Hi everyone!
The US Olympic and Paralympic Committee said no more fellas in women's sports. They made the change a bit quietly, just adding in their safety guidelines that they would be in compliance with Trump's executive order that made that clear, but it's still a big win. There wasn't much else they could do, since Trump said visas for foreign trans athletes seeking to compete on women's sports teams would not be granted, but still, it's a shift back toward sanity and I'm here for it.
Celebrities are still pretty mad about Stephen Colbert's cancellation from CBS, even though it happened last week and he's still got a whole season left to finish out. The View's Sunny Hostin had a pretty interesting take. She said—and this is crazy—that "this is the dismantling of our democracy. This is the dismantling of our Constitution." She went on to say that "if the comedians are being attacked, then that means our Constitution is being dismantled" and further that it "means the very rubric of our democracy is being dismantled."
Hostin didn't say anything when comedians were canceled, or actors, or writers, over trans, or fake MeToos, or for wearing Trump hats, or smiling while being screamed at by activists. She didn't say anything when a wave of cancelations struck the arts and culled anyone who didn't agree with leftists, or when MAGA-supporting family members were shunned from Thanksgivings or weddings or anything else. It's just now, that CBS canceled a long-running late-night show after losing $40 million a year, that she declares our "democracy is being dismantled."
Meanwhile in Brooklyn, Rep. Yvette Clarke for New York's 9th District, has said she wants more "migrants" to come to her area. "We have a diaspora that can absorb a significant number of these migrants, and that, you know, when I hear colleagues talk about, you know, the doors of the inn being closed, no room. In the end, I'm saying, you know, I need more people in my district, but just for redistricting purposes, and those members could clearly fit here."
In short, redistricting is the fight ahead of the 2026 midterms. The Dems will scream that the GOP is racist while they themselves go about rejiggering district boundaries to enhance the seats they get in Congress. Beto O'Rourke (memba him?) and Hakeem Jeffries have both backed redistricting-for-power plans as has Gavin Newsom. Jasmine Crockett said redistricting is racist, but she probably only means when Republicans do it.
Ozzy Osbourne died yesterday at the age of 76 after suffering from Parkinson's for some time. Tributes poured out with fans honoring the legend and his music. One of my favorites was from Phil Labonte of All That Remains on Timcast last night. He thanked Ozzy for the music and also for the opportunities that came for his band at Ozzfest.
It's one thing to be a great artist, respected and admired in your field, and it's quite another to hold the door open big and wide for artists that look to follow you. So many artists climb their ladder to the top, then pull those rungs up so no one can reach those lofty heights. A great artist knows they can lose nothing by bringing in more artists, but can only gain from their work and from the increase in a fanbase for that kind of work. Mad respect for that.
You can watch the whole Timcast here. And if you wanna know what we talk about when we talk about Pizza Hut, you can find out here.