Politics

Facebook said it banned a “small network” of accounts affiliated with the same Kremlin-backed Russian hacking group that spread disinformation during the 2016 U.S. presidential election. On Tuesday, Facebook said that last month it removed 13 Facebook accounts and two Pages “linked to individuals associated with past activity by the Russian Internet Research Agency (IRA).”

Representatives of the late Leonard Cohen’s estate and publishing company have both issued statements saying they declined requests for his song “Hallelujah” to be used at the Republican National Convention — even though it was played twice following the conclusion of Donald Trump’s speech Thursday night. The estate’s attorney made a threat of legal action

Comedian Jim Gaffigan – who is well-known for his inoffensive jokes that avoid controversial topics – delivered a surprising political rant on Twitter during Trump’s finale speech at the Republican National Convention Thursday night. Gaffigan began the rant by simply stating “RIP Truth,” and then directly confronted Trump supporters, many of which are fans of

Joe Biden has turned one of President Trump’s pet slogans, “Keep America Great,” against the current occupant of the White House with a new website. The Biden-Harris 2020 campaign earlier this summer bought the rights to the keepamericagreat.com domain name and this week launched the site, which documents 12 of Trump’s alleged “promises made, promises

UPDATED: Shinzo Abe has announced he is stepping down as Prime Minister of Japan, due to health problems. Abe confirmed his plans to resign at a press conference held on Friday afternoon, local time, according to multiple media reports. Only days ago, Abe became Japan’s longest-serving Prime Minister, with over seven years of tenure in his

Donald Trump would probably never claim to be a Leonard Cohen fan, but that didn’t stop him or his campaign from choosing to use the Canadian artist’s signature song, “Hallelujah,” not once but twice following the conclusion of his speech at the Republican National Convention Thursday night. Many Cohen fans were displeased when they heard

President Donald Trump commandeered the South Lawn of the White House on Thursday night, delivering a long, slashing acceptance speech on the final night of the Republican National Convention. Trump spoke to an adoring crowd of about 1,900 people, tossing aside public health warnings about large gatherings and social distancing. The president was sweating, as

Maya Rudolph’s first auditions were usually for parts in commercials or music videos. It was the mid-90s when she snagged work as an extra in a Dr. Dre video. “It was a night shoot and we got paid nothing,” Rudolph recalls on Thursday’s episode of the Variety and iHeart podcast “The Big Ticket.” “They were

Needless to say, this isn’t how Kevin Mayer expected his bold career move to go. Mayer, after just three months on the job as TikTok’s CEO and chief operating officer of Chinese parent company ByteDance, said Wednesday that he is resigning amid the tumultuous geopolitical climate battering TikTok — led by Donald Trump’s anti-China agenda

Vice President Mike Pence defended President Trump’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic on Wednesday night and warned Americans that they will not be “safe in Joe Biden’s America.” Speaking to a small crowd at Fort McHenry in Baltimore, Pence accepted the renomination as Trump’s running mate. He spoke as Hurricane Laura bore down on the

UPDATE: Bette Midler has tweeted again about her remarks, writing, “Well, all hell has broken loose because I said Melania “still can’t speak English” last night. I was wrong to make fun of her accent. America is made up people who speak with all kinds of accents, and they are all welcomed always.” Well, all

Melania Trump offered sympathy for those suffering from COVID-19 and urged Americans to transcend racial conflict in her speech at the Republican National Convention on Tuesday night. The first lady spoke at the end of an evening that emphasized appeals to women voters. The convention paid tribute to the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment,

The Republican National Convention got underway on Monday, and a series of speakers warned voters that President Trump is the only bulwark protecting them from a raging mob. Charlie Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA, set the theme for the evening when he said “Trump is the bodyguard of western civilization.” Several speakers also

President Trump exceeded his legal authority in issuing an executive order that would ban TikTok in the U.S., the Chinese-owned video app company said in a lawsuit Monday against the administration. That’s because Trump’s ban is “not based on a bona fide national emergency and authorizes the prohibition of activities that have not been found

President Donald Trump will take center stage this week at the Republican National Convention. The convention will be held in Charlotte, N.C., Monday to Thursday from 8:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. ET. Unlike the Democratic National Convention, “business” portions of the event will be in person, with 336 delegates in attendance. Most of the event

HBO Max has announced the cast of “Equal,” the streamer’s upcoming four-part docuseries about the history of the LGBTQ civil rights movement. Along with never-before-seen archival footage, Anthony Rapp, Samira Wiley, Sara Gilbert, Cheyenne Jackson, Alexandra Grey, Jamie Clayton and Shannon Purser are just some of the names who portray gay rights activists from the

Two former producers from NBC’s “The Apprentice” are helping plan the 2020 Republican National Convention. According to The New York Times, Sadoux Kim and Chuck LaBella are both former “Apprentice” producers who have joined the team planning the RNC for next week. The two producers have consulted on the video production for the convention, the

When the decision came down that the Democratic National Convention was going to be a first-time virtual event and no longer a live spectacle in Milwaukee, Wis., producer Ricky Kirshner and director Glenn Weiss were only sure about one thing. “The first thing we said was, ‘It’s not going to be a giant Zoom call,’”

TikTok has a message for Donald Trump: See you in court. The short-form video app company, currently owned by Chinese internet giant ByteDance, confirmed that it plans to file a lawsuit challenging U.S. President Trump’s Aug. 6 executive order that would effectively ban TikTok unless it is sold to an American buyer. TikTok expects to

A virtual fundraiser co-hosted by Jeffrey Katzenberg and George Clooney netted $7 million for Joe Biden’s presidential campaign on Friday, according to the organizers. The fundraiser featured appearances from Biden, running mate Kamala Harris, and their spouses, according to a release. About 25 donors participated in an “intimate virtual setting.” Katzenberg, the chairman of Quibi,

Director Davis Guggenheim is no stranger to shooting films for the Democratic National Convention, the “An Inconvenient Truth” helmer and Co-founder of Concordia Studio has worked on campaign biofilms as far back as 2008 with then-candidate Barack Obama. He has since filmed segments for the 2012 and 2016 campaigns, but in 2020 things were different.

Samantha Bee is on a Zoom call from her home on the East Coast, where she’s been shooting her hit TBS political talk show “Full Frontal With Samantha Bee.” “This room is awful,” she says, looking back at a dimly lit room with not much furniture in sight. “It’s my guest room. My dad sleeps

Steve Bannon, a former top strategist for President Trump, was arrested and charged by federal prosecutors with fraud for his role in the “We Build the Wall” crowdfunding scheme. According to federal prosecutors, Bannon and three other men involved in the fundraising project — which claimed to be collecting money to build a wall at

Jennifer Hudson and the Democratic party both have rich — but until now separate — histories with Sam Cooke’s classic song “A Change is Gonna Come.” The three came together at the close of the third evening of the 2020 Democratic National Convention Wednesday night with a spectacular performance by Hudson that took place under

Sen. Kamala Harris accepted the nomination for vice president on Wednesday night in an empty convention hall, a stark image of politics during the coronavirus pandemic. In many respects, Harris’ speech hewed to the traditions of vice presidential candidate speeches, mixing biographical detail with praise for her running mate and sharp jabs at the incumbent.

Former President Barack Obama tore into President Donald Trump during the Democratic National Convention, saying he’s using the presidency as a reality show to grab attention. Speaking live from Philadelphia, Obama delivered his remarks during the third night of the virtual convention, following fellow speakers Hillary Clinton, Elizabeth Warren and Nancy Pelosi. In his speech,

Oprah Winfrey, Jason Blum and A3 Artists Agency want their employees to take the day off for Election Day on Nov. 3. Winfrey made the announcement Tuesday through her Instagram account in connection with the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment. “In honor of those who fought and continue to fight for our rights, I’m

For many days now, the world has been wondering: Is Ben Gibbard taking the attacks on the Postal Service personally? It’s not that the president issued a fatwah on the actual superduo made up of Gibbard (also of Death Cab for Cutie fame) and Jimmy Tamborello. But if anyone were going to rise to the

Billie Eilish, Mariah Carey, Megan Thee Stallion, Shawn Mendes and Rihanna are among the hundreds of celebrity signatories of an open letter from the music, entertainment and sport industries supporting police reform legislation in California. The statement, released Wednesday, urges the governor and state legislature to approve two bills addressing police accountability. Among the other

Mainland Chinese streaming giants iQIYI and Tencent are set to be banned from operating in Taiwan from next month, following the revision of an existing law that will bar their local partners from providing services for them. Companies and individuals in Taiwan will be banned from providing services for OTT operators from mainland China, Taiwan’s