Tuesday, September 1, 2026

Ridley Scott, Gal Gadot talks abandoning Wonder Woman, Tom Cruise


Ridley Scott is an undeniable legend of cinema, responsible for classics like Alien, Thelma & Louise, and Blade Runner. His recent run, however, has not been one for the history books. The Dog Stars opened this weekend to a measly $8 million domestically. With a reported budget of over $80 million, this weekend’s total does not indicate profitability. The 20th Century Studios film came in fifth place for the weekend, behind Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which is still going strong, and Coyote vs. Acme, which Warner Bros. initially buried for a tax write-off before Ketchup Entertainment bought the rights. It was also behind both The Odyssey and Insidious: Out of the Further. In comparison with fellow recent domestic IMAX releases, like Spider-Man, The Odyssey, and even The End of Oak Street, The Dog Stars shows that not even Imax theaters can entice moviegoers to watch a film they don’t really care (or know) about.

As I've noted before, not even seeing several trailers or commercials for the film ever told me what TH DO STARS was about.  Onto Jarrod Jones (AV CLUB)

Insofar as anyone thought Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman would ever be part of James Gunn and Peter Safran’s rebooted DC Universe for Warner Bros., the actor would like to clarify that she made the decision to vacate the role herself. Gadot said on Josh Horowitz’s Happy Sad Confused podcast that this decision was based on Warner Bros.’ treatment of co-star Henry Cavill and of Wonder Woman and WW84 director Patty Jenkins. “They [Gunn and Safran] were like, ‘We’re going to develop it with you, the third [Wonder Woman movie],’ la la la,” Gadot told Horowitz. “But I saw the way everybody else were [sic] handled.” 

“The Henry situation was not handled elegantly, to say the least,” Gadot went on, referring to the casting misery-go-round actor Henry Cavill endured amid WB’s hierarchical power shifts in the DC Universe, which began and ended with the Dwayne Johnson super-vehicle Black Adam. Cavill stated in a social media announcement that, as the Gunn/Safran changing of the guard loomed, he would appear as Superman again in the future, a plan was nipped in the bud almost immediately after Gunn/Safran announced DC Studios the next day. It’s a situation that Gunn himself told Horowitz was “unfair” to Cavill, as they had no intention of casting the Man Of Steel actor in the DCU-launching Superman: Legacy. David Corenswet was cast as Superman in June 2023.

“Same with Patty—[that] was not handled elegantly,” Gadot said of the Wonder Woman director, who took to X in December 2022 to clarify why Wonder Woman 3 wasn’t moving forward at the rechristened DC Studios. “I feel like, you know, we’re all adults, and it’s all good,” Gadot said. “And it’s not even about them. They are there, and they’re there to do what they believe in, and it’s all good.”

Sorry but Gal Gadot should have fought for WONDER WOMAN 3.  There aren't enough female superheroes in films and she was a success as Wonder Woman.  Her decision to just walk away wasn't sticking up for the fans or for the character of Wonder Woman.  

Christian Zilko (INDYWIRE) writes about our modern Joan Crawford:

When "Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning" hit theaters in 2025, it brought an end (at least temporarily) to one of Hollywood's longest-running action franchises and signaled a new beginning for one of its most bankable stars. Tom Cruise has played Ethan Hunt eight times since the first "Mission: Impossible" movie opened in 1996, and the series took up a large plurality of his time in the 2010s and early 2020s. It was time well spent, as Cruise's commitment to ever-expanding practical stunts gave us some of the most riveting blockbusters of the past decade. But it came at the cost of stretching his other acting muscles, and many a cinephile has openly wished that he'd go back to riskier fare like "Magnolia" and "Eyes Wide Shut" when his blockbuster days were over.

For a moment, it seemed like that wish was about to be granted. Cruise smoothly navigated the publicity surrounding his exit from the "Mission: Impossible" franchise, aligning himself with Warner Bros. Discovery and teasing a wide range of upcoming projects ranging from a "Tropic Thunder" spinoff about Les Grossman to a mysterious musical with longtime collaborator Christopher McQuarrie. And he couldn't have picked a more challenging role for his first film with Warner Bros., teaming up with Alejandro González Iñárritu for the apocalyptic black comedy "Digger." Even if he still had "Top Gun 3" in development at Paramount, an era of Tom Cruise movies that was less defined by franchises and reboots was a welcome development.

But this weekend's news that Cruise's next project will be a "Days of Thunder" sequel directed by Jonathan Levine makes his new career arc harder to categorize. The Tony Scott film set in the world of NASCAR was a modest success in 1990, but it hardly stands out in a filmography that's filled with classics at every turn (it's basically "Top Gun" on a track). Rumors of the sequel's development have circulated for years, but it's fair to wonder why Cruise wants to suit up as race car driver Cole Trickle again nearly 40 years later.

Joan Crawford lasted five decades as a star.  Cruise may well match that record.  But he's also reached the point in his career, that she did in her own last decade, where the films are obvious and routine.  

Going out with C.I.'s "The Snapshot:"


Tuesday, September 1, 2026.  Chump keeps pimping unpopular data centers, his own popularity numbers remain in the toilet, Pete Hegseth remains an unqualified Secretary of Defense, and much more.






Chump's happy talkers keep preaching a rebound in his popularity.  But so far I'm not seeing it.  In fact, REUTERS reported late yesterday:

President Donald Trump's approval rating was stuck at the lowest level of his political career amid broad dissatisfaction over the war in Iran and the Republican's economic stewardship, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll that concluded on Monday.

Just 33% of Americans approve of the job Trump is doing in the White House - the third straight Reuters/Ipsos poll with that share of respondents giving the president a thumbs up.

Trump's political brand looks increasingly like a potential weight on his Republican Party, which will be defending slim congressional majorities in the November 3 midterm elections.


Also late yesterday, Tom Durante (MEDIAITE) noted:

An eye-opening new poll has shown that President Donald Trump’s approval rating has dropped to its lowest level in either of his two terms, as a growing number of past supporters say they wouldn’t vote for him again.

The UMass-Amherst survey of 1,000 people, conducted between August 21 and 26, found growing dissatisfaction with the president, due mostly to the ongoing war in Iran and financial pain at the gas pump and grocery checkout. The margin of error in the poll was 3.5%.

“With no end in sight to the ongoing war in Iran, the continued rise in the price of gas, groceries, utilities, and housing, an escalating trade war with Canada, and the likelihood of higher interest rates, it comes as no surprise that Trump’s approval rating remains at a paltry 32%, a 1-percentage-point drop since we last polled in March 2026,” Tatishe Nteta, poll director and provost professor of political science at UMass Amherst, said in a statement.

The poll also noted growing regret among those who cast a ballot for Trump in the 2024 election, with about 16 percent of respondents saying they wouldn’t back him again if they could do it all over again.

Are farmers growing disillusioned with Chump?  Travis Gettys (RAW STORY) reports:

Republican senators are increasingly convinced the battle for Senate control will be decided in the Midwest, and that agricultural voters angered by tariffs, fuel costs and beef imports could hand Democrats the majority.

Democrats need a net gain of four seats to flip the chamber, and strategists say that becomes attainable if they capture Republican-held seats in Ohio and Iowa while holding Michigan, then find a fourth seat in North Carolina or a longer-shot state, reported Politico.
"He's in serious trouble in farm country," Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND) said of President Donald Trump. "He being Trump — and Trump is us. I'm not very optimistic."

Farm-state Republicans point to a combination of tariffs, expensive diesel and fertilizer, and administration moves to ease tariffs on imported beef as driving frustration among agricultural voters who have historically backed the party.


Meanwhile the Iran War has been good for some . . . with the last name Chump.  Tanya Rawat (BENZINGA) reports:


The war has cost the U.S. tens of billions of dollars and reduced projected global output by hundreds of billions, according to the Fortune report. At the same time, businesses and investments connected to President Donald Trump’s family have benefited from higher defense spending and oil prices.

Military contractor Powerus, which Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr. were preparing to take public, won an Air Force contract with a ceiling of up to $90 million for drone interceptors.

Private equity firm 1789 Capital Management, which Don Jr. joined after his father’s reelection, owns stakes in several defense companies benefiting from the war. Anduril received U.S. approval for up to $2 billion in drone-interceptor sales to Kuwait, while Space Exploration Technologies Corp. SPCX  is providing satellite services to guide U.S. drones against Iran. Firehawk Defense also won Pentagon contracts for propellants and warheads.

A spokeswoman for 1789 Capital said Don Jr. was not involved in the investment decisions.

Trump’s own portfolio, managed by outside managers, has also gained from holdings in defense companies including Lockheed Martin Corp. LMT, General Dynamics Corporation GD and Northrop Grumman Corp. NOC. Democrats said his oil and gas holdings had increased in value by as much as $15.5 million.

The estimate came as Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) pointed to Trump’s reported holdings in ExxonMobil Holdings Corp XOM, Chevron Corp CVX, Occidental Petroleum Corp OXY and ConocoPhillips COP, whose shares had gained significantly since the start of the year, according to a Senate Joint Economic Committee Democrats’ analysis.

While Chump and his family rake up corrupt cash, Americans are not doing that well.  Jing Pan (MONEY WISE) reports:

American consumers have kept the economy afloat for years, even as inflation, high borrowing costs and rising grocery bills squeeze household budgets. But some of the country’s biggest corporate leaders are warning that shoppers may be hitting a breaking point.

Kraft Heinz CEO Steve Cahillane offered one of the bluntest assessments of the financial strain facing lower-income consumers.
“They’re literally running out of money at the end of the month,” Cahillane said in a May 2026 interview (1). “We’re seeing negative cash flows in the lower-income brackets where they’re dipping into savings.”

The company behind brands like Heinz, Kraft and Philadelphia is now cutting prices (2) on some products that have grown too expensive, increasing promotions and rolling out smaller package sizes at lower price points.
Cahillane added that the industry has endured years of “volume degradation” because consumers had to absorb “too much price.” He also warned that another round of price increases could put more pressure on already-stretched household budgets.

“We could see more significant inflation and nobody wants to see that,” he said.

Cahillane isn’t the only CEO sounding the alarm.

McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski has flagged pressure on consumers, pointing to “heightened anxiety (3).” The company’s CFO Ian Borden also noted that higher gas prices are hitting lower-income households especially hard, saying the company was seeing those consumers pull back on spending, while higher-income customers remained much more resilient.

Elsewhere, Whirlpool CEO Marc Bitzer has described a sharp pullback in demand for big-ticket appliances, while North America executive president, Juan Carlos Puente, has pointed to “recession-level industry contractions,” with discretionary demand down roughly 15% (4).



Pete Hegseth, the unqualified Secretary of Defense who only got into the position thanks to JD Vance's tie breaking vote in the Senate. It was the narrowest vote for a Secretary of Defense ever.  And that's because (a) Hegseth wasn't qualified because being a weekend talking head on FOX "NEWS" doesn't make you qualified, (b) Hegseth had never supervised a department or anything as large as the Defense Dept and the minor organizations he had been in charge of all had money problems with some people pointing to him as the problem, (c) he was considered a sexist and he also had forced a woman to sign an NDA that he would not release her from to allow her to testify at his confirmation hearing, (d) he had a drinking problem and had to assure the senators that he wouldn't drink booze if he was confirmed and . . .  

He wasn't qualified.  The whole country sees that now and sees how badly things go when you put an unqualified nominee into an office.  

Now some people with no experience for the job would be eager to hear input and utilize the intelligence of others.  But Hegseth has no respect for intelligence.  Hence Joseph Gedeon (INDEPENDENT) reports

Pete Hegseth regularly receives formal objections from senior commanders and proceeds anyway, the Pentagon’s top spokesman has said, as he tried to discredit a Washington Post report that four generals and admirals had advised against prolonging the war in Iran.

“Of course, we demand candid military advice,” Sean Parnell wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “Non-concurs are standard. The Secretary sees them constantly. That’s how you run a real military.”


Parnell's response was the response of an idiot. Ellie Quinlan Houghtaling (THE NEW REPUBLIC) notes:


Shortly after the article’s publication, Defense Department spokesperson Sean Parnell falsely claimed on social media that the publication of the report was not only wrong, but also illegal.

“Publishing highly classified assessments from the Secretary’s orders book is a crime. It’s a betrayal of the force,” Parnell wrote. “And much of what they’re publishing is inaccurate.”

Fact check: While it’s against the law for government employees to leak sensitive or classified government details, the Supreme Court ruled in 1971 that the press’s ability to publicize that information is protected under the First Amendment. That was the outcome of New York Times Co. v. United States, which pitted the daily newspaper against the Nixon administration after it published a top-secret history of the Vietnam War known as the Pentagon Papers.


As Elaine noted last night, one of the problems with our government is people like Parnell who try to cite the law without actually knowing the law.  That kind of makes him the perfect spokesperson for Hegseth  -- they bond over their ignorance. Peter Suciu (NATIONAL INTEREST) notes:

Tensions are running high at the Pentagon on Monday, following a scathing report from The Washington Post on Saturday that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth was warned by multiple combatant commanders that the ongoing war with Iran is unsustainable, and that if it continues, it will weaken the US military’s ability to address other threats.

Military leaders warned in the August 14 edition of the classified Secretary of Defense Orders Book (SDOB) that extending deployments in the Middle East could compromise global readiness and even homeland defense, the paper of record reported.

The SDOB contained classified assessments from the commanders tasked with overseeing US areas of responsibility in Europe, Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Those generals expressed opposition to an extended deployment of US military forces in the Middle East. They warned that diverted warships—notably aircraft carriers—and aircraft have degraded abilities elsewhere. According to an assessment from the Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle, only a quarter of the US Navy’s destroyer fleet is currently prepared to deploy. That is a sharp decline from the prewar levels.

The conflict, which is now in its sixth month, has cost $37.5 billion to date.

Cost $37.5 billion to date.  




Army Secretary Daniel P. Driscoll, the service’s top civilian leader, who clashed repeatedly with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over the ouster of key combat-tested Army leaders, handed in his resignation to President Trump on Monday, administration officials said.

Mr. Driscoll’s resignation was expected but it comes at a tumultuous time, as the military’s largest service faces its busiest period since the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Army air defense soldiers are playing the leading role in defending U.S. troops in the Middle East from increasingly sophisticated Iranian missile attacks. The Army’s command in Europe is providing critical intelligence and other support to Ukraine as it fights to hold off a larger Russian force.

And Mr. Hegseth has in the meantime initiated a series of firings and feuds that has left the Army essentially rudderless as it struggles to deal with the threat posed by cheap, deadly drones and missiles that have pounded U.S. bases in the Middle East.

Mr. Driscoll met with Mr. Trump in person to hand in his resignation and discuss the current state of the Army, said one official, who like others in this story spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss personnel issues.





How bad are things for Hegseth?  Insiders are saying he'll be gone by Thanksgiving.  Alexander Willis (RAW STORY) notes:

Multiple White House insiders have named the same Trump Cabinet member they believe will become the administration's first “midterm political casualty" and predicted the official will be fired before Thanksgiving, former Obama campaign aide Christopher Hale claimed Sunday night.

“Everyone I talk to in and around the Trump White House says [Defense Secretary Pete] Hegseth will be the first midterm political casualty and will be fired before Thanksgiving,” Hale wrote in a statement shared on social media.

Over the weekend, the big news was that Chump was no longer depending upon Hegseth the way he once did.  Thomas Kika notes that this all has been a failure for Chump:


President Donald Trump's botched handling of the Iran war has done "irreparable damage" to his standing among voters, one veteran defense expert wrote for The i Paper, and the full extent will become clear after the midterms.

Robert Fox is a long-time journalist and war correspondent with a career dating back to the late 1960s, with experience covering conflicts in places like Afghanistan, Iraq, the Falklands and many more. On Monday, he published a new column for The i Paper breaking down why Trump's "credibility is in tatters" as his war with Iran has left the U.S. military near its "breaking point."

"The war, which was intended to last six weeks at most, has now run for more than six months. To say there is no credible peace settlement in sight might qualify as the understatement of the year," Fox wrote, citing the recent U.S. strikes on Iran's Larak Island as a sign that the conflict has fully ramped up after beleaguered peace talks.

He added later: "The latest exchange of fire means that there is little chance of meaningful peace talks before the U.S. midterm elections in early November, and Israel’s general election on 27 October. It means rising prices on the international energy markets and at the petrol pumps for U.S. voters."



When not worrying about Pete, the administration is worrying about his wife Jennifer.  Laura Esposito (DAILY BEAST) reports:

Pete Hegseth’s tenure as defense secretary has been marked by leaked Signal chats, radical religion, and a war on wokeness. But it’s his wife who has officials concerned.

Across Donald Trump’s administration and the Pentagon, concerns are spilling out over Jennifer Hegseth’s influence on her husband—and on a department with an annual budget larger than countries with the world’s largest economies.

“Jennifer Hegseth is a very heavy hand and one of his closest advisers with access inside the building, which is very unusual for a secretary of war/secretary of defence,” one official told the Times of London on Monday.
Long before the president announced that he had appointed Jennifer, 49, to lead his Military Spouse Commission, the former Fox News producer’s influence over her husband, 46, was known.

In March 2025, Pete was caught revealing details about forthcoming strikes on Yemen to his wife in a Signal group chat. Before being appointed, he credited positive changes in his life to “two Js”: Jennifer and Jesus. Just last month, more than 20 former and current DOD officials told The New York Times that Jennifer was a key part of her husband’s decision-making process.

In addition to sitting in meetings with reporters and preparing Hegseth for appearances, his wife has reportedly interviewed candidates for jobs at the Defense Department. As she serves out her unofficial role, Jennifer is a full-time mother for the child she shares with Pete and her six other stepchildren, some of whom she homeschools.


Turning to data centers.  They are unpopular and opposition to them only continues to grow.  Out of touch and out of step Chump fails to realize that.  Luke Broadwater (NEW YORK TIMES) notes Chump's declarations yesterday:

President Trump on Monday lashed out at communities that are protesting data centers, suggesting that residents who do not go along with the artificial intelligence revolution must prefer to be “backwards and poor.”

“The only reason that communities throughout the U.S.A. should not want Data Centers is if they want to end up being backwards and poor,” Mr. Trump posted on his Truth Social site. “If they want to be successful and rich, with far lower taxes and jobs all over the place, let Data Reign.”

Polling shows most Americans oppose the proliferation of data centers in their communities, a signal of worries about a quickly changing economy and the loss of jobs to machines. Residents have also cited potential negative effects on the environment and increased utility costs as reasons to oppose data centers.


Yet Cump continues to be on the wrong side of this issue.  As Ruth noted last night, "Mr. Chump has lost his gift for speaking to the people.  He has nothing to connect with them on anymore.  The dementia has taken hold. "  Ryan Grenoble (HUFFINGTON POST) notes:


In related news, officials in El Reno, Okla., say a damaged private water line at a data center there wasted more than 3 million gallons of water before it was discovered late last week. According to KOCO News, the business in question specializes in AI storage and Bitcoin mining.
The leak forced El Reno schools and the county courthouse to temporarily close, and forced thousands of residents to go without water, KFOR reported, after levels in El Reno’s water towers unexpectedly plummeted.


Still on data centers, Nicholas Liu (SALON) reports

Despite efforts to tout AI infrastructure as a boon to the American economy, as well as a home-field advantage to a country steeped in capitalistic aspiration, hawkers of this technology have failed to convince 70% of Americans that AI and its data centers are anything other than a hostile intrusion. To the public, they are monoliths that pollute the environment, drive up energy costs, strip people of their livelihoods and degrade the meaning of art. But the catch for some politicians is that supporting AI is an immensely profitable enterprise, even if the money and favors come from just a few very powerful, very rich people. Oh, what are they to do? 

Some of them, like David Crowley, Wisconsin’s Democratic candidate for governor, have wisely and belatedly eschewed “turn[ing] Wisconsin into an AI and data hub . . . for the entire globe” as a talking point in favor of convincing voters that local elected boards are the vanguard of communal protection and direct democracy. Attempting to shrug off the perception of being too pro-AI, Crowley told supporters shortly after his primary win in August that “Local communities should be the end all be all when it comes down to data centers. They should be able to make the decision when it comes to data centers and if they don’t want a data center, they should not be forced to have a data center, and there’s no ands, ifs, or buts about that.” 

When Tom Tiffany, Crowley’s Republican opponent, has managed to take breaths between his incessant attacks on “Data Center David,” he has also clarified his own position in favor of “local input” and “local control” — even though he previously voted in favor of federal bills to expedite the construction of data centers and ban state and local AI regulations. 
Significantly, neither candidate’s Paul-on-the-road-to-Madison conversion includes support for a temporary moratorium on data center construction — a cause with especially strong support from the left and elected officials like Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., as well as Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in neighboring Michigan. The logic behind that push — buying time to evaluate the extent of data center effects and find a more permanent solution — is a direct answer to damage that has already been inflicted and to what polls have indicated as sweeping, bipartisan opposition to their further construction. Proposals to offload data center permitting, on the other hand, use the vocabulary of democracy and autonomy to hide the fact that “local communities,” in practice, means local governments, which are structurally overmatched, underfunded and vulnerable to the pressure tactics of trillion-dollar technology monopolies. 


Let's wind down with this from Senator Tammy Duckworth's office:

[MARION, IL] – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today held a roundtable with Illinois health care providers, leaders and advocates to discuss the challenges they’re facing in providing care to rural communities as a direct result of the Trump Administration’s harmful health care cuts. Since being signed into law last July, President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill made the largest health care cuts in history, destabilizing the health care system with more than $1 trillion in cuts from Medicaid and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Photos from the roundtable can be found on Senator Duckworth’s website.

“For many Illinoisans in rural communities, health care was already too expensive and too hard to get—and then came the Medicaid cuts,” Duckworth said. “Slashing Medicaid has not only put reliable health care coverage at even more risk for hundreds of thousands of Illinoisans but also added even more pressure on rural hospitals already struggling to keep their doors open. The Administration’s cuts will only make it harder for families to get care close to home when mere minutes can be life-saving—or stop access altogether. Senator Durbin and I will keep fighting to protect Medicaid, support our rural health care services and make sure every Illinoisan can get the care they need when they need it, no matter their zip code.”

“Senator Duckworth and I sent letters to Illinois hospitals last year and asked them how the so-called One Big Beautiful Bill Act and its devastating Medicaid cuts would impact their hospital, health care workforce, and the patients they serve,” Durbin said. “The 129 responses we received made it clear that this legislation will mean shuttering of services, layoffs, and even hospital closures—meaning patients will needlessly suffer. If you look at the numbers, 24 rural hospitals are at risk of closure in Illinois. I think we ought to make a commitment to rural hospitals and families struggling with the cost-of-living instead of slashing federal funding for health care in order to fund tax cuts for billionaires.”

The consequences of these policies will continue to be felt across our state, with an estimated 400,000 Illinoisans expected to lose health coverage by 2034. Illinois nursing homes and hospitals, primarily in rural areas, are at risk of closing and Medicaid cuts are predicted to result in more than 27,000 jobs cut across the state.

Yesterday, Duckworth hosted a women’s health care roundtable with local reproductive health clinics, obstetrics providers, federally qualified health centers and health departments to hear about the difficulties of providing reproductive and maternal care in rural Southern Illinois, where Carbondale has become a safe haven for women seeking care from across the region and surrounding states, and the impact of Trump Administration policies on access to care. Photos from the women’s health care roundtable can be found on Senator Duckworth’s website.

-30-


The following sites updated:


Monday, August 31, 2026

Weekend Box Office

Weekend box office via THENUMBERS.COM:

1 (1) Spider-Man: Brand New Day $22,513,101 -42% 3,678 $6,121 $891,821,029 31
2 (new) Coyote vs. Acme $15,914,007 3,575 $4,451 $15,914,007 3
3 (3) The Odyssey $14,353,795 -27% 2,617 $5,485 $563,875,400 45
4 (2) Insidious: Out of the Further $10,204,695 -59% 3,303 $3,090 $43,734,802 10
5 (new) The Dog Stars $7,709,729 3,330 $2,315 $7,709,729 3
6 (new) Buddy $5,531,024 1,277 $4,331 $5,531,024 3
7 (4) PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie $5,016,050 -45% 3,110 $1,613 $43,452,099 17
8 (5) The End of Oak Street $4,902,312 -44% 2,923 $1,677 $45,982,436 17
- (6) Mutiny $2,766,362 -64% 2,703 $1,023 $13,245,027 10
- (7) Tony $2,220,448 -55% 1,907 $1,164 $11,053,129 24


For an entire month, SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY has been the number one film at the box office in North America.  $891 million in domestic ticket sales.  Hugely impressive.  It'll easily cross to $900 million domestically.  

THE ODYSSEY came in at number three.  COYOTE VS ACME came in at number two.  That's a really good movie.  And when DISCOVERY was able to take over WARNER BROS, they refused to release it -- just like they refused to release the BATGIRL movie an a Scooby Doo movie.  


At number four is THE DOG STARS.  I felt that film suffered from dull promotion.  I have no idea what the film is and I've seen commercials and trailers for it.  And none of them explained the movie to me or made me want to see it.  After the latest INSIDIOUS at number five, you've got nothing but bombs.  Sad to say that includes Jason Statham's MUTINY.  

We're getting closer to September 11th -- when PRACTICAL MAGIC 2 comes out.  Meredith Wilshere and Gina Kalsi (PEOPLE) report:

Filming Practical Magic 2 was a magical experience for all the stars returning to their roles nearly 30 years later.

While chatting with PEOPLE at the London premiere of the highly anticipated sequel on Aug. 26, Dianne Wiest reveals which scene in the new movie was her favorite to film.

“Well, for me, it was when we were all at the table for my birthday lunch. I loved that scene,” Wiest, 78, teases. “We were all there, we’re all together, and we’re celebrating. It was a great scene.”

Wiest played the understanding and patient Bridget “Jet” Owens in the 1998 witchy film. She reunited with her former Practical Magic costars, Nicole Kidman, Sandra Bullock and Stockard Channing, for the sequel, while also adding newcomers Lee Pace, Joey King and Maisie Williams to the franchise.


Going out with C.I.'s "The Snapshot:"


Monday, August 31, 2026.  Chump's war with Iran continues, Pete Hegseth argues with generals and brings in social media types to work undercover for the government, Hegsteh also appears to be getting on Chump's nerves, and much more. 

 


Chump's Iran War continues. Haley Britzky, Zachary Cohen abd Mohammed Tawfeeq (CNN) report:

Iran retaliated against US forces on Sunday after the US military struck Iranian rocket launchers, a US official said, marking the first escalation between the sides in over a month.

Iranian missiles fired into Jordan have been intercepted, the official said, and no impacts have been reported so far.

The attacks came after the US military struck Iran’s Larak Island, where it observed Iranian forces preparing to launch rockets with mines into the Strait of Hormuz.     


The United States and Iran exchanged attacks for the first time in a month overnight on Monday, underscoring how a war that President Trump had promised would be over quickly has repeatedly frustrated his attempts to end it.

The U.S. military said on Sunday that its forces had bombarded Iranian troops on Larak Island that were preparing to launch rockets armed with mines into the Strait of Hormuz, the vital shipping corridor for oil and gas that Iran has blockaded. The Iranian foreign ministry said several people were killed and wounded, without providing specifics.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps said it retaliated by firing at bases in Jordan and the United Arab Emirates that host U.S. military personnel. The Jordanian authorities said that they had intercepted eight missiles that entered their airspace, while the Emirati military said it had “responded to” a drone coming from Iran. There were no reports of any damage or casualties.


There are numerous waves of Operation Happy Talk being put out by Chump supporters.  Yesterday morning on NBC's MEET THE PRESS, Senator Ted Cruz relied on one wave of Operation Hapy Talk only to face the obvious response from moderator Kirsten Welker, "Senator, I hear you arguing that military objectives have been achieved. If that’s the case, why can’t the troops come home? There are still some 50,000 troops there."  He did not attempt an honest answer to that question (instead he tried to spin it).  Why?  There is no honest answer to that question the administration can afford to make. 




The president’s attack on Welker comes after the Treasury Department barred economics journalists from The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg from attending this week’s G20 meetings in North Carolina, according to the Times.

The reporters were not granted credentials by the Treasury Department.

Nearly 300 members of the media, including one Times reporter, will have high-level access to policymakers throughout the event, a Treasury spokesperson said in a statement.


The war on reporters is a war on the truth and that's what Chump and Hegseth focus on the most: Deceiving the American people.  They do it by hiring social media people to write hype about Hegseth and not disclose that they are now on the government payroll and writing what they are ordered to do.  They do that by attacking the press when true reports come out.  For example,  Erkki Forster (DAILY BEAST) reports:

Pete Hegseth’s top spin doctor lashed out at a report that top military brass are pushing back against Hegseth’s orders, only for his meltdown to blow up in his face.

The Washington Post revealed Sunday that commanders are warning Hegseth, the Fox News host-turned-defense secretary, against extending the deployment of more than 50,000 troops in the Middle East for President Donald Trump’s war with Iran.

Sources told the Post that four-star commanders overseeing operations in Europe, Asia, and Latin America, along with the Navy’s top admiral, each registered a formal ‘non-concur’ with proposals contained in the latest Secretary of Defense Orders Book, a classified Pentagon document produced twice a month to outline the worldwide availability, readiness, and movement of U.S. forces.

A ‘non-concur’ formally records a commander’s disagreement with a proposed course of action, even though the commander may ultimately be required to carry out the final order.


James West (MOTHER JONES) notes the report by THE POST and adds:


On Day 10 of the Iran conflict, Trump declared the war “very complete, pretty much.” It’s now many months later, with no deal, no end date, and a $37.5 billion price tag, according to Hegseth’s July testimony to Congress. Last week we documented the ongoing whiplash in our video below—from demands for unconditional surrender, to negotiations, to this week’s “Operation Economic Outcast,” a sanctions campaign that amounts to a tacit admission that six months of bombing didn’t get the job done.

Watch:



And today on MS NOW's MORNING JOE, they address the issue.

  Sarah-Jane Collins (DAILY BEAST) reports:


President Donald Trump has quietly begun to pin his hopes for resolving the Iran conflict on his treasury secretary rather than Pete Hegseth as the defense secretary is increasingly sidelined.

That’s according to inside sources quoted Saturday by the Daily Mail, which described a subtle shift within the 80-year-old president’s inner circle when it comes to Situation Room briefings on the war, now in its seventh month. 

While Hegseth is still routinely asked for updates on the war, along with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs General Dan Caine, Vice President JD Vance, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, an unnamed insider claimed Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s take is now given more attention by Trump in the meetings. 

[. . .]

While Hegseth is still routinely asked for updates on the war, along with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs General Dan Caine, Vice President JD Vance, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, an unnamed insider claimed Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s take is now given more attention by Trump in the meetings. 


Bennito L. Kelty (RAW STORY) adds:


Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has become afraid of President Donald Trump over mounting frustrations with the Iran war, The Daily Mail reported Saturday.

Anonymous insiders say that Trump is increasingly turning away from Hegseth after the two got into an argument at Camp David earlier this month, according to the report. Instead, Trump is turning more to another one of his favored "yes-men," Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.


Still on the disaster that is Hegseth, THE ARKANSAS PUBLIC ADVOCATE reports:


Three senior Stars and Stripes employees have taken their dispute with Pentagon leadership to federal court, turning a months long fight over the military newspaper’s independence into an urgent First Amendment case. Editor in chief Erik Slavin, Middle East reporter Lara Korte and publisher Max D. Lederer Jr. filed suit Aug. 27 in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

Their 45 page complaint names Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell, senior public affairs official Andrew Brey and the Defense Department. It seeks a temporary restraining order and preliminary and permanent injunctions aimed at stopping proposed terminations that the plaintiffs said could take effect as early as Aug. 28.

The core allegation is retaliation. Slavin and Korte say the Pentagon targeted them after they publicly defended Stars and Stripes’ editorial independence in a July 5 CBS Sunday Morning segment. Lederer says he was later targeted after refusing an instruction to deliver separation notices to the pair and after publicly explaining why he planned to retire.

The complaint also ties the timing of the disciplinary action to an Aug. 11 Stars and Stripes report by Alison Bath about conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln. The article described an unusually long deployment, strained morale, reported food and water shortages, disrupted mail, long workdays and concerns among sailors and families about mental health and self harm.


This is a First Amendment case.  Hegseth has stuck his nose into something it doesn't belong in -- again.  What STARS AND STRIPES decides to print or not print has nothing to do with him or his duties.  Being Secretary of Defense comes with enough tasks, supervising STARS AND STRIPES is not one of them.  But this is part of Hegseth's continued assault on the First Amendment.  Kathleen Culliton (RAW STORY) notes:


Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's desperate efforts to control the narrative on the Iran war have succeeded only in revealing how little control over the situation he has, a columnist argued Saturday.

This withering rebuke of Hegseth's actions against military journalists and service members who have reported untenable conditions, as the war drags into its seventh month, came courtesy of Salon analyst Sophia Tesfaye.

"Rather than addressing any systemic failures on the part of the department, Hegseth’s command structure has resorted to authoritarian retaliation," wrote Tesfaye.

"The silencing of the press and scapegoating of desperate sailors does not hide Hegseth’s mess."


Hegseth's moves do nothing to improve morale or to address his obligations as Secretary of Defense.  In that regard, he's very much like Chump who does nothing to address the needs of the American people.  Tony Romm (NEW YORK TIMES) notes:


 Tony Romm (NEW YORK TIMES) notes:


In the nearly two years since President Trump clinched his return to office, the U.S. economy has come under great duress, leaving families and businesses to suffer through the expensive consequences of constant global conflict and soaring government debt.

It was the financial frustration of a pandemic-weary electorate that helped Mr. Trump and his fellow Republicans take charge in Washington in 2024, which they promised to use to defeat the scourge of inflation and slash the profligate government spending they saw as the root of the problem.

But Mr. Trump’s actions in office have complicated — if not undermined — those pledges. With two months until the midterms, some of his policies have prolonged or worsened the economic fortunes of those he promised to help.

It began with a punishing global trade war, which exacerbated the nation’s long quest to bring down the cost of living in the years following the pandemic. This week, the president escalated that offensive and took renewed aim at Canada, setting off a costly tariff tit-for-tat that could drive up prices for Americans.


His tariffs, his war on Iran, his war on immigrants?  They've all helped destroy the American economy.  People are struggling to buy groceries or to fill their car tanks.  And Chump doesn't care.  He can't relate to the average American and he doesn't even pretend to try to relate to them.



Let's wind down with this from Senator Patty Murray's office:

In New Letter, Murray, Colleagues Demand NIH Director Restore Lifesaving Pediatric Research

***LETTER HERE***

ICYMI: Senator Murray Presses NIH Director on Trump’s Proposal to Cut Medical Research Funding to Pay for $1.5 Trillion War Budget

Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), a senior member and former chair of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) and Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, led her colleagues in sending a letter to National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya demanding restoration of a promising clinical trial to help children that is ending because of the Trump administration’s budget cuts for contracts and extreme delays in Notices of Funding Opportunities impacting pediatric research, specifically the NIH’s Pediatric Trials Network (PTN). As a direct result of this administration’s actions the PTN is ending the Pediatric Opportunistic Pharmacokinetic Study (POPS), which focuses on determining the right dose of dozens of medicines commonly used in children. The abrupt end to this trial means that children and their families who have already enrolled and donated blood samples for this scientific effort will not see the trial’s goal achieved.

“We write with great concern regarding the National Institute of Health’s (NIH) budget cuts for contracts and extreme delays in Notices of Funding Opportunities and their impact on pediatric research, specifically the NIH’s Pediatric Trials Network (PTN). We recently learned that, as part of these actions, the PTN is ending its promising clinical trial, the Pediatric Opportunistic Pharmacokinetic Study (POPS), which focuses on determining the right dose of dozens of medicines commonly used in children,” write the senators. “Ending the POPS study will stop enrollment in 25 states and the testing of several dozen drugs in children: including premature infants, critically ill children, and obese children. Ending this study will also mean that children and their families who have already enrolled and donated blood samples for this important scientific effort will not see the trial’s goal achieved.”

“You cannot claim to be making American children healthier while shutting down the research that would do exactly that. We demand that you reverse this reckless decision immediately and explain your decision making to Congress and the families of the children who rely on this research,”

In the letter, the senators slam the Trump administration for this wasteful and unnecessary move. “Cancelling this research doesn’t save a dime, in fact it wastes millions of dollars of taxpayer money. Congress established the BPCA and appropriated the funding for this research. Now the Trump administration is forcing it to shut down, and throwing years of data and children’s blood down the drain. Clinical trials aren’t light switches – you can’t turn this research on and off, and now lifesaving research for our kids is gone.”

The lawmakers also call out Director Bhattacharya for his hypocrisy—because in May, during the FY 2027 NIH Budget Hearing before the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee, he vowed to protect these sorts of trials. They note: “When asked if you were aware that last year NIH’s PTN received only part of its funding, you replied that you ‘were absolutely committed to making sure that we do have opportunities for children across the country to participate in clinical trials.’ But your actions are ripping away opportunities for children to participate in clinical trials and scientists’ ability to learn from trials that could benefit all children. Your actions are squandering the investments previously made by NIH to secure data and specimens in a highly productive trial; and wasting the contributions of children and families participating in the POPS study.”

In addition to Senator Murray, the letter was signed by U.S. Senators Jack Reed (D-RI), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Cory Booker (D-NJ), and Adam B. Schiff (D-CA).

The full letter is available HERE and below:

Dear Director Bhattacharya:

We write with great concern regarding the National Institute of Health’s (NIH) budget cuts for contracts and extreme delays in Notices of Funding Opportunities and their impact on pediatric research, specifically the NIH’s Pediatric Trials Network (PTN). We recently learned that, as part of these actions, the PTN is ending its promising clinical trial, the Pediatric Opportunistic Pharmacokinetic Study (POPS), which focuses on determining the right dose of dozens of medicines commonly used in children. Ending the POPS study will stop enrollment in 25 states and the testing of several dozen drugs in children: including premature infants, critically ill children, and obese children. Ending this study will also mean that children and their families who have already enrolled and donated blood samples for this important scientific effort will not see the trial’s goal achieved. We urge NIH to reinstate the POPS study to prevent the irreplaceable loss of benefit of these precious blood samples from our most vulnerable populations.

The PTN was authorized by Congress in the Best Pharmaceuticals for Children Act (BPCA) (P.L. 107-109), bipartisan legislation that authorized $25 million per year for trials of off-patent medicines and devices used in children. Since then, the PTN has developed into an NIH-funded consortium of over 100 clinical research sites across the United States dedicated to conducting studies on the safety, efficacy, and dosing of drugs and medical devices for children. It aims to improve pediatric medication labeling and reduce off-label prescribing in children and provides critical data on how medications act across developmental stages of childhood and adolescence. Currently, the infrastructure for the BPCA trials is supported by contracts. Thus, reductions in contract funding pose barriers to the BPCA implementation. Due to an arbitrary new rule concocted by the Trump administration, the “Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Cost Efficiency Initiative,” created in response to Executive Order 14222, that institutes an agency-wide maximum contract spending cap for fiscal years (FY) 2025 and 2026, the BPCA trial funding was cut to substantially less than what has been authorized by Congress.

POPS provides infrastructure to support pediatric research at 33 sites in 25 states including Washington, New Jersey, and California. Until its recent cancellation, the study was investigating 60 medicines and had enrolled over 2,000 children. Due to its abrupt, unplanned termination, there are drugs for which the PTN will not be able to provide appropriate dosing information for one or more subgroups of children. Stopping this trial will diminish the value of irreplaceable blood samples donated by children and will prevent our ability to learn the safe dose of medicines routinely used to treat American children.

Cancelling this research doesn’t save a dime, in fact it wastes millions of dollars of taxpayer money. Congress established the BPCA and appropriated the funding for this research. Now the Trump administration is forcing it to shut down, and throwing years of data and children’s blood down the drain. Clinical trials aren’t light switches – you can’t turn this research on and off, and now lifesaving research for our kids is gone.


The National Institute on Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) previously announced it was planning to support a unified pediatric research consortium. However, that potential effort was discussed nearly a year ago at the NICHD’s Advisory Council. To date, NIH has not released a Notice of Funding Opportunity, meaning that it will likely be years before awards are made and children are enrolled in approved trials.On top of the years it will take to get a unified pediatric research consortium up and running, the PTN was informed that there will be further cuts to the network in FY 2026 because NICHD was directed to reduce the amount of money they spend via contracts in compliance with the administration’s Cost Efficiency Initiative rule.

This is not the first time cuts to the PTN has been brought to your attention. In May, during the FY 2027 Budget Hearing before the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee, Senator Murray asked you about this very issue. When asked if you were aware that last year NIH’s PTN received only part of its funding, you replied that you “were absolutely committed to making sure that we do have opportunities for children across the country to participate in clinical trials.” But your actions are ripping away opportunities for children to participate in clinical trials and scientists’ ability to learn from trials that could benefit all children. Your actions are squandering the investments previously made by NIH to secure data and specimens in a highly productive trial; and wasting the contributions of children and families participating in the POPS study.

This pediatric trial didn’t have to end prematurely. It is just one example of a direct impact of the arbitrary decisions the Trump administration has made that are hurting our most vulnerable population – children. The contracts that support BPCA infrastructure received 40% less last year (FY 2025) than was received in 2024, and researchers were told by NIH that this year’s funding (FY 2026) will be even less. Senator Murray warned you in May that “researchers at Seattle Children’s were going to have stop their work investigating how pain medications could be safely used to help some of our sickest children as they face surgeries and hospitalization.” Yet, here we are, in the exact place we feared we would be just a few months ago.

We urge you to do whatever is necessary to ensure full funding for the NIH’s BPCA infrastructure for the PTN so the important work of the POPS trial and other vital research can move forward. This is not about a budget line—this is about keeping our kids safe and healthy. You cannot claim to be making American children healthier while shutting down the research that would do exactly that. We demand that you reverse this reckless decision immediately and explain your decision making to Congress and the families of the children who rely on this research.

###



The following sties updated: