Steve Pond's Blog, page 75

Dan Bongino Issues Ominous Statement About FBI Corruption Probe: ‘Shocked Me Down to My Core’

Dan Bongino, former conservative radio host and current Deputy Director of the FBI, posted a vague but highly ominous statement Saturday about what he’s learned during an internal investigation of corruption and “political weaponization” at federal law enforcement and intelligence agencies, saying his findings thus far have “shocked me down to my core.”

Bongino, who has been very quiet since his statements dismissing the Epstein matter kicked off a firestorm inside the Trump administration, posted the message Saturday on X. Though he gave no specifics or names, Bongino – who would routinely dial up the drama around news and conspiracy theories as host of “The Dan Bongino Show” – made it sound like something very big, and very dark, was soon to come out.

“During my tenure here as the Deputy Director of the FBI, I have repeatedly relayed to you that things are happening that might not be immediately visible, but they are happening,” Bongino wrote. “The Director and I are committed to stamping out public corruption and the political weaponization of both law enforcement and intelligence operations. It is a priority for us. But what I have learned in the course of our properly predicated and necessary investigations into these aforementioned matters, has shocked me down to my core.”

During my tenure here as the Deputy Director of the FBI, I have repeatedly relayed to you that things are happening that might not be immediately visible, but they are happening. 

The Director and I are committed to stamping out public corruption and the political weaponization…

— Dan Bongino (@FBIDDBongino) July 26, 2025

Bongino was reportedly considering his resignation earlier this month, amid political fallout from his comments that Epstein did, in fact, kill himself and that there was no infamous “client list.” But Bongino stayed – and something he’s come across since has got him on one.

“We cannot run a Republic like this,” Bongino continued.”I’ll never be the same after learning what I’ve learned.”

Bongino called the investigation “righteous and proper,” and promised it would be done “by the book and in accordance with the law.”

“As with any investigation, I cannot predict where it will land, but I can promise you an honest and dignified effort at truth. Not ‘my truth,’ or ‘your truth,’ but THE TRUTH.  God bless America, and all those who defend Her. Respectfully, Dan.”

Bongino’s initial Epstein statements had reportedly sparked a feud with Attorney General Pam Bondi, and President Trump later began lashing out at – well, everyone – for continuing to press the matter. It wasn’t clear whether Bongino was referencing the Epstein probe, which has not yielded any new revelations about the disgraced financier – other than his prior personal connections to Donald Trump, reported by the Wall Street Journal, which later said the president was named several times in the files.

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‘Anne Rice’s Talamasca’ Spinoff Taps ‘Interview With the Vampire’ Star Eric Bogosian as Guest Star

“Anne Rice’s Talamasca” will get a visit from a fan-favorite interviewer in its first season.

The AMC drama series, set within the world of Anne Rice’s TV universe including “Interview with the Vampire” and “Mayfair Witches,” shared during its San Diego Comic-Con panel that star Eric Bogosian will reprise his role of reporter and author Daniel Molloy as a crossover character.

The show, which stars Nicholas Denton and Elizabeth McGovern, premieres Sunday, Oct. 26. It also stars William Fichtner and Maisie Richardson-Sellers. Jason Schwartzman is also set to guest star in Season 1.

AMC also shared a new teaser trailer for “Talamasca,” teasing the supernatural spy drama. Inklings of the secret organization’s influence have been referenced across the “Anne Rice” shows, but the spinoff series now puts the agency at the center.

Watch the teaser below:

Produced by AMC Studios, “Anne Rice’s Talamasca” focuses on a secretive society, comprised of the men and women responsible for tracking and containing the witches, vampires, and other creatures scattered around the globe.

The show is executive produced by John Lee Hancock (“The Blind Side”) and Mark Lafferty (“The Right Stuff,” “Halt and Catch Fire”), who also serve as
co-showrunners, award-winning producer Mark Johnson and Tom Williams along with Christopher Rice and the late Anne Rice. Hancock also directs.

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Jamie Lee Curtis Watched Her Parents’ Success ‘Slowly Erode’ as They Aged: ‘That’s Very Painful’

As the child of mega-famous movie stars, Jamie Lee Curtis witnessed the glamorous highs and soul-crushing lows that come with a career in Hollywood. In a lengthy interview with the Guardian published Sunday, Curtis admitted she’s been “prepping to get out” of the industry for years in part to avoid the same fate that befell Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh.

“I witnessed my parents lose the very thing that gave them their fame and their life and their livelihood, when the industry rejected them at a certain age,” she explained. “I watched them reach incredible success and then have it slowly erode to where it was gone. And that’s very painful.”

“I have been self-retiring for 30 years. I have been prepping to get out, so that I don’t have to suffer the same as my family did. I want to leave the party before I’m no longer invited,” Curtis added.

Despite those three decades of self-retirement, Curtis is also enjoying a tremendous moment in her career. The long-awaited sequel to 2003’s “Freaky Friday” — appropriately titled “Freakier Friday” — will be released August 8.

Curtis was promoting the latest installment in the “Halloween” franchise, which came out in 2022, but she kept getting asked about a potentially follow-up to her lighter fare. “In every single city I went to, the only movie they asked me about besides ‘Halloween’ was ‘Freaky Friday’ – was there going to be a sequel?” she said.

So she called Bob Iger, the CEO of Disney. “I said: ‘Look, I don’t know if you’re planning on doing [a sequel], but Lindsay is old enough to have a teenager now, and I’m telling you the market for that movie exists.'”

After finding out Disney initially planned to send the movie straight to streaming, Curtis picked up the phone again and demanded a theatrical release. “And I called Bob Iger, and I called David Greenbaum [Disney Live Action president], and I called Asad Ayaz, who’s the head of marketing, and I said: ‘Guys, I have one word for you: ‘Barbie’. If you don’t think the audience that saw ‘Barbie’ is going to be the audience that goes and sees ‘Freakier Friday’, you’re wrong.’”

Elsewhere in the interview, Curtis railed against what she referred to as the “genocide of my generation” — plastic surgery — and insisted, “I’ve used that word for a long time and I use it specifically because it’s a strong word. I believe that we have wiped out a generation or two of natural human [appearance].”

“The concept that you can alter the way you look through chemicals, surgical procedures, fillers – there’s a disfigurement of generations of predominantly women who are altering their appearances,” Curtis added. “And it is aided and abetted by AI, because now the filter face is what people want.”

“I’m not filtered right now. The minute I lay a filter on and you see the before and after, it’s hard not to go: ‘Oh, well that looks better.’ But what’s better? Better is fake. And there are too many examples – I will not name them – but very recently we have had a big onslaught through media, many of those people.”

Curtis also said that despite her strong feelings on the topic, she doesn’t extend that to the choices others make. “No. No. Because I don’t care. It doesn’t matter. I’m not proselytising to them. I would never say a word,” she explained. “I would never say to someone: what have you done? All I know is that it is a never-ending cycle. That, I know. Once you start, you can’t stop. But it’s not my job to give my opinion; it’s none of my business.”

Read the entire interview with Jamie Lee Curtis on the Guardian.

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‘Spartacus: House of Ashur’ Introduces a Female Gladiatrix Into the Arena in Cutthroat, Bloody Trailer

The latest expansion of the “Spartacus” franchise, “Spartacus: House of Ashur,” sees the first female gladiator enter the arena.

The first trailer for the spinoff series premiered at Comic-Con in San Diego Saturday afternoon. “Spartacus” creator, writer, and executive producer Steven S. DeKnight announced the new series’ winter premiere slot on stage with the cast of “House of Ashur,” including Nick E. Tarabay, Tenika Davis , Graham McTavish, Jamaica Vaughan, Jordi Webber and Jaime Slater. Liam McIntyre, who played the titular role of “Spartacus” in previous chapters, moderated the panel.

“Spartacus: House of Ashur” is a truth-bending spinoff in which viewers can imagine an alternate reality in which the Romans rewarded Ashur’s treachery with the gladiator school where he once bled. In the series, Ashur (Tarabay) is no longer a slave but a teacher and a mentor.

Gladiators are defeated in the arena as blood spurts from their dying bodies and onto the front row of the Coliseum. This season though Ashur takes a chance and allows a gladiatrix Achillia (Davis) to train with his male gladiators. The fierce and powerful gladiatrix eager to prove herself worthy in a man’s world.

The trailer features lots of death, blood and tears, but also intimate moments between characters and even a lesbian kiss.

Watch the red-band trailer here:

The new series asks, what if Ashur (Tarabay) hadn’t died on Mount Vesuvius at the end of “Spartacus: Vengeance” and had instead been gifted the gladiator school once owned by Batiatus?

Additonal cast members include McTavish will portray Korris, a former gladiator who won his freedom in the arena and who now trains other gladiators as the Ashur’s doctor. He will be joined by Davis (“Jupiter’s Legacy,” “Cabinet of Curiosities), who will play the first female gladiator Achillia; Jamaica Vaughan (“Home and Away,” “800 Words”) as the young, elevated house slave who’s in love with Ashur, Hilara; Jordi Webber (“Choose Love,” “Prosper”) as a headstrong gladiator named Tarchon.

“Spartacus: Blood and Sand” debuted on STARZ in 2010 and was followed by the prequel series chapter “Spartacus: Gods of the Arena” in 2011, and two additional chapters, “Spartacus: Vengeance” in 2012 and “Spartacus: War of the Damned” in 2013. 

“Spartacus” creator, writer, and executive producer DeKnight (“Daredevil”) will serve as showrunner and executive producer on “Spartacus: House of Ashur.” Rick Jacobson and Aaron Helbing will also serve as executive producers. “Spartacus: House of Ashur” is produced by Lionsgate Television for STARZ. 

The post ‘Spartacus: House of Ashur’ Introduces a Female Gladiatrix Into the Arena in Cutthroat, Bloody Trailer appeared first on TheWrap.

Bill O’Reilly Predicts Stephen Colbert ‘Won’t Last ‘Til May,’ Foresees Shakeup at ‘The View’: ‘She’s Gone’ | Video

Bill O’Reilly says for years Stephen Colbert “censored” his guest list to Trump-haters only, part of a broader bias at CBS, which wouldn’t book the bestselling author because of his conservative politics – not that any of it matters now.

The “No Spin News” host said in separate segments this week that Colbert won’t last until May, as new, “more conservative” ownership begins to grab hold. But O’Reilly said the pictures is much bigger than Skydance, whose impending Paramount takeover is part of a broader sweep through corporate media that he predicted would also lead to a big shakeup on ABC’s “The View.”

“[Colbert’s] done. He’s through,” the former Fox News host said. “They say his show will be on till May. It won’t. … What sunk him was not just his vitriolic approach to Trump. He censored his program. You could not get on his program unless you hated Trump.”

O’Reilly said he’d logged 75 late-night appearances over the years – including with David Letterman, Jay Leno and Jimmy Kimmel – but that Colbert wouldn’t have him.

“I did actually appear with Colbert way, way back one time,” O’Reilly noted. “But Colbert would never invite anybody who didn’t hate Trump.”

That went broadly for CBS, O’Reilly said – despite that he’s sold millions of books with several No. 1 debuts for historical nonfiction titles like “Killing Lincoln” and “Killing Kennedy,” he just couldn’t get booked on the network.

“[Jane] Pauley wouldn’t put us on, and I emailed her directly,” O’Reilly said. “Didn’t even consider it.”

In a separate segment, O’Reilly said all four networks – CBS, NBC, ABC and Fox – are changing dramatically because of Trump, predicting a major shakeup at “The View.”

“Joy Behar is a hater,” he said of the “View” panelist. “No doubt about it. And she’s going — by the way, not going to be around much longer. And this [Anna] Navarro woman, she’s going, too. Disney’s going to have to revamp that whole thing.”

Watch both segments in the videos above.

The post Bill O’Reilly Predicts Stephen Colbert ‘Won’t Last ‘Til May,’ Foresees Shakeup at ‘The View’: ‘She’s Gone’ | Video appeared first on TheWrap.

‘Family Guy’ Sets Next Halloween, Holiday Specials at Hulu

“Family Guy” Halloween and holiday specials are returning to Hulu, with the former set to premiere on Oct. 6.

The Halloween special, dubbed “A Little Fright Music,” will see Brian and Stewie set out to write a hit after realizing there’s a shortage of quality Halloween songs. Peter and the guys also discover that lying about trick or treating can have deadly consequences.

The latest pair of specials follow “Peter, Peter Pumpkin Cheater” and “Gift of a White Guy,” which premiered in October and November, respectively. Details and a premiere date for the holiday special will be revealed at a later date.

The animated comedy, which first premiered in 1999, recently celebrated its 25th anniversary last year.

Over the course of its run, the show has racked up numerous awards, including becoming the second animated series in television history to score an Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Comedy Series. Most recently, series creator and lead voice actor Seth MacFarlane (voices of “Peter Griffin,” “Stewie Griffin,” “Brian Griffin” and “Glenn Quagmire”) was nominated for the 2021 Emmy Award for Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance and won the 2019 Emmy Award for Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance.

Cast member Alex Borstein (voice of “Lois Griffin”) won the 2018 Emmy Award in that same category and was just nominated in 2024. MacFarlane also was nominated from 2013 to 2015 won the 2017 and 2016 Emmy Awards in the category, and was nominated again in 2018.

In addition to MacFarlane and Borstein, “Family Guy” stars Seth Green and Mila Kunis. MacFarlane executive producers alongside showrunners Rich Appel and Alec Sulkin, Steve Callaghan, Tom Devanney, Danny Smith, Kara Vallow, Mark Hentemann, Patrick Meighan and Alex Carter.The series is a 20th Television Animation production

Season 24 of “Family Guy” will premiere in 2026 on Fox and stream on Hulu.

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‘Star Trek: Starfleet Academy’ Introduces a New Next Generation in Comic-Con Teaser | Video

At long last, Paramount+ offered a first look at season one of “Star Trek: Starfleet Academy” on Saturday at San Diego Comic Con (SDCC).

“You’re all the first academy class to return to our camps in San Francisco — after more than 120 years,” Holly Hunter as the chancellor of Starfleet Academy tells the group of new students gathered at the James T. Kirk Pavilion.

“Some of you are here for your families,” she continues, “some for yourselves. Together, you are the best and the brightest from across the galaxy.”

The students will be asked “to give more of yourselves than you know you have,” Hunter adds, “to dream without limitations. Whatever challenges came before today led you to this moment. You’re here now, you weave together the future.”

“So go out and seek, explore, boldy go where no one has gone before,” she concludes.

The series was ordered in March 2023. The official logline is as follows: “Under the watchful and demanding eyes of their instructors, they will discover what it takes to become Starfleet officers as they navigate blossoming friendships, explosive rivalries, first loves and a new enemy that threatens both the Academy and the Federation itself.”

Sandro Rosta, Kerrice Brooks, Bella Shepard, George Hawkins, Karim Diané and Zoë Steiner star as Academy students. In addition to Hunter, Tig Notaro returns as Jett Reno from “Star Trek: Discovery” and Robert Picardo returns as the holographic Doctor from “Star Trek: Voyager”. Oded Fehr and Mary Wiseman are also reprising their “Discovery” roles as Admiral Vance and Sylvia Tilly.

The post ‘Star Trek: Starfleet Academy’ Introduces a New Next Generation in Comic-Con Teaser | Video appeared first on TheWrap.

‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ Reveals Captain Pike as a Puppet in Comic-Con Season 4 Teaser

Captain Pike has been turned into a puppet in the new teaser for the fourth season of “Star Trek: Strange New World,” which was shared with fans at San Diego Comic Con Saturday.

“Hit it,” Muppet Pike says in the new video — “hit it” being the thing he says when he wants the ship to go to warp speed — before confusedly adding, “You heard me say hit it, right? Spock? Anyone?”

“Did you go to season four without me?” he adds.

The trailer appears to hint at an upcoming episode that will feature the cast as puppets. There might have been an unexpected and terrible transporter accident,” said executive producer Akiva Goldsman at SDCC. “Which might have had some unexpected felt-like effects.”

The puppet episode is directed by Jordan Cannings, and the puppets were created by Jim Henson’s Creature Shop. The series is produced by CBS Studios, Secret Hideout and Roddenberry Entertainment and its third season stars Anson Mount, Rebecca Romijn, Ethan Peck, Jess Bush, Christina Chong, Celia Rose Gooding, Melissa Navia, Babs Olusanmokun and Martin Quinn, along with guest stars Rhys Darby, Patton Oswalt, Cillian O’Sullivan, Melanie Scrofano and Carol Kane, plus special guest star Paul Wesley.

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Michael Smerconish Thinks Trump Could’ve Easily Avoided Epstein Storm: ‘Here’s What He Should Have Said’ | Video

Donald Trump and his administration continued to face mounting calls to release all relevant Epstein files Saturday, something that prompted CNN’s Michael Smerconish to offer “free advice” to the president about the situation.

Smerconish noted that the administration’s response so far “only invites further scrutiny” and that the president is “acting like he has something to hide, guaranteeing that the controversy stays alive and creates division — not to mention angst within his base.”

Prevailing wisdom is that “the cover-up is often worse than the crime,” Smerconish continued. And while the CNN host made it clear “there’s no assertion of criminal conduct on the President’s part,” he added that this is exactly what makes Trump’s response confusing.

Assuming that “there’s no underlying illicit conduct on the President’s part,” and “the birthday book does contain a submission from Trump, or one that was submitted in his name,” there are a few ways Trump’s overall messaging could have been better, Smerconish added.

Trump could have said something like, “Jeffrey Epstein was a past acquaintance of mine, one of many. I’ve been a public figure for decades, first in New York City, then worldwide. In that time, I’ve met and associated with many people, had my picture taken with tens of thousands over the years.”

“I don’t recall making a submission to his birthday book, but it’s entirely possible that I did. Ever since ‘Art of the Deal’ made me a celebrity almost 40 years ago, responding to requests from friends and the public in general, that was a full-time job,” Smerconish continued.

Trump could have also noted that in the past, “a birthday card from me doesn’t necessarily mean anything more than somebody requested it” and that “given my past association with Epstein, I’d be surprised if my name were not in the mammoth investigation file that assessed his life right alongside of thousands of others.”

With that kind of openness, Trump could then have said, “But here is what no file can document. That I was involved in any bad behavior of the type for which Epstein was ultimately charged in federal court” and pointed out that such charges came “years after I cut ties with him.”

Further, Trump and his administration could have cited that he and Epstein hadn’t associated in at least two decades at the time of the latter’s death, and added, “It’s crazy that a guy who’s been dead for six years has become such an object of morbid fascination. And my only regret is that he didn’t live long enough to allow justice for those that he victimized who have my sympathy.”

Instead, Trump has taken a markedly different approach. On Wednesday the Wall Street Journal reported Trump was told in May that his name appears “multiple times” in documents related to Epstein.

Attorney General Pam Bondi “told the president at the meeting that the files contained what officials felt was unverified hearsay about many people, including Trump, who had socialized with Epstein in the past, some of the officials said,” the Journal noted. “One of the officials familiar with the documents said they contain hundreds of other names.”

The post Michael Smerconish Thinks Trump Could’ve Easily Avoided Epstein Storm: ‘Here’s What He Should Have Said’ | Video appeared first on TheWrap.

Astronomer Enlists Gwyneth Paltrow to Explain What the Company Does After Ex-Husband Chris Martin Sparked CEO Scandal | Video

The company Astronomer made national headlines after a scandal involving their CEO, head of HR and the Rock band Cold Play. And Cold Play lead singer Chris Martin’s ex, Gwyneth Paltrow is here to help.

Astronomer went viral last week after the company’s CEO Andy Byron and Head of HR Kristin Cabot were caught on camera together at a Coldplay concert. Now, Paltrow — who was married to Martin from 200 to 2016 — has stepped up as a “temporary spokesperson” for Astronomer, helping explain what it is that the company actually does in the first place.

“I’ve been hired on a very temporary basis to speak on behalf of the 300+ employees at Astronomer,” Paltrow said in the tongue-in-cheek video.

Throughout the one-minute explainer, Paltrow and Astronomer make fun of the fact that the data-based company has seen a significantly elevated profile since the CEO scandal. Several comments about the scandal — and almost entirely unrelated to the business itself — flash on screen for the mocking Q&A. Paltrow ignores every one, simply speaking to the company’s purpose and mission.

“OMG! What the actual f-” one comment reads.

“Yes, Astronomer is the best place to run a patchy airflow, unifying the experience of running data, ML and AI pipelines at scale. We’ve been thrilled so many have a newfound interest in data workflow automation,” Paltrow replies. You can watch the video below.

At the Coldplay concert, the Jumbotron found Astronomer’s CEO and Head of HR in a compromising position. The pair then drew attention to it by hiding their faces and attempting to duck out of frame. Martin addressed the situation from the stage, saying, “Either they’re having an affair, or they’re very shy” when the pair hid after being shown embracing on the Jumbotron.

Since the moment, social media users have made a slew of viral memes at the pair’s expense. These bits eventually spilled outside of the internet, becoming the fodder of sporting mascots and broadcast personalities. Both Byron and Cabot have since left the company.

In the video, Paltrow deadpans responses entirely unrelated to people’s posting about the scandal. It’s a clever bit, one that tacitly acknowledges the fact that a company like Astronomer typically doesn’t reach such a high profile among the general public.

Paltrow concludes the video with a sly line that attempts to put the situation behind Astronomer.

“We will now be returning to what we do best,” she says. “Delivering game-changing results for our customers. Thank you for your interest in Astronomer.”

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