public-facing portion of the impeachment inquiry, which includes Wednesday’s hearing.
Last Wednesday was the first day of televised hearings in the impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump. Though Fox News was the early ratings winner among cable news channels, ABC actually topped the key adults 25-54 demographic when looking across all of TV.
Fox News beat the other broadcast and cable news networks in viewership during both days of the impeachment inquiry hearing coverage last week to deliver its highest-rated week of the year in total day viewership.
The week of Nov. 11 brought in Fox News’ highest viewership since the 2018 midterm election, according to Nielsen ratings.
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November 19, 2019
‘Harriet’ Screenwriter Says a Studio Exec in 1994 Wanted to Offer the Role of Harriet Tubman to Julia Roberts
In a Los Angeles Times essay, “Harriet” screenwriter Gregory Allen Howard detailed his 25-year effort to make a feature film biopic about Harriet Tubman — including an anecdote where a studio executive once made the insane suggestion of getting Julia Roberts to play Tubman.
In the essay, published Tuesday, Howard writes that in 1994, he had been working with production outfit Trilogy Entertainment while writing the first draft of what would become “Harriet.” Through that working relationship, he was able to pitch the film to the president of an unidentified “studio sublabel.”
According to Howard, the sublabel president told him, “This is a great script. Let’s get Julia Roberts to play Harriet Tubman.” Tubman was, of course, an African American former slave-turned-abolitionist, who personally carried out 13 expeditions into slave states that rescued approximately 70 people from slavery in the years before the Civil War.
“Fortunately,” Howard said in the essay, “there was a single black person in that studio meeting 25 years ago who told him that Harriet Tubman was a black woman.” Even so, according to Howard, the unnamed studio exec tried to dismiss that concern, saying “That was so long ago. No one will know that.”
Roberts had no involvement whatsoever with the production, and no one offered the role to her. Howard says the studio ultimately passed on making the film, and because Trilogy was “exclusive to the studio,” they were forced to part ways; Howard continued his efforts to make the film over the next two and a half decades.
The eventual film, starring Cynthia Erivo in the title role, was released Nov. 1. Directed by Kasi Lemmons, who co-wrote the script with Howard, it also stars Leslie Odom Jr., Joe Alwyn and Janelle Monáe.
The identity of the studio and studio exec were not disclosed in Howard’s essay. Representatives for Trilogy did not immediately respond to a request for comment from TheWrap.
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