politics
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As MAGA Nation continues to have a four-alarm meltdown about a conspiracy theory claiming the upcoming Super Bowl is rigged in favor of the Kansas City Chiefs as part of an elaborate psyop involving Taylor Swift, Nikki Haley says everyone needs to calm down.
The former South Carolina governor and U.S. ambassador to the U.N. is the only candidate still challenging one-term former president Donald Trump for the GOP’s presidential nomination and during a chat with CNN’s Jake Tapper on Thursday (Feb. 1) Haley said she was confounded by the right wing’s latest phantom menace.
“I’m not going to lie. I don’t know what the obsession is,” Haley said of the barrage of outlandish stories on conservative media outlets such as Fox News, OAN and Newsmax wildly speculating that Swift is somehow colluding with the NFL and the White House to turn the Feb. 11 Super Bowl into a glorified Pres. Biden endorsement-fest.
“Taylor Swift is allowed to have a boyfriend. Taylor Swift is a good artist. I have taken my daughter to Taylor Swift concerts before,” Haley said. “To have a conspiracy theory of all of this is bizarre. Nobody knows who she’s going to endorse, but I can’t believe that that’s overtaken our national politics.”
Swift, for the record, has not endorsed anyone in the upcoming election, though she did throw her support behind Biden in the 2020 election in which he beat Trump. To boot, the singer may or may not even make it to Super Bowl LVIII to see boyfriend KC tight end Travis Kelce take on the San Francisco 49ers because she has an Eras Tour gig in Japan the night before.
That has not stopped wildly unfounded speculation from at least one former GOP presidential candidate and avid Trump supporter Vivek Ramaswamy. The Ohio businessman recently tweeted out a suggestion that “there’s a major presidential endorsement coming from an artificially culturally propped-up couple this fall,” in seeming reference to the elaborate QAnon-like theory that Swift will steal the spotlight at the most-watched TV event of the year by announcing her support for Biden during the big game.
As is her wont, Haley tried to pivot from MAGA madness to the issues she’s trying to promote in what most political pundits believe is a lost cause effort to wrest the nomination from twice-impeached Trump. “I mean, right now, you have got 60 percent of American families living paycheck to paycheck. We’ve got a border that’s out of control. We have got wars happening around the world,” Haley said. “The last thing I really think we need to be worried about is who Taylor Swift is dating and what conspiracy theory is going to have her endorsing a person for president.”
Haley isn’t the only one throwing cold water on the right’s bizarre obsession. NBA great Charles Barkley slammed those complaining that Swift has “ruined” football. “You’re just a loser,” Sir Charles told CNN this week, while The View host Whoopi Goldberg asked “why is she triggering everybody? They are freaking out.”
Watch video of Haley talking Swift (at the 5:00 minute mark) here.
Lil Pump is Team MAGA forever. The “Gucci Gang” rapper and devoted follower of former president Donald Trump proved his fealty to the one-term Republican party leader once again by getting one of the most famous images of the one-time Apprentice star inked onto his leg. In an Instagram post on Tuesday (Jan. 30) Pump […]
In 2023, a number of rock icons decided to talk about transgender kids and why they disapproved of giving them access to best-practice healthcare to help with their transition. In 2024, Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong would like to break that trend.
In a new interview with The Los Angeles Times, the 51-year-old singer called out the conservative-led moral panic surrounding trans kids having access to gender-affirming care, criticizing those who would stand in the way of progress. “I just think they’re f–king close-minded,” he told the publication. “It’s like people are afraid of their children. Why would you be afraid? Why don’t you let your kid just be the kid that they are?”
Armstrong elaborated elsewhere, saying that seeing kids get to celebrate their identities earlier in life is a net positive, especially considering that his generation didn’t have that same luxury. “Nowadays it’s more common for kids to be LGBTQ, and there’s more support,” he said. “But for us, back in the day, that was like the beginning of when people were able to openly say things like that.”
When speaking about the band’s forthcoming song “Bobby Sox” (in which he nods to his own bisexuality by singing both “Do you wanna be my boyfriend?” and “Do you wanna be my girlfriend?”), Armstrong said it felt “liberating” to be in a place where he could sing about his sexuality. “It became more of a queer singalong.”
While 2023 was a record-breaking year for anti-LGBTQ legislation in the U.S., 2024 is already on track to break that record yet again. As of press time, the ACLU is already tracking more than 200 anti-LGBTQ bills in the 2024 legislative session, with 71 of those such bills aimed focused on “healthcare restrictions.”
Green Day, meanwhile, is gearing up for the release of the 14th studio album Saviors on Friday (Jan. 19). In its interview, the band said that the new album centers more plainly on America’s current political strife ahead of the 2024 election, returning to the socially conscious themes of some of their past albums such as American Idiot and Revolution Radio.
“We purposely stayed away from politics [on 2020’s Father of All…] just because everything was such an easy target,” Armstrong said. “We didn’t want to be like this CNN band. And I think in the back of our minds, we knew that MAGA and the divisiveness was gonna be there four years later anyway.”
Since the escalation of the Israel-Hamas war in the fall, Dua Lipa has been a fervent political advocate, and in her new Rolling Stone cover story, the “Levitating” singer opened up more about her stance. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news “My existence is kind of political, the […]
The Pentagon is shutting down one of Fox News’ more bizarre conspiracy theories.
After Fox News host Jesse Watters suggested this week that Taylor Swift could be “a front for a covert political agenda,” the Department of Defense shared a statement on Wednesday (Jan. 9) refuting the claims, according to Politico.
“It’s real. The Pentagon psy-op unit pitched NATO on turning Taylor Swift into an asset for combating misinformation online,” Watters said during the show, sharing a video from a 2019 conference organized by the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defense Center of Excellence, during which a presenter names Swift as an example of a powerful influencer.
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In response, Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh referencing Swift’s 1989 hit “Shake It Off” in a statement by noting, “as for this conspiracy theory, we are going to shake it off.”
Singh continued with the reference-filled statement, “But that does highlight that we still need Congress to approve our supplemental budget request as Swift-ly as possible so we can be out of the woods with potential fiscal concerns.”
While Swift is not a political “asset,” she does important work in encouraging her fans to vote. “Voters gonna vote!” she wrote on her Instagram Story on Election Day. “If you are registered to vote in Colorado, Kentucky, Maine, Mississippi, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas or Virginia, it’s time to use your voice.”
She also encouraged voters to be informed before arriving. “Find out what’s on your ballot before you arrive to the polls by visiting Vote.org.” Her link takes followers to Vote.org’s See What’s on Your Ballot tool, which gives voters a preview of what will be on their ballots.
The 12-time Grammy winner’s latest Instagram Story is part of an ongoing partnership she has with Vote.org, a non-profit, non-partisan voter registration organization that aims to increase voting behavior and reach underserved and underrepresented voters.
Jelly Roll found himself in front of a different audience on Thursday (Jan. 11), as the country star, born Jason DeFord, testified in front of the U.S. Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs committee on the fentanyl crisis.
He spoke on behalf of the FEND Off Fentanyl Act, bipartisan legislation which would implement sanctions to reduce the flow of the drug into communities by enforcing penalties on the bank accounts of cartels and drug suppliers.
Jelly Roll arrived at Washington, D.C.’s Dirksen Senate Office Building with wife Bunnie XO for the hearing titled “Stopping the Flow of Fentanyl: Public Awareness and Legislative Solutions.”
“I’m guessing most of you didn’t have ‘Jelly Roll testifies at Senate Banking hearing’ on your 2024 bingo cards,” Senator Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) said in his opening comments. “But few speak – and sing – as eloquently, as openly, as, shall we say, viscerally about addiction as he does. There is a reason why Americans flock to his music and his concerts. He has a connection with people based on shared pain, shared challenges, shared hope.”
Jelly Roll, who served time in jail for selling drugs and whose songs, such as “She,” address the toll of addiction, spoke passionately about the devastating effects fentanyl has had nationally and in his community.
“I’ve attended more funerals than I care to share with you all on this committee. I could sit here and cry for days about the caskets I’ve carried of people I loved dearly, deeply in my soul, good people, not just drug addicts,” he said. “Uncles, friends, cousins, normal people, some people that just got in a car wreck and started taking a pain pill to manage it.”
Jelly Roll, noting that 190 people die daily in the U.S. from drug addiction, then got even more personal, bringing committee members into his home. “Now I have a 15-year old daughter whose mother is a drug addict,” he said. “Every day I get to look in the eyes of a victim in my household of the effects of drugs, every single day. And every single day I have to wonder if me and my wife, if today will be the day that I have to tell my daughter that her mother became a part of the national statistic.”
He also addressed his criminal past, adding that he didn’t believe he was hurting people. “I was the uneducated man in the kitchen playing chemist with drugs I knew absolutely nothing about, just like these drug dealers are doing right now when they’re mixing every drug on the market with fentanyl and they’re killing the people we love,” he said. “I believed when I sold drugs genuinely that selling drugs was a victimless crime. I truly believed that.”
He implored the committee to pass the legislation, but to go further and work on the issues that cause addition, not just the dealers, saying, “I truly believe in my heart that this bill, that this bill will stop the supply and can help stop the supply of fentanyl. But in part of being proactive, gentlemen and women and ladies, I have to be frank and tell you all that if we don’t talk to the other side of Capitol Hill and stop the demand, we are going to spin our tires in the mud.”
Also testifying were Patrick Yoes, national president of the Fraternal Order of Police, and Christopher J. Urben, managing director, Nardello & Co, and assistant special agent in charge (retired), Special Operations Division, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.
Watch Jelly Roll’s testimony below:
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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has called on country singer/songwriter and “Only Here for a Little While’ hitmaker Billy Dean to craft the theme song for DeSantis’ 2024 presidential campaign. Dean co-wrote the theme song, titled “Never Back Down,” with fellow Florida natives Hugh and Cody VanLandingham. DeSantis plans to play the song at all upcoming […]
A bipartisan group of U.S. House lawmakers announced a new bill on Wednesday (Jan. 10) that regulates the use of AI for cloning voices and likenesses. Called the No Artificial Intelligence Fake Replicas And Unauthorized Duplications Act of 2023 (“No AI FRAUD” Act), the bill aims to establish a federal framework for protecting one’s voice and likeness and lays out First Amendment protections.
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More federal and state legislation regulating artificial intelligence is expected to be announced later today, including a bill from Gov. Bill Lee of Tennessee also regarding AI voice and likeness cloning. On Jan. 5, Gov. Lee hinted at the subject of his forthcoming legislation: “As the technology landscape evolves with artificial intelligence, we’re proud to lead the nation in proposing legal protection for our best-in-class artists and songwriters.”
The No AI FRAUD Act was introduced by Rep. María Elvira Salazar (R-FL), the lead Republican sponsor of the bill, alongside Reps. Madeleine Dean (D-PA), Nathaniel Moran (R-TX), Joe Morelle (D-NY) and Rob Wittman (R-VA). It is said to be based on the Senate discussion draft Nurture Originals, Foster Art, and Keep Entertainment Safe Act (“NO FAKES” Act), which was announced last October.
“It’s time for bad actors using AI to face the music,” said Rep. Salazar. “This bill plugs a hole in the law and gives artists and U.S. citizens the power to protect their rights, their creative work, and their fundamental individuality online.”
AI voice synthesis technology poses a new problem and opportunity for recording artists. While some laud it as a novel marketing, creative or fan engagement tool, it also leaves artists vulnerable to uncanny impersonations that could confuse, scam or mislead the public.
An artists’ voice, image or likeness may be covered by “right of publicity” laws which protect them from commercial exploitation without authorization, but this is a right that varies state by state. The No AI FRAUD Act aims to establish a harmonized baseline of protection. Still, if one lives in a state with an even stronger right of publicity law than the No AI FRAUD Act, that state protection is still viable, and may be easier to address in court.
This bill is keeping with regulations that a number of music business executives, including those at Sony, ASCAP, UMG, have called for in recent months — following incidents like the viral fake-Drake song “Heart On My Sleeve.”
Mitch Glazier, chairman and CEO of the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), released a statement, showing support for the No AI FRAUD Act. “The No AI FRAUD Act is a meaningful step towards building a safe, responsible and ethical AI ecosystem, and the RIAA applauds Representatives Salazar, Dean, Moran, Morelle, and Wittman for leading in this important area. To be clear, we embrace the use of AI to offer artists and fans new creative tools that support human creativity. But putting in place guardrails like the No AI FRAUD Act is a necessary step to protect individual rights, preserve and promote the creative arts, and ensure the integrity and trustworthiness of generative AI. As decades of innovation have shown, when Congress establishes strong IP rights that foster market-led solutions, it results in both driving innovation and supporting human expression and partnerships that create American culture.”
Lucian Grainge, chairman and CEO of Universal Music Group, also shared his praise for the new bill in a statement: “Universal Music Group strongly supports the ‘No AI FRAUD Act’ because no one should be permitted to steal someone else’s image, likeness or voice. While we have an industry-leading track record of enabling AI in the service of artists and creativity, AI that uses their voice or identity without authorization is unacceptable and immoral. We call upon Congress to help put an end to nefarious deepfakes by enacting this federal right of publicity and ensuring that all Americans are protected from such harm.”
Dionne Warwick is looking to put false reports to rest. The “Walk On By” singer took to X this week to clear up a report from Daily Mail that claimed she — alongside Andrea Bocelli, actor Martin Sheen and boxer Mike Tyson — was scheduled to appear at a campaign fundraiser for Robert F. Kennedy […]
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Marjorie Taylor Greene received a visit on Christmas but it wasn’t from Santa. She says her home was swatted on the big holiday.
The Washington Post is reporting that the Rome, Ga. native was trolled on her day off. On the morning of Christmas, she took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to reveal her home was the subject of a swatting. The term refers to a prank call made to emergency services with an attempt to dispatch a SWAT team or large groups of armed patrol to a designated address.
To add more insult to injury the Republican Representative also shared that she received multiple death threats before leading up to Christmas.
“We received this death threat where this man is saying I will be shot in the head and skinned to make a ‘parasol,’ making a reference to Gein, who was a psychopath killer who would make things out of his victims’ skin,” she wrote. Marjorie Taylor Greene would later say that the suspect had yet to be apprehended.
Her day would continue to become even more problematic as she says eight more swatting attempts were made targeting her residence. To her surprise, the FBI is not allowed to track down the pranksters. Greene says she will be, “introducing legislation to track down swatters.”
Swatting has become an increasingly popular tactic for harassing notable figures. Back in August, Nicki Minaj was the victim of a swatting. Days later she would announce that there was a warrant out for the arrest of the alleged culprit.
According to Wikipedia swatting can be prosecuted via several federal criminal statutes including, “Threatening interstate communications” and, “Conspiracy to retaliate against a witness, victim, or informant.”
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Photo: MANDEL NGAN / Getty