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17 Feb 2023

Kelly Clarkson Is More Than ‘Strong Enough’ With Her Cher Cover: Watch

Kelly Clarkson is flexing her balladeer muscles. On the Friday (Feb. 17) installment of The Kelly Clarkson Show‘s Kellyoke series, the three-time Grammy winner wowed her audience with a triumphant cover of Cher‘s 1998 track “Strong Enough.”

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Clarkson brought out the self-love anthem’s emotional texture by performing the first few bars with nothing but piano accompanying her soulful voice. “Where did you sleep last night, and was she worth it?” she crooned, before a drumroll and electric guitar boomed into the mix.

“‘Cause I’m strong enough to live without you, strong enough/ And I quit crying long enough,” she continued, now leaning full-throttle into her robust, trademark belt. “Now I’m strong enough to know you gotta go/ Come hell or waters high you’ll never see me cry/ This is our last goodbye, it’s true.”

Released in 1998 as a single off of Cher’s album Believe, “Strong Enough” is certainly a fitting track for an artist whose biggest hit to date is called “Stronger” to cover. In fact, the two songs have strikingly similar messages as well, with Clarkson also singing on her 2011 Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 about being strong enough to live without an ex, or as she puts it, with “just me, myself and I.”

The latest Kellyoke isn’t the first time Clarkson has paid tribute to Cher, though. In a previous season of her daytime talkshow, the Voice coach covered the dance pop legend’s “If I Could Turn Back Time.”

Watch Kelly Clarkson perform Cher’s “Strong Enough” on The Kelly Clarkson Show below:

17 Feb 2023

George Strait Makes a Surprise Appearance at Bruce Springsteen’s Austin Concert

Two music legends united in Austin on Thursday (Feb. 16), when Bruce Springsteen brought his tour to the city’s Moody Center.

Before Springsteen and the E Street Band launched into their 27-song set, Country Music Hall of Famer George Strait, clad in his signature jeans and cowboy hat, made an unexpected appearance as he strolled on stage to welcome Springsteen to Austin. The two superstars hugged, and The Boss stepped back as Strait made his introduction.

“Austin, Texas, it’s my honor tonight to introduce to you a band that really needs no introduction, right?” Strait said, eliciting applause from the crowd. “Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band!”

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As the attendees cheered, Strait and Springsteen embraced again. The country star then waved to the crowd and exited the stage. He did not perform during his appearance, though he does have history with the Moody Center, having helped open the venue with his show on April 30, 2022, alongside Willie Nelson and the Randy Rogers Band.

Springsteen has been selling out venues across the country on his current tour, and recently added 18 new cities to the trek, including stops in Chicago, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Toronto and San Francisco. The tour launched Feb. 1 with a show in Tampa, Fla., which marked Springsteen and the E Street Band’s first North American show in seven years.

Meanwhile, though Strait is known for being a torchbearer of traditional country music, with 44 No. 1 hits on Billboard‘s Hot Country Songs chart, in addition to 17 total CMA Awards wins to his credit (including three CMA entertainer of the year trophies), the lifelong Texan is also known for tipping his hat to rock classics. He’s previously covered Tom Petty’s “You Wreck Me” (included on Petty’s 1994 album Wildflowers) in concert.

Watch Strait’s introduction below:

17 Feb 2023

Yeezy Told On Me: Kanye West AKA Ye Sics Cops On Paparazzi

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Celebrity Sightings In Los Angeles - October 28, 2022

Kanye West, also referred to widely as Ye, was often seen being friendly with the throng of paparazzi that followed his every move at the height of his career. Now something of a pariah in some eyes, the Chicago superstar called the cops on the paps after claiming that someone challenged him to a bout of fisticuffs.

Page Six exclusively reports that Kanye West, 45, filed a criminal complaint against the paparazzi earlier in the week. According to a statement delivered to the outlet by a spokesperson for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office, West was allegedly followed and contacted by a group of photographers on Feb. 14 during the late afternoon hours local time.

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The spokesperson says West allegedly argued with a member of the paparazzi who then challenged him to fight. Shortly after, West and his entourage visited the Sheriff’s Office to file the formal complaint.

Once a person who adored the fanfare that surrounds him, West is seemingly becoming more guarded about his personal space in the wake of all the controversy that ensued in the last year and continues to loom heavily over his every move.

In January, we shared details of an incident where West was being recorded by a woman where he then snatched her phone. He is currently at the center of a battery investigation regarding the incident.

So far, no charges have been filed regarding the criminal complaint filed by Kanye West.

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Photo: MEGA / Getty

17 Feb 2023

How Lil Yachty Sailed From Hip-Hop to the Top of the Rock Charts

One of the bigger surprises of 2023 so far has been the music of Lil Yachty, the Atlanta-based rapper who released his first project in three years earlier this month. But rather than delving into the hip-hop styles for which he’s known, Yachty branched out with Let’s Start Here, releasing an album that is more psych rock than trap rap — and receiving some of the best reviews of his career in the process.

The album debuted at No. 9 on the Billboard 200 and No. 1 on the Top Rock Albums chart last week, and has stuck around in the top 40 of the former and top 10 of the latter in its second week on the chart. And helping guide the stylistic switch up and land Yachty with some of the most intriguing collaborators he’s worked with in his career has been Motown Records vice president of A&R Gelareh Rouzbehani, who earns the title of Billboard’s Executive of the Week.

Here, Rouzbehani discusses the switch for Yachty from hip-hop to alt-rock, and the somewhat unexpected success that the album achieved, given how difficult it can be to change the narrative for an artist who is nearly a decade into his career at this point. “It goes to show that great music still reigns supreme,” Rouzbehani tells Billboard. “Working with Yachty on this album was more about adding ideas rather than taking things away. He had a really strong sense of the record he was making and, for me, it was about bringing session ideas to the table, people I felt like could add to his vision.”

This week, Lil Yachty’s Let’s Start Here spent its second week in the top 40 of the Billboard 200 and the top 10 of the Top Rock Albums chart. What key decision did you make to help make that happen?

The beauty of this album’s success thus far is that it has organically resonated with people around the world. It goes to show that great music still reigns supreme. Working with Yachty on this album was more about adding ideas rather than taking things away. He had a really strong sense of the record he was making and, for me, it was about bringing session ideas to the table, people I felt like could add to his vision.

This album represented a stylistic switch for Yachty, from rap to rock. What did that entail from the A&R side?

I remember when I first met Yachty in Atlanta and we shared a love of Tame Impala and music that inspired him as an artist and me as an exec. He has always wanted to make an alternative record and I was itching to A&R an alt-leaning album. We didn’t necessarily sit down and say, “Hey, let’s do this now.” The stars just aligned. He had met Pony, Patrick and Jacob and just started creating. I’m grateful that Yachty trusts me with his art. As much as it’s vulnerable for an artist to put themselves in that position, it’s also something I don’t take lightly. To be able to call him and bounce ideas back and forth is something I enjoy. He was open to meeting and working with Teo Halm, so we invited him to a session at Mac Demarco‘s studio. They started vibing, Teo was playing chords and Mac was on bass. Nami, another extraordinary creative, came to that session. Credit to Yachty for saying yes. That day, “drive ME crazy!” was created, which is now the No. 1 most consumed song [from the album].

How is it different A&R’ing a hip-hop record vs. a rock record like this?

The initial process for me is always the same. The way we go about making the records may be different and, of course, sonically there are differences, but there’s always very similar underlying characteristics. Being aligned with an artist’s vision is the most important part for me. Once that foundation is set, it’s like painting on a blank canvas, whether it be rap, alt, pop, rock. I’m most inspired when I’m giving creative input and it just flows.

What challenges exist in shifting genres like this, and how do you overcome them?

I think the challenge really lies outside of the world you build. There wasn’t necessarily a challenge going into making the record; that came very naturally to Yachty. Since he’s a multi-genre artist, he can literally make any genre of music, he’s just that type of creative. It was about making sure we don’t alienate his core fans but also grow and reach new audiences. It was also really important for the alt/rock community to grasp this type of record coming from Yachty, who has evolved so much musically.

The album debuted at No. 9 on the Billboard 200 and No. 1 on the Top Rock Albums chart with a strong critical reception. What did you do to help it succeed out of the gate, and how do you keep the momentum going now?

Having every department aligned on our goals was key for the rollout of this project. Everyone was really excited hearing the record, but the challenge was how to get it out to the world in the most meaningful and genuine way. That energy has to match the music, from marketing to international to creative. The goal was to have people listen to the album top to bottom, no skips, since it’s really a journey from the very beginning to the last track. Now, it’s about getting the live element in place and going into the second phase of marketing and our plans around ex-U.S. markets.

How has the job of an A&R changed over the course of your career?

Every A&R is different. It depends on each individual and what their strengths are and really focusing on those strengths. I’m very hands on and like to be a part of the creative process from inception, then putting a different hat on once we deliver the record.

Previous Executive of the Week: Debra Rathwell of AEG Presents

17 Feb 2023

Tina Fey Says Ms. Nordbury and Tim Meadows’ Principal Duvall Will Be in ‘Mean Girls’ Movie Musical

Ms. Nordbury and Principal Duvall are bringing their love to the big screen. During an appearance on Late Night with Seth Meyers on Thursday (Feb. 16), Tina Fey revealed that the North Shore High lovebirds — portrayed by Tim Meadows and herself in the beloved 2004 film — will slip back into those roles for the upcoming Mean Girls movie musical.

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Fey said the fellow Saturday Night Live will be on hand when filming begins on March 6 with a cast that also includes Angourie Rice (Cady Heron), Auli’i Cravalho (Janis Ian), Renée Rapp (who originated the role of Regina George on Broadway) and Jaquel Spivey (Damian). The musical based on the big screen teen comedy that starred Lindsay Lohan, Rachel McAdams, Lacey Chabert and Amanda Seyfried was turned into a hit coming-of-age Broadway musical in 2018 with a book by Fey after making its premiere at the National Theatre in Washington, D.C. in Oct. 2017.

“We have an amazing cast. I’m super excited about this cast,” Fey told Meyers, noting that she and Meadows will reprise their original roles nearly two decades later because, “teachers work forever. I want it to be like when Gilligan from Gilligan’s Island was at a trade show and you’d be like, ‘Oh, he looks so old in his little hat.’ That’s my goal,” she said.

The musical with music from Fey’s husband, composer Jeff Richmond, and lyrics by Nell Benjamin (Legally Blonde), features the songs “Where Do You Belong?,” “Meet the Plastics,” “Apex Predator,” “Stupid With Love,” “More Is Better” and “I’d Rather Be Me,” among others. Fey said the original compositions from the show will be adjusted for the film, with the actor/writer/producer promising that they will be more “pop.”

SNL boss Lorne Michaels will produce the film along with Fey, who wrote the book for the musical and is also writing the movie musical’s script; Samantha Jayne and Arturo Perez Jr. will direct.

Fey also noted that her upcoming Restless Leg Tour with pal Amy Pohler had already sold out within days of going on sale.

Watch Fey on Late Night below.

17 Feb 2023

New Around the World: PinkPantheress & Ice Spice Lead Week’s Global Chart Debuts

Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers” and Bizarrap and Shakira’s “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53” unofficially kicked off the year in new music when they soared in at Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, on the Jan. 28-dated Billboard global charts. While they have yet to budge from the top two positions on Billboard Global Excl. U.S., and the former maintains its command on the Billboard Global 200, no new song has hit the top 10 of either ranking since. The Feb. 18-dated Global Excl. U.S. chart features just four new entries overall, matching a record low sum of weekly debuts since the survey began in September 2020.

One of the standout new arrivals is PinkPantheress and Ice Spice’s “Boy’s a Liar, Pt. 2,” starting at No. 54, as well as at No. 15 on the Global 200. The song premiered late in 2022 as a solo track for the former before being remixed and reissued as a duet with the later on Feb. 3. The remix sparks the song’s launch on the global charts (and the U.S.-based Billboard Hot 100, at No. 14), spiking by 328% to 36 million weekly streams worldwide in the week ending Feb. 9, according to Luminate (with all versions rolled up into one chart listing).

Both artists released their first singles in 2021 and, in less than two years, have built themselves up as two of the buzziest online acts. Including the original solo take of “Boy’s a Liar” (but before releasing the song’s instant-hit remix), the U.K.-born PinkPantheress amassed more than 1.2 billion global streams despite never cracking either global chart or the Hot 100. Originally released on Nov. 30, 2022, the solo version debuted to 2.2 million worldwide streams in its first week, before growing to a peak of 9.8 million in the week ending Jan. 26.

Despite Ice Spice’s less robust discography and lower international profile, the song’s explosion on the most recent charts owes much of its success to its new co-headliner, the fast-talking New York-based rapper. It’s reasonable to assume that she did not just help grow the track’s overall global stream count, but helped further increase the song’s presence in the U.S., as its domestic share of streams leaps from 39% to 56%, compared to the week’s overall average of 23%.

While “Boy’s a Liar, Pt. 2” scores the Hot Shot Debut on the Global 200, the highest new entry on Global Excl. U.S. is Léo Santana’s “Zona de Perigo.” The Brazilian artist scores his first title on either global chart, opening No. 48 on the Global 200. The bulk of the song’s start is owed to its official live-performance music video. Of its 29.5 million global streams, 29.3 million came from outside the U.S. and 61% stemmed from video platforms. That’s a higher share of video streams than all but eight songs on the 200-position Global Excl. U.S. chart, and all but three on the Global 200.

As Santana was busy scoring his first global chart hit, Karol G, from Colombia, follows with her 14th, as “X Si Volvemos,” with U.S.-born Romeo Santos (who adds his second), debuts at No. 30 on the Global 200 and No. 32 on Global Excl. U.S., powered by 29.6 million streams worldwide.

Lastly, Mexico’s Fuerza Regida and Natanael Cano enter Global Excl. U.S. and the Global 200 at Nos. 179 and 184, respectively, with “Ch y la Pizza” (13.9 million).

Both tracks show similar streaming splits, with 28% and 25%, respectively, from the U.S., striking a balance between PinkPantheress and Ice Spice’s domestic lean and Santana’s strong international favor.

17 Feb 2023

Destiny’s Child’s Self-Titled Debut Album Turns 25: Songs Ranked From Worst to Best

Destiny’s Child has picked up two Grammys, earned four No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 and launched the career of one of the biggest musical icons of the past quarter-century (who is now the most Grammy-winning artist in history). But the fiercely independent women didn’t exactly start their career firing on all cylinders.

Released 25 years ago (Feb. 17), the group’s 1998 debut album was initially greeted with a similar response to its only hit: “No, No, No.” Peaking at a lowly No. 67 on the Billboard 200, the self-titled affair suggested that Destiny’s Child would quickly fall by the wayside a la Zhané, Allure and nearly every other R&B girl band who had a solitary top 10 Hot 100 single to their name in the 1990s.

Of course, Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly Rowland and (for a brief moment) LaTavia Roberson and LeToya Luckett ended up challenging for TLC’s crown with their 1999 sophomore album, The Writing’s on the Wall. And as a result, its largely ignored predecessor enjoyed something of a second wind, with many fans who came on board thanks to “Bills, Bills, Bills” and “Say My Name” hoping to discover just as many previously hidden gems. Its domestic sales have now passed the 847,000 mark, according to Luminate.

But Destiny’s Child is no doubt still regarded as the least essential part of the group’s discography. And ultimately Beyoncé’s and Kelly Rowland’s catalogs, too. So, is this reputation deserved? Here’s a ranking of its 13 offerings from worst to best.

17 Feb 2023

Skrillex’s ‘Quest For Fire’: 5 Essential Tracks

Let’s start by taking a moment to consider the landscape in 2014. EDM was EDM-ing hard as DJs became the new rock stars, made insane bags, pulled in giant crowds and took over top 40 in a way never before seen or heard in the U.S.

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It was a wild, heady, thrilling and often extremely silly figureheads. With his fantastically aggressive, machinistic dubstep, the SoCal-based producer pushed forward the sound of electronic music at large with a style dismissed by many Serious Cultural Critics as “brostep,” but which nonetheless thrilled thousands of kids in the pits at his shows along with many cultural gatekeepers. Skrillex won three Grammys (and earned a best new artist nomination) in 2012, as he achieved global fame during an apex period punctuated by the release of his 2014 debut album, Recess, his only full-length to date.

Until today! Riding a tsunami of hype with a steady stream of single releases, Skrillex’s sophomore album, Quest For Fire, was unveiled on Friday (Feb. 17) via his own longstanding label OWSLA and Atlantic Records. Certainly much attention gets paid to the EDM veterans dropping albums amidst this new era of electronic music, with mixed reactions to last year’s albums by Calvin Harris and Swedish House Mafia, who have both changed their sounds significantly since the boom days.

But with Quest For Fire, Skrillex eschews overt reinvention. Instead, he presents music clearly made from the same DNA as his older stuff, but which has grown and evolved in the same way the scene has, and we have, and Skrillex — now 35 — has. (The album overtly references the earlier days, with opener “Leave Me Like This” sampling the iconic “OH MY GOD” from 2011’s “First Of The Year” and the 48-second “Warped Tour 05 With Pete Wentz” composed of a recording of Skrillex, then known as First To Last Singer Sonny Moore, doing a backstage interview with Fall Out Boy’s Pete Wentz.)

But while Quest For Fire nods to the past, it’s ultimately ultra-fresh, highlighting the impeccable sound design that Skrillex has always been a master of, while embracing and expanding his bass origins. The album incorporates D’n’B, grime, IDM and hip-hop in ways that are inventive, artful, emotional and often just plain hyphy fun. (To wit, five of the album’s previously released singles are currently on Hot Dance/Electronic Songs.)

At 15 tracks, the album is weighty but without filler, incorporating a party’s worth of collaborators including Missy Elliott, Aluna, Fred Again.., Porter Robinson, Starrah, Noisia, Four Tet, Mr. Oizo, PEEKABOO, Kito and more. It seems reasonable to anticipate that many of them will be in attendance on Saturday night (Feb. 18) when Skrillex celebrates the album release with a sold-out show at Madison Square Garden.

In the meantime, here are five essential, previously unreleased tracks from Quest For Fire.

“RATATA” Feat. Missy Elliott & Mr. Oizo

Skrillex and Missy Elliott have crossed paths before (see the Missy remix of Jack Ü’s “Take Ü There“), but here, Skrillex builds a bridge between their two catalogs with a spare update of Elliott’s all-time hit “Work It.” Skrillex goes wild with “this the kind of beat that goes ra-ta-ta” from that 2002 track, isolating that moment and expanding it, with Elliott’s voice spread out all over spare, plucky percussion while she delivers brand-new flows at a rapid-fire pace. The track is a co-production with French legend Mr. Oizo, one of many genre-spanning icons contributing to the star-studded LP.

“Tears” Feat. Joker & Sleepnet

A bass track that favors brooding waves of synth and galactic laser sounds over hitting listeners over the heads with bricks of low end, “Tears” is a richly complex collaboration with British dubstep star Joker and Sleepnet, the new project from Noisia’s Nik Roos. The brooding track ends with a spare skittering that segues immediately into the similarly vibed “Rumble.”

“Inhale Exale” Feat. Aluna & Kito

Skrillex and Australian producer Kito take the iconic voice of Aluna and chop it to bits so that her directive to “inhale, exhale” sounds like a fight for life. An ambulance siren punctuates the production, and she then declares, “too high, gotta come down” while passing thunderclouds of low end add an ominous feel.

“Hydrate” Feat. Flowdan, BEAM & PEEKABOO

UK grime MC Flowdan had a breakout moment on Quest For Fire‘s lead single “Rumble,” and here he gets even more screen time, entering with massive swagger and declaring with a growley flow that “it’s simple, not complicated, so when it’s hot, just stay hydrated.” Flowdan’s entrance on the track marks an ominous turn after the song starts with Jamaican-American singer/rapper Beam brightly singing about “life abundance.” The tough, deliciously womp-ey track is a collaboration with longstanding bass producer PEEKABOO, who gets more of the spotlight he’s always deserved.

“Still Here (with the ones that I came with)” Feat. Porter Robinson and Bibi Bourelly

Arguably the mission statement of the entire project, “Sitll Here” finds Skrillex, Porter Robinson and Bibi Bourelly ending the album with sweetness and buoyancy via an homage to riding with the same crew now that you have for all these years. (And if you remember that iconic photo of Skrillex, Robinson and Zedd from the heyday, you know the track’s sentiment is very much true.) With bright, emotive production that sounds like it’s been touched by fellow Quest For Fire collaborator Fred again.., Bourelly sings the song’s title on a loop — a declaration that feels like a victory that’s perhaps a bit hard-won but ultimately euphoric, like the best moments in life.

17 Feb 2023

Olivia Newton-John’s Daughter Recalls Star’s Last Words to Her: ‘She Was Making Jokes’

The world lost one of its biggest stars on Aug. 8, 2022, but Chloe Lattanzi lost her mom. About six months after Olivia Newton-John died at the age of 73, her daughter has revealed the sweet last words she ever heard the Grease sensation say to her before the star lost the ability to speak.

“The last words she could say to me was, ‘My sunshine,” Lattanzi told TODAY‘s Hoda Kotb Friday (Feb. 17) in her first TV interview since Newton-John’s death. “And right before she lost her ability to speak, she was making jokes.”

“I love my mom more than anything,” continued Lattanzi, whom Newton-John shared with ex-husband Matt Lattanzi. “She’s my mama, you know? She’s not Olivia Newton-John to me, but I’m so glad that she was Olivia Newton-John for so many people.”

The late four-time Grammy winner had been open about her breast cancer diagnosis and treatments during her lifetime. Following her death, Newton-John’s family asked that donations be made in her honor to her cancer research foundation, the Olivia Newton-John Foundation Fund.

Before her passing, the “Physical” singer recorded a duet of “Jolene” with the song’s original singer, Dolly Parton. It was released posthumously on the same day as Lattanzi’s TODAY interview. Listen to it here.

Appearing at Lattanzi’s side during the interview was Newton-John’s husband, John Easterling, who spoke tenderly about the 15 years he spent with his wife. “She had the willpower, even in her most difficult times, to really bring in the light and to bring in the love,” he said. “And she was who she was all the way through.”

“A guy I was flying with said, ‘You know, John, when you’re lucky enough to have found your true soulmate, and you share a heart, when one passes, the other has the obligation to live life for both,’” he added. “And that was very empowering and very powerful for me, and gave a way forward.”

17 Feb 2023

Jig Been Up: FOX News Getting Cooked After Docs Reveal They Knew The Big Lie Was A Fraud

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Liberal Activists Demonstrate Outside Of Fox News In New York

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FOX News is all but confirmed as an alleged propaganda network. Not that anyone should be surprised, but recently revealed court documents show that the network’s anchors knew guests like Rudy Giuliani were spreading lies, and they continued to hand them megaphones anyway.

The documents (actually texts) are thanks to Dominion’s lawsuit against the network. In texts shared between racist FOX talking heads Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham, they confirm that they’re clearly aware the guests they have on their shows are right-wing “lunatics.”

Reports CNN:

The most prominent stars and highest-ranking executives at Fox News privately ridiculed claims of election fraud in the 2020 election, despite the right-wing channel allowing lies about the presidential contest to be promoted on its air, damning messages contained in a Thursday court filing revealed.

The messages, included in a legal filing as part of Dominion Voting System’s $1.6 billion lawsuit against Fox News, showed that Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity, and Laura Ingraham brutally mocked lies being pushed by former President Donald Trump’s camp asserting that the election was rigged.

In one set of messages revealed in the court filing, Carlson texted Ingraham, saying that Sidney Powell, an attorney who was representing the Trump campaign, was “lying” and that he had “caught her” doing so. Ingraham responded, “Sidney is a complete nut. No one will work with her. Ditto with Rudy [Giuliani].”

Also in the docs were references to a source who claimed to know of election fraud due to “time travel.” Nah, we’re not kidding—that is their source.

While MAGA Twitter is doing all types of gymnastics to try to dismiss these latest revelations, FOX News is trending for all the wrong reasons. Like seriously, why is that network still getting press credentials?

Peep some of the more potent Sly Fox News slander and observations of the elite hypocrisy in the gallery.

1. Standards?