Monday, October 31, 2022

Weekend box office

Above is Isaiah's THE WORLD TODAY JUST NUTS "Hot Topics With THE PEW" from Sunday. I don't know who is crazier -- the hosts on THE VIEW or the ones on THE PEW.

Weekend box office from THENUMBERS.COM:

1	(1)	Black Adam	Warner Bros.	$27,472,140	-59%	4,402	n/c	$6,241	$110,910,807	2
2	(2)	Ticket to Paradise	Universal	$9,852,430	-40%	3,692	+149	$2,669	$33,584,000	2
3	N	Prey for the Devil	Lionsgate	$7,185,126		2,980		$2,411	$7,185,126	1
4	(3)	Smile	Paramount Pi…	$5,432,387	-36%	3,221	-75	$1,687	$92,769,617	5
5	(4)	Halloween Ends	Universal	$4,059,665	-49%	3,419	-482	$1,187	$60,553,375	3
6	(-)	Till	United Artists	$2,741,834	+654%	2,058	+1,954	$1,332	$3,568,481	3
7	(5)	Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile	Sony Pictures	$2,741,100	-36%	3,135	-401	$874	$32,476,333	4
8	(7)	Terrifier 2	Iconic Relea…	$1,900,850	+8%	1,550	+795	$1,226	$7,735,150	4
9	(6)	The Woman King	Sony Pictures	$1,127,527	-40%	1,446	-412	$780	$64,601,767	7
10	(-)	TÁR	Focus Features	$1,048,315	+110%	1,087	+946	$964	$2,516,138	4

TICKET TO PARADISE is only at $33 million. And that money should be credited to Julia. George Clooney can't sell tickets. Imagine if they had paired her with Channing Tatum or Hugh Jackman instead? It could have been a huge film. I thought she long ago learned about appearing with B-lister men. THE MEXICAN paired her with Brad Pitt and that was a huge flop.

BLACK ADAM was also in week two. It's total is now $111,000,000. Maybe they should have paired Julia with The Rock? In three weeks, HALLOWEEN ENDS is only at $60 million. That film sucked. And shame on Jamie Lee for doing it. Ava and C.I. have a lengthy piece on BROS. They've got a Jamie Lee joke in it. They asked if it was too harsh? No and I'm begging them to keep it in there when they publish it.

TILL is in 2000 theaters and no one wants to see it. It squeaked by with one million. What seems fresh to an old woman like Whoopi Goldberg seems long ago history to ticket buyers in the 21st century. Emmett Till died in 1955. That's ancient history and to make it come alive you need a real film not just a TV movie passing itself off as a film. Old people like Whoopi are so out of touch.

Meanwhile? I'm going to have to see a movie with someone I loathe in it:

Bleecker Street has nabbed the North American rights to The Fabulous Four, a wedding comedy that stars Susan Sarandon, Bette Midler, Megan Mullally and Sissy Spacek as the titular foursome.

The feel-good film, to go into production in early 2023 in Australia, will be directed by Jocelyn Moorhouse, who co-wrote the script with Jenna Milly and Ann Marie Allison. Their comedy portrays three lifelong friends, played by Sarandon, Mullally and Spacek, who travel to Florida to be bridesmaids in a surprise wedding of their college girlfriend (Midler).

I can't stand Bette Midler. And she looks worse each year. I can't stand her. She's a filthy war monger and she hangs with shady people. She's shady herself.

But I do love Susan Sarandon, Megan Mullally and Sissy Spacek. Hopefully, the bulk of the film will be those three traveling to Florida and we'll just see Bette at the very end. And I'm glad Jocelyn Moorhouse is directing. I've met her. She directed 1000 ACRES with Jessica Lange and Michelle Pfeiffer. Michelle is brilliant in that film.

Going out with C.I.'s "Iraq snapshot:"

Monday, October 31, 2022. On Halloween, the snapshot is a plethora of treasures, a grab bag of them.

Starting with Eric London (WSWS):

The decision by the entire congressional slate of Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) members and DSA-backed representatives to rescind a letter to Joe Biden calling for peace talks with Russia increases the likelihood of direct conflict between the US and Russia and raises the risk of nuclear war.

The DSA’s endorsement of US imperialism’s war against Russia in Ukraine is not a break with the DSA’s history. On the contrary, it is the latest (and most dangerous) iteration of the organization’s pro-imperialist political essence.

Less than 24 hours after 30 of its members published the letter to Biden last Monday, the House Progressive Caucus issued a statement not only rescinding the letter, but calling for prosecuting the war “until Ukrainian victory.” A week has passed the letter signed by DSA members Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Cori Bush (D-MO) and Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) was withdrawn, and none has made any statement about the cowardly reversal or even tweeted on the subject.

On October 25, the WSWS contacted Ocasio-Cortez’s press office and asked, “Does Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez oppose the decision by the leadership of the Progressive Caucus to withdraw the letter calling for a negotiated settlement to the war in Ukraine? If so, we’d like to give her the chance to say so on the record.” The congresswoman’s office acknowledged receipt of the question but did not give an answer.

DSA-endorsed Ilhan Omar has spoken publicly about the 24-hour reversal, claiming she withdrew her signature from the original letter because of “timing” and because “the letter was a response to intel we were getting” in late June, evidently from the Pentagon and CIA, about the danger of escalation. This explanation is disingenuous, since the danger of nuclear war has only increased, with Biden declaring earlier in October that the world is on the verge of “Armageddon.” In reality, the DSA slate withdrew their signatures because Nancy Pelosi told them to on behalf of Wall Street and the military.

Significantly, Omar responded to questions about her reversal by attacking opponents of war. In a series of tweets, she said those who claim the DSA members are “war mongers” for rescinding their signatures are merely promoters of Russian “internet disinformation.”

Omar re-tweeted a thread by a Huffington Post reporter denouncing “the fringe [for] attempting to suggest… that progressives who support Ukraine—the vast majority, from Bernie to Ilhan & AOC—are war-mongers.” She also pledged to vote for additional military spending for the war, even as the Biden administration does next to nothing to provide support to tens of millions of Americans confronting rising inflation, poverty and the ongoing spread of COVID-19 in their schools and workplaces.

Bernie Sanders, (I-VT), another DSA-backed candidate, was asked about the initial letter calling for negotiations: “I don’t agree with that, and they don’t agree with it apparently,” he said, perhaps not intending the insult.

The call for war until “Ukrainian victory” is indistinguishable from the position of the most extreme elements of the military-intelligence apparatus of which the DSA is a part. In fact, their silence places them to the right of figures like Ro Khanna (D-CA), a member of the Progressive Caucus who represents Silicon Valley, who defended the letter and called for negotiations.

The only semi-official attempt at damage control by a DSA leadership body on the 24-hour reversal was issued by the DSA’s International Committee via its Twitter account on October 28.

If we could, we'd quote it in full. It's riveting and it's an important -- especially when it goes into the historical aspect.

You can also refer to Eric London's Twitter feed.

There's a lot to cover every day so, for the record, we're not interested in the wealthy bisexual who let what he hoped was rough trade into his highly secure home for a tryst only to be attacked. So sorry, let others fret over that story. Yes, it is my neighborhood but, as a neighbor said on Saturday, "We've all told our sons not to go in that home when his wife's not there." Yes, we have and for good reason.

Speaking of rollover boys, Denny Kuccinich. I love how Aaron Mate is never weighed down by facts or reality. Which is how he can take THE GRAYZONE and lie that Denny Kay "led Congressional opposition to the Iraq War." That would be news to so many who lived through that reality. But of course Aaron Mate's War On Women demands that he erase all their efforts and award wishy-washy Denny Kay with a year book credit he never earned.

US House Rep Maxine Waters was the chair of the Out of Iraq Caucus, for example, not Denny. Along with Maxine, Lynn Woolsey and Barbara Lee led on that. Not Denny Kay.

Denny Kay caved on Iraq and did so at the 2004 DNC convention. I know, I was there and got stuck cleaning up his mess. A Denny Kay supporter wailing at how Denny had just betrayed Iraq and I was left to calm her down and explain to her that a Kucinich always caves.

Years later, Dennis would loudly and repeatedly -- and rightly -- say that ObamaCare was not universal care for all and that he would not vote for it. But Barack needed his vote so they took a little planetrip together and 'brave' Denny, when he got off the flight, noted he would now be voting for ObamaCare. On the flight, Barack had told him how they could redistrict Denny out of office. Stupid Denny then went along with Barack only for them to redistrict him out of office.

That's brave Denny Kay, that's the man Aaron pimps today. By the company they keep, please remember, by the company they keep. And also remember that Denny's done nothing in the nearly ten years since being out of Congress . . . except cash those checks from FOX NEWS.

At some point, Aaron Mate might need to explain why he repeatedly ignores women and strips them of their accomplishments. Then again, he's on the faux left and they never have to face much reality, do they?

Like Aaron, Twitter thinks it can get away with a great deal.

Note the second Tweet above.

As we pointed out on Saturday, Twitter is censoring this image. (click on "VIEW TWEET" above if you don't believe me):

Of that photo, they say, "The following media includes potentially sensitive content. Change settings"

And that's the sad world that we live in, that photo is censored.

AFP notes, "A gas tanker exploded in Baghdad on Saturday night killing at least nine people and injuring 13 others, security forces said, adding that it was an accident." KURDISTAN 24 adds, "Prime Minister Mohammad Shia’ Al-Sudani and President Latif Rashid have both asked for an immediate probe into the deadly incident." Why a probe? Maybe they're not sure if it was an accident. NEWS 84 MEDIA states, "Officials said on condition of anonymity that it was unclear at this time whether the explosion was due to a technical fault or a targeted attack. The blast came two days after Iraq’s parliament approved a new cabinet in a long-awaited vote, which was described as a major breakthrough in de-escalating ongoing political tensions in the country."

In other news, Chenar Chalak (RUDAW) reports:

The mother of a former opposition bloc head in the Kurdistan Region parliament told reporters on Sunday that medical reports have concluded that her son was “poisoned” and that he is receiving treatment abroad, in light of repeated remarks from the bloc denying the seriousness of his illness.

The New Generation Movement (NGM) last week alerted Kazim Faruq, former head of the bloc, that he must stop accepting his salaries as an MP and “return the money which he has received for the last year and seven months” due to his inactivity.

Faruq’s family responded to the comments of the NGM, telling Rudaw and other media outlets that the reason the MP has not been seen publicly is because he has been receiving treatment in hospitals abroad for several months, without specifying where he is being treated.

“We took him [Faruq] abroad… and they [foreign doctors] told us your son has been poisoned,” Akhtar Ahmad, Faruq’s mother, told reporters in front of her house in Sulaimani on Sunday, noting that the family cannot reveal where the MP is because they can no longer tell “who is an enemy and who is a friend.”

Twitter has several Tweets about this development including:

The family of Kazim Faruq, a member of Kurdistan parliament from New Generation’s ticket, today told reporters that their son has been poisoned.

The family and some of his colleagues believe that the New Generation may have done it but the party has denied it.

📸: file/Facebook pic.twitter.com/nGQVKkNAhM
— Karwan Faidhi Dri (@KarwanFaidhiDri) October 30, 2022

Of course, if you go back a month, you'll also find this:

3-Former NG caucus head Kazim Faruq resigned last winter w/o much explanation but appears to have had a medical issue. He had been banned from the grounds of parliament since March 31, 2021 after he threw his shoes at Speaker Rewaz Fayaq during an argument over the session agenda
— Winthrop Rodgers (@wrodgers2) September 20, 2022

Meanwhile, THE PEOPLE'S DISPATCH notes The October Revolution:

This October marks the third anniversary of the 2019 popular protests in Iraq. On Tuesday, October 25, a large number of people gathered in the Tahrir square in capital Baghdad and paid homage to the people who were killed in the protests. They raised slogans in support of what has been termed by the protesters as the Tishreen movement.

The countrywide protests in 2019, rooted in the long-term grievances of people against successive governments, went on for months. Before the global COVID-19 outbreak forced them to end, the protests were successful in forcing the then government led by Adil Abdul Mahdi to resign, putting the ruling classes on the defensive and pressing for reforms.

Caretaker prime minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, who came to power in May 2020 after months of uncertainty, had promised to deliver on some of the major demands raised by the protesters, including rebuilding the economy and punishing those guilty for the deaths of over 600 people including protesters and others.

Three years down the line and with a new government on the horizon, none of these promises have been met. This is likely to lead the vast majority of pro-reformers pushing for their demands in the coming days.

Economic and political aspects of the protests

The 2019 protests were one of the largest in Iraq’s history since the 2003 US invasion. Long-term grievances regarding inefficiency of successive administrations and the widely perceived corruption among the ruling establishment were at the center of the public anger. In their slogans, the protesters repeatedly denounced the failure of the system created under the supervision of the US occupation in tackling the issues faced by the people, such as rising poverty, unemployment, and basic services delivery.

At the time of the protests, the official rate of poverty in the country of approximately 40 million people was rising. Even before the pandemic hit in 2020, the poverty rate had risen to above 31%. Oil-rich Iraq witnessed an unprecedented rise in poverty during the COVID-19 outbreak. While the government claimed that the poverty rate was coming down after the pandemic, a large number of Iraqis are still forced to live a life as paupers.

Since oil revenues make up the bulk of Iraq’s federal budget – around 96% – the economy remains vulnerable to market fluctuation.

Iraqi youth, who make up the majority of the population, were at the center of the 2019 protests. The unemployment rate among the youth – fresh graduates from the university and others – was above 40% at the time of the protests.

The majority of Iraqis were forced to live without the basic amenities such as power, sanitation, and health care. Protesters claimed that these failures on the economic front were the result of inefficiency and corruption of the ruling elite. They also pointed to structural reasons such as the system of Muhasasa or sectarian quota based on distribution of political posts for this inefficiency and corruption.

We'll wind down with this from Ms. Magazine:

MORE THAN A MAGAZINE, A MOVEMENT

Dear Common Ills,

Out of sight should not mean out of mind and heart. But the tragedy for women in prison is that it often does.

This invisibility keeps us from realizing how much women in prison may resemble you and me.

Did you know that over half, 58 percent, of women in prison are mothers, and 80 percent of women in jails are mothers. About five percent are pregnant and give birth in prison. And in 23 states, women give birth in chains because we have not yet succeeded in even passing anti-shackling laws.

Most women in prison are not a danger to society. About 60 percent have been convicted of non-violent crimes. Often, they are suffering unfairly harsh consequences even for nonviolent crimes, like possessing or selling illegal drugs. And many of the women convicted of so-called murder have actually killed a violent partner in self-defense, yet not been allowed to plead self-defense.

This is part of the reason women and girls are the fastest growing incarcerated population in the United States today. Over the course of the past four decades, women’s state prison populations have grown more than 834 percent – more than doubling the rate of growth in men’s prisons. And the incarceration rates for women of color outpace their white counterparts by 100 percent.

We at Ms. magazine want women in prison to know they are seen and valued.

And because domestic violence shelters can be almost as isolating as prisons – and often lack reading material, just as many prisons do – we want to include women in those shelters in this program too.

That’s why we started the Ms. magazine Prison and Domestic Violence Shelter Program. For a tax-deductible donation of just $25 you can send Ms. to a woman in prison or a domestic violence shelter for a year. And for just $10 more ($35 total), you can get a year's worth of Ms. for yourself as well!

We send Ms. to 5,418 federal, state and county prisoners, and hundreds of shelters across the country. That’s a fraction of the total, but it’s a number we’re very proud of and hope to keep growing. Over the eighteen years since this program’s birth, we’ve discovered that even this small gesture of recognition, support and information means a lot.

Here’s what Elena H. wrote to us from prison in Muncy, Pennsylvania, after Ms. published a feature on the rates of COVID infections in women’s prisons:

“The hardest aspects of COVID in prison were the unknowing and the isolation. It was hard to feel heard, to feel like my personhood mattered to anyone. A change began when I participated in Victoria Law's article in Ms. The article was a spark of dignity. As “Prison Outbreak” restored my idea of dignity, dignity sharpened into indignation. Prison itself is founded on unknowing and isolation and I am not content to consent to its dehumanization.”

The Ms. magazine Prison and Domestic Violence Shelter Program lets women on the inside know they are not alone. It is funded by charitable contributions earmarked for this purpose. It is also funded by Ms. community members who buy an extra membership for a friend they don’t know. If you send a friend you don’t know a copy of Ms., it will have her name on it, and be something she knows will keep coming – hundreds of pages of words and images that link her to the world of women.

Please make a tax-deductible contribution to the Ms. Prison and Domestic Violence Shelter Program. Women on the outside may bring support, facts, creativity, humor and a sense of community to women on the inside.

We are the lucky ones. Pass some luck on.

In friendship,

Gloria Steinem

READ THE REST | GET THE MAGAZINE | SUPPORT MS.

Isaiah's THE WORLD TODAY JUST NUTS "Hot Topics With THE PEW" went up Saturday. The following sites updated:

Thursday, October 27, 2022

NANCY DREW, GIRLS5EVA, NETFLIX, PEACOCK

Isaiah's THE WORLD TODAY JUST NUTS "Psychic Hillary's Pre-Emptive Denial" went up a little while ago.

THE CW has cancelled NANCY DREW:

"We are so honored and proud to have brought Nancy Drew's iconic determination, individuality and resilience to life in a years-long collaboration with incredible creative talents in front of the camera, behind the scenes and among our studio and network partners," showrunners Noga Landau and Melinda Hsu Taylor said in a statement Wednesday.

"Our hearts are full of gratitude, knowing that we are able to bring this chapter to a close with intentionality, inclusivity and kindness -- and of course with plenty of sleuthing twists, supernatural scares and star-crossed romance along the way. We are especially indebted to our wonderful fan community, whose connection with our themes and stories has meant the world to us. Season 4 will be a worthy and resonant payoff for their continued love and support."

I wasn't a fan of the show but I wasn't meant to be. It served its target audience well and had a strong following. The cancellation is just further proof that DISCOVERY doesn't know what it's doing and should never have been allowed to merge with WARNER BROS.

They are throwing away their brand and they have nothing to replace it with. It's awful.

PEACOCK should be worried too. GIRLS5EVA is moving to NETFLIX. ONE OF US IS LYING, THE VAMPIRE ACADMY and MACGRUBER. So far that is really it for PEACOCK shows worth watching. GIRLS5EVA wasn't great but it was watchable. (And they made a big mistake by losing Vanessa Williams after season one.) NETFLIX will get to carry seasons one and two but season three will be exclusive to NETFLIX.

Big mistake for PEACOCK. What about NETFLIX?

I'm hoping this is good news for NETFLIX. If you missed it, NETFLIX (wrongly) thinks 3 seasons is enough for a TV show. That's what they've moved to. Since they are taking on GIRLS5EVA in its third season, I am hopeful that this means that they will be moving away from that three seasons only nonsense. Their biggest streamer -- in all their years of streaming -- remains GREY'S ANATOMY and look at all the seasons that has. Some shows should last no more than three seasons but it is a huge mistake to do that with every show. (Especially when your season is only eight episodes.)

Going out with C.I.'s "Iraq snapshot:"

Thursday, October 27, 2022. A lot of silence . . .

We're going to start with an important event that we also noted yesterday.

At COMMON DREAMS, Jake Johnson explains:

The Congressional Progressive Caucus on Tuesday withdrew a letter that mildly expressed support for diplomatic negotiations to end Russia's war on Ukraine as the document's 30 signatories faced a torrent of criticism and hysterical backlash from fellow Democrats, party leaders, and pundits on social media.

Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), the chair of the CPC, said in a statement that the letter addressed to U.S. President Joe Biden "was drafted several months ago, but unfortunately was released by staff without vetting"—a line that was widely seen as Jayapal throwing her staff under the bus.

"As chair of the caucus, I accept responsibility for this," she added. "Because of the timing, our message is being conflated by some as being equivalent to the recent statement by Republican Leader McCarthy threatening an end to aid to Ukraine if Republicans take over."

"The proximity of these statements," the CPC leader said, "created the unfortunate appearance that Democrats, who have strongly and unanimously supported and voted for every package of military, strategic, and economic assistance to the Ukrainian people, are somehow aligned with Republicans who seek to pull the plug on American support for President Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian forces."

Jayapal said that narrative—peddled by one Democratic leader who Politico granted anonymity to slime their colleagues as Putin apologists—could not be "further from the truth."

"Every war ends with diplomacy, and this one will too after Ukrainian victory," Jayapal continued. "The letter sent yesterday, although restating that basic principle, has been conflated with GOP opposition to support for the Ukrainians' just defense of their national sovereignty. As such, it is a distraction at this time and we withdraw the letter."

[, , ,]

Late Monday, in the face of growing backlash, Jayapal issued a statement purportedly aimed at "clarifying the position" of the letter, which was endorsed by a number of peace groups including Just Foreign Policy, Win Without War, and the Friends Committee on National Legislation.

"Let me be clear: we are united as Democrats in our unequivocal commitment to supporting Ukraine in their fight for their democracy and freedom in the face of the illegal and outrageous Russian invasion, and nothing in the letter advocates for a change in that support," Jayapal said. "Diplomacy is an important tool that can save lives—but it is just one tool."

Erik Sperling, the executive director of Just Foreign Policy, told The Intercept Monday night that "the shrill response to this utterly moderate letter exposes that war proponents are scared of an open debate about the range of potential approaches to address this escalating conflict."

Jayapal's an idiot -- Mike named her Idiot of the Week -- and there's a lot of stupidity at play here so its hard to know where to start.

But to start anything, you have to know -- so let's start there. Yesterday, we noted WSWS's article on this. Today, we note COMMON DREAMS. And?

THE PROGRESSIVE should just fold shop. It should just shutter its doors. It claims to be: "A voice for peace, social justice and common good." Yet if you read it in the last years, that really comes across like a punch line, doesn't it? They haven't stood for peace -- or anything -- in forever. They're so fluffy that they make IN STYLE look like an investigate outlet. They always have time to rot your brain, but THE PROGRESSIVE has no time to deal with reality and what happened is reality.

THE NATION?

Joan Walsh offers "DO WE REALLY HAVE TO CARE ABOUT MISERABLE WHITE PEOPLE?" No, Joan, we don't have to care one bit about you. Geoffrey Marx, apparently believing he was contributing to THE NATIONAL ENQUIRER, hands in "I WANTED A BOYFRIEND. MY LIFE COACH TOLD ME TO BECOME A COMMODITY." Hairball Dave Zirin jerks off to "Is Portland About to Have Two Supporter-Owned Soccer Teams?" -- the universal answer being, of course, come a nuclear war, Dave's scribbles will come off even worse. John Nichols lands yet again on his knees in front of the DC, fully ready to demonstrate that he has no gag response with his usual nonsense that has no weight or meaning.

This was an important moment, The Fraud Squad backing down yet again.

This was an instructive moment.

But you don't know about it if people don't cover it.

THE PROGRESSIVE, THE NATION, IN THESE TIMES and COUNTERPUNCH have elected to ignore it.

Why?

VOTE VOTE VOTE!

Voting matters!!!!

Not if you don't hold politicians accountable. Not if you just vote and then go silent.

Which is what political parties want. It's natural, they need your vote. That's all they want. Then leave them alone and let them do the job they mistakenly believe that they're smart enough to do all on their own.

They need to be called out and they need to know that this is not acceptable.

We're getting closer to the brink of nuclear war, this is not acceptable.

And it is not acceptable that supposed 'independent' media like THE NATION, et al can't cover this as the big story that it is.

JACOBIN's worthless. They won't cover it. They've pimped this war all along. Just like some on the 'socialist' left pimped the Iraq War. A friend pimped it, self-identified as a Socialist. I told her it was the worst mistake of her life. She's had some fawning since her death but no real scholarly piece. When that day comes or when a biography is written about her that her daughter doesn't screen, they'll have to deal with her stupidity of calling for the Iraq War.

Ukraine is popular with the Bette Midler crowd on Twitter.

It's not popular with the American people.

The letter the Fraud Squad issued was weak. But it was also stupid. In terms of being stupid, the most ignorant part was leaving out the financial cost. Over $65 billion already pledged, another $50 billion about to be. The American people do not like that. As the country suffers from inflation and you can honestly spent $100 at a grocery store and leave with only two bags (as e-mails to the public account continue to note), the American people are tired of billions going overseas.

Many remember that Barack Obama, when he was president, talked of how Ukraine really wasn't an American issue, didn't have impact on this country.

It's a war of choice. We don't need to be involved. And considering the regime in Ukraine is racist and neo-nazi, we shouldn't be giving them a dime.

Nor should we have instigated this conflict, but we did.

In one year, our politicians are willing to give over $110 billion to Urkaine?

While we suffer at home?

Progressive caucus, that was the first point you should have made.

The stupidity is all around.

The only thing more shameful is the silence.

On Iraq, Sinan Mahmoud (THE NATIONAL) reports:

Iraq’s Prime Minister-designate Mohammed Shia Al Sudani is expected to submit his Cabinet list to Parliament on Thursday for approval, as squabbles over government posts continue between political parties.

If approved, it will end the longest political deadlock over the formation a new government in Iraq since the 2003 US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein’s regime.

At its height, that stalemate turned bloody when clashes broke out between Shiite militias in Baghdad's Green Zone, the heart of government that contains Parliament and foreign embassies. Dozens of people were killed and wounded.

BROS is streaming in the US and playing around the world.

Omg Just watched #BrosMovie
And i loved it so so much. Very funny and i think @DebraMessing is finally free from Grace 😜😂
Go see it!
— Gisela Kalkhoven 🏳️‍🌈 aka Gies ❤️🤍💙 (@Gies_Gisela) October 27, 2022

The #BrosMovie finally came out in Australia, and I freaking loved it. I laughed out loud multiple times, and it was both sexy/romantic, witty, hilarious, heart-warming and thoughtful. I related to so many situations 😅 @billyeichner is a certified star 🤩 pic.twitter.com/fq5Acmiifh
— Felpudo (@Insomaniatico) October 27, 2022

@Carlo_Cid_Lauro ha realizzato in esclusiva per noi questo splendido Variant Poster di #BrosIlFilm dal 3 novembre al cinema #BrosMovie https://t.co/tGfbWXqziC pic.twitter.com/LALP6Fq3qb
— Screenweek (@Screenweek) October 27, 2022

Omg! Went and saw the UK special screening of #BrosMovie and it was FANTASTIC!

*****\***** FIVE STARS! Great job @universaluk MUST SEE!

The perfect blend of humour, wit, love, sass, activism and rom com!!!!

SOOO GOOD pic.twitter.com/MAvvCj1uZu
— R Y A N • L A N J I (He/Him) (@RyanLanji) October 27, 2022

There's been a non-stop, right-wing attack on the film in the US and it's an attack on LGBTQ+. You could help prove them wrong by seeing the film. We'll be writing about that at THIRD so I'll just leave it at that for right now.

Let's wind down with this from MS. MAGAZINE:

Ms. Memo: This Week in Women's Rights

October 26, 2022

From the ongoing fight for abortion rights and access, to elections, to the drive for the Equal Rights Amendment, there are a multitude of battles to keep up with. In this weekly roundup, find the absolute need-to-know news for feminists.

Abortion Bans Are Already Affecting Young Women’s Personal and Professional Plans

Abortion rights protesters at the Tucson Federal Courthouse on July 4, 2022. (Sandy Huffaker / AFP via Getty Images)

BY ROXY SZAL | A significant portion of young women are already making plans about where they are willing to live and work based on whether abortion is protected or banned in states, according to new Ms. magazine and Feminist Majority Foundation (FMF) polling by Lake Research Partners across the nine battleground states of Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

Over half (53 percent) have had their future plans impacted in some way: 44 percent have either considered moving or are making plans to move to a state where abortion is protected; 10 percent already have declined a job in a state where abortions are banned.

Young women voters of all political leanings—and the people close to them—are taking actions to control their reproductive lives, regardless of where they live, such as purchasing or obtaining long-acting birth control, the morning after pill and abortion pills. Taking these actions in response to the overturning of Roe v. Wade crosses party lines for young women.

A third of young women Republicans have procured long-acting birth control (33 percent), and a quarter (25 percent) have purchased the morning-after pill.
Three quarters (75 percent) of young women Democrats have taken some sort of action.
Shockingly, 10 percent say they or someone close to them, or their partner or the partner of someone close to them, already have received sterilization services in response to the Court’s decision.

(Click here to read more)

Citizenship Requires Informed Voting

Voter ID Laws Put Women’s Votes at Risk

Doctors on Dobbs: Abortion Providers Bear Witness to the Devastating Effects of Roe’s Overturn

Citizen Petition to FDA Requests Lifting Restrictions on Mifepristone for Miscarriage Use

What we're reading

Because it's hard to keep up with everything going on in the world right now. Here's what we're reading this week:

Tune in for a new episode of Ms. magazine's podcast, On the Issues with Michele Goodwin on Apple Podcasts + Spotify.

On today’s show, Dr. Goodwin is joined by experts Danielle Citron and Jackie Rotman to tackle the issues women face in online spaces — from privacy to misogyny to censorship of women who use their voices to speak out, and more. How are women taking on the tech platforms and fighting back in the face of online harassment, discrimination and censorship?

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U.S. democracy is at a dangerous inflection point—from the demise of abortion rights, to a lack of pay equity and parental leave, to skyrocketing maternal mortality, and attacks on trans health. Left unchecked, these crises will lead to wider gaps in political participation and representation. For 50 years, Ms. has been forging feminist journalism—reporting, rebelling and truth-telling from the front-lines, championing the Equal Rights Amendment, and centering the stories of those most impacted. With all that’s at stake for equality, we are redoubling our commitment for the next 50 years. In turn, we need your help, Support Ms. today with a donation—any amount that is meaningful to you. For as little as $5 each month, you’ll receive the print magazine along with our e-newsletters, action alerts, and invitations to Ms. Studios events and podcasts. We are grateful for your loyalty and ferocity.