Hollywood actor and Saturday Night Live faux-President Trump Alec Baldwin smeared Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), calling him President Donald Trump’s “fluffer” in a social media post Wednesday.
“How is it that God -fearing Americans from South Carolina believe that @LindseyGrahamSC , who is nothing more than Trump’s fluffer, passes as worthy of a seat in the US Senate?” Alec Baldwin said.
According to Dictionary.com. “A fluffer is — or at least is said to be — someone on a pornographic film set that keeps a male performer’s penis erect in between scenes.”
Sen. Graham was the target of much scorn Wednesday after he defended President Trump from allegations of collusion with Russia.
“I appreciate very much what Mr. Mueller did for the country. I have read most of the report. For me, it is over,” Graham said.
The South Carolina Republican also read aloud texts from former FBI agent Peter Strzok that showed hatred for the president, including one text where Strzok called Trump a “fucking idiot.”
MSNBC personality Nicolle Wallace accused Graham of being a “human shield for Donald Trump and it would appear, William Barr.”
Hollywood stars and establishment media pundits used homophobic slurs against Lindsey Graham after his performance during the Brett Kavanaugh hearing as well.
Rosie O’Donnell called him a “closeted idiot” and Kathy Griffin referred to him as “Miss.”
“Look at Miss Lindsey Graham trying to be all tough! What?Does Putin have a picture of Lindsay fucking a donkey? #KanavaughHearings,” Griffin said.
Ireland's Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar | Carl Court/Getty Images
Dublin’s 5 Brexit demands show path to sufficient progress
Following an enhanced offer from the UK on its financial settlement, the Irish border issue is now the subject of intense negotiations.
LONDON — The Irish government is pressing for five written commitments from Theresa May that would clear a path to phase two of Brexit talks.
With just five days until the U.K. prime minister meets Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker to present the U.K.’s renewed offer over lunch in Brussels, the Ireland issue is the subject of intense negotiations.
The U.K. has signaled it is prepared to dramatically widen the scope of its financial offer to the EU and with both sides believing that the issue of citizens’ rights is close to agreement, the Irish situation has emerged as the biggest obstacle to “sufficient progress” being granted at a summit of EU leaders in Brussels in mid-December.
One senior diplomat said the chances of a breakthrough on Ireland were “60/40″ in favor of a deal before the summit.
However, the diplomat cautioned that a deal was unlikely to be struck in time for it to be presented when May and Juncker meet next week. A second negotiator closely involved in the talks warned that Britain was still some way off meeting the criteria that the EU has put forward on behalf of Ireland and the rest of the EU27.
Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar last week publicly threatened to block the move to phase two of the talks unless the U.K. adequately addresses Ireland’s concerns about the reimposition of a hard border with Northern Ireland. So far, the rest of the EU27 have been resolute in their support for Ireland, citing its “unique” position with respect to Brexit.
“This is a can that cannot be kicked down the road,” a senior EU diplomat said, noting that sufficient progress now hinges on the Ireland question. “We cannot accept a kind of a check-in-the-post approach to this.”
Britain has vowed not to introduce any physical infrastructure on the border with the Republic, but has argued that the issue cannot be fully resolved until a U.K.-EU trade and customs agreement is hammered out in the second phase of the talks.
Dublin has made it clear, however, that it is not willing to give the go-ahead to phase two on the promise that it will be dealt with later — a position also adopted by EU negotiator Michel Barnier.
“It has to be more than simply scribbling a signature at the bottom of the page saying we can sign on to the principles,” the senior EU diplomat said. “It’s how you implement, protect and sustain the principles, that’s what’s required.”
The Irish government wants clear, early recognition from British negotiators that not all of its concerns are likely to be solvable in phase two of the Brexit talks and that unless the U.K. can offer “specific solutions” to the border issue (which Dublin maintains is not possible) the EU negotiators will not accept that “sufficient progress” has been made in the divorce talks.
Dublin’s red lines
With the deadline fast approaching, the Irish government has put five diplomatic demands on the table, according to two European diplomats familiar with the negotiations.
“We’re not going to be overly prescriptive on the wording,” the senior EU diplomat said. “We’re interested in the outcome, but they are going to have to give clear commitments that will guarantee clear courses of action.”
The first commitment demanded by the Irish is a written assurance that there will not be regulatory divergence “in EU-related matters such as to require a hard border,” according to one EU27 diplomatic official involved in the talks.
In London, such requests are viewed as tantamount to demanding Northern Ireland remains in the EU’s single market — a clear breach of the U.K. government’s red lines. Privately, EU officials insist this is not the case but are clear that the U.K. must offer some way around what Brussels views as London’s contradictory positions: leaving the single market; avoiding a hard border between Ireland and Northern Ireland; and refusing any regulatory or other barriers between Northern Ireland and the rest of the U.K.
The second — closely linked — red line for Dublin is that there is a written commitment to avoid “customs complications” and “customs divergence” between Northern Ireland and Ireland. While again stopping short of demanding Northern Ireland remains in the customs union, such a commitment would likely bind the British government into the closest possible U.K.-EU customs agreement post Brexit, potentially constraining its ability to negotiate free trade agreements with third countries.
A third commitment sought by Dublin is for the U.K. to guarantee nothing is done which might damage the Good Friday agreement. The Irish government is looking for a form of words in which London pledges to “implement, protect and sustain the principles” of the 1998 treaty, and some Irish officials say there are already worrying signs that Britain does not fully appreciate the risks Brexit poses to the peace deal.
Fourth, Dublin wants a binding commitment to maintain the common travel area between the U.K. and Ireland, which Dublin believes has already been “more or less agreed.”
The Irish government’s fifth demand is that it wants a guarantee that discussions over specific border issues will continue after phase one and not just be subsumed into the U.K.-EU talks on the future relationship.
The EU27 diplomatic official, who spoke to POLITICO on condition of anonymity, said both sides wanted to tie everything up seven days before the European Council meets in Brussels. This gives Theresa May until the end of next week to meet the Irish demands or risk sufficient progress being blocked when EU leaders meet on December 14, exploding the Brexit process and thereby increasing the chances of a disorderly divorce.
Speaking to journalists en route to a visit to Jordan, May said: “We’ve been very clear as we and the Irish government both want to ensure that there is no hard border there. I think there are a number of ways in which that can be achieved and we’re talking with the Irish government and continue to do so.”
The chances of a deal being struck by Monday when May meets Juncker remain slim though.
“A compromise will have to be found,” the official said. “We’re looking for language which does not tie either side down to anything which will be unacceptable.”
Not everyone is convinced, and while the EU27 are negotiating as a bloc, Dublin is viewed as first-among-equals in determining if there is sufficient progress on Irish matters.
“Nobody thinks the Irish question will be solved before the European Council in December. It is up to Ireland to assess whether there is sufficient progress, and what the U.K will accept, we don’t know yet,” another senior EU diplomat said.
In public, Varadkar and Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney have warned that Ireland will not simply fall into line because of its interest in eventually agreeing an overall EU-U.K. trade deal. They have called for Northern Ireland to be given special dispensation to remain within the EU customs union to solve the problem, a position London seems to reject outright.
Under the British proposal, 80 percent of cross border trade by small and medium-sized companies would be exempt from any customs controls. The remaining 20 percent would not face checks on the border but would be required to declare imports and exports at intervals during the year.
At its heart, Dublin believes a hard border is unavoidable if Northern Irish regulatory standards diverge from the EU along with the rest of the U.K. after Brexit. Still, some officials have suggested it is possible to find a compromise in time for the summit next month.
Speaking in Brussels Wednesday, Irish European Commissioner Phil Hogan said: “In the same way we have seen movement in the last 24 hours in relation to the financial settlement, I expect we will see movement [on Ireland] as well. And hopefully we will. Because nobody wants to see a situation arise when we have to, again in December, declare insufficient progress in order to allow the next phase.
“I am sure that our friends in the United Kingdom are quite concerned about that, and they understand what they have to do,” he added.
Quentin Ariès, Jack Blanchard and Maïa de La Baume contributed reporting.
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Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has shrugged off questions surrounding Raheem Sterling’s commitment to the club.
Sterling did not rule out playing for Real Madrid in the future in an interview with Spanish outlet AS, although he insisted he was “really happy” at City for now.
“The players are free to talk and say what they think,” said Guardiola, who was not concerned at suggestions the England winger could be looking for a way out of the Etihad Stadium.
“We are not here to tell them what they have to say. It’s normal in the Madrid media to speak about Madrid, that’s normal.”
Guardiola’s side take on Premier League rivals Leicester at the King Power Stadium on Saturday evening.
The Spaniard said: “I’m completely sure (of) the commitment of our players, it’s about what they’ve shown for many years, nothing changes.
“At the end of the season nobody knows what is going to happen. With calm we decide what we want, but for the next three months the commitment will be incredible.”
Guardiola added he had not received any support from rival clubs in the wake of City’s two-year ban from European competition after serious breaches of UEFA’s financial rules.
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Jurgen Klopp has revealed that Jordan Henderson will be out for three weeks with the hamstring injury he suffered in Liverpool’s 1-0 loss to Atletico Madrid in the Champions League.
The Reds captain will likely miss four games, starting with Monday night’s clash against West Ham but will hope to be fit for the return leg against Atletico at Anfield on March 11.
Klopp said: “Hendo it could have been worse. It was a hamstring. You have different hamstring injuries now in PL, Kane, he will be out for three weeks or so which isn’t cool. But we were still lucky.”
As for how he expects his side to react to a react to a rare loss this season, the Reds chief added: “It’s still putting things right, just not in the competition. We lost the game, that’s not positive. But it felt like a defeat.
“If you really want to be successful, then it has to feel really bad.”
Klopp has also indicated that he will select a strong side against the Hammers, with the second leg against Atletico almost three weeks away.
He added: “Apart from Hendo, all the other boys are fine. But Tuesday-Monday there’s absolutely no need to make changes. We will see.”
Xherdan Shaqiri will also be missing against West Ham, and Klopp added that the Swiss playmaker is still a little way off a return.
“Not close to team training yet. We cannot put any time pressure on it. It’s not a big one but big enough. We have to wait.”
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Shkodran Mustafi has refused to rule out remaining at Arsenal beyond the end of the season after rebuilding his relationship with the club’s fanbase following his recent resurgence.
Having been told by previous boss Unai Emery that he was free to leave the club last summer and then being left out on a regular basis, Mustafi has earned a chance of reviving his Gunners career under Mikel Arteta.
The Germany international has endured a strained affiliation with Arsenal supporters since his big-money move from Valencia in 2016 and has often been derided for his defensive capability.
But, alongside David Luiz at the heart of the back four, Mustafi has played his part in three consecutive clean sheets – the first time Arsenal have enjoyed such a run in 10 months.
He again stood strong in Thursday’s 1-0 Europa League round of 32 win in Olympiacos as Alexandre Lacazette’s goal put Arteta’s side in the driving seat to advance to the next stage.
Speaking after the narrow victory in Piraeus, Mustafi – who has now started the last six Arsenal games across all competitions – said he could now remain at the Emirates Stadium in the long-term.
Asked if he saw his future at Arsenal, he replied: “Why not? I have always taken things day to day.
“We had a game on Thursday, we have the next important game at the weekend and as long as I am playing for a club – it doesn’t matter which one – I play now for Arsenal and played before for previous ones.
“I always gave everything until the last minute and when I decide or when the club and I decide it is going to continue I am happy to continue, if not then we have to go forward.”
Often singled out as a scapegoat during recent Arsenal trials and tribulations, Mustafi’s recent form has seen him praised by supporters and the 27-year-old admits building bridges with fans has made his return to the team easier.
“It is always important to have a good relationship with the fans but for me the main thing was to be professional,” he added.
“To always be there for my team-mates and for the club and then obviously when you play well they appreciate your performances but it makes it easier when you have the fans behind you, back supporting you so I am happy for that.”
Having a settled life away from the spotlight of the football pitch is something else Mustafi credits with helping him to kick-start his stuttering career in England.
“You know I think in the beginning of the season, not being selected, not making the squad, it has been difficult,” he said.
“But I am a person who tries to see more the positive things than the negatives. I think that helped me a lot.
“Having my family around me – my kids, my wife – because life is not only football. That’s something I kept remembering to myself.
“Being in training every day, playing a lot of games, you get a lot of attention but still at the end of the day I am a father of two kids and I try to focus on this as well. I am happy how it is running now.
“I am happy for the team as well because it is doing great and we are getting rewarded for it. That’s the most important thing.”
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La semaine dernière, Ségolène Royal a été nommée ministre de l’Ecologie par François Hollande et Manuel Valls. Un poste qu’elle attendait depuis plusieurs mois, alors qu’elle était un peu en retrait du paysage politique national. Retour en images sur les étapes politiques importantes qui lui ont permis d’accéder à ce poste.
Inutile de revenir sur l’épisode Valérie Trierweiler qui, lorsqu’elle partageait la vie de François Hollande, faisait barrage à l’entrée de Ségolène Royal au gouvernement. Le gayetgate étant passé par là, plus rien ne s’opposait à ce que l’actuelle présidente de la région Poitou-Charentes récupère un maroquin ministériel. Celui de l’Ecologie, du Développement durable et de l’Energie comme l’ont souhaité le président de la République et son nouveau Premier ministre Manuel Valls. Avec la place de numéro trois du gouvernement, tout juste derrière Laurent Fabius.
Un retour par la grande porte donc pour Ségolène Royal et surtout aux sources pour celle qui a déjà été ministre de l’Environnement du gouvernement Bérégovoy, de 1992 à 1993. Cette nomination à l’époque confirmait qu’il allait falloir compter sur elle. Juste après son élection comme députée des Deux-Sèvres, en 1988, circonscription qu’elle a obtenue en suppliant François Mitterrand, c’était la deuxième marche de l’ascension inexorable de Ségolène Royal jusqu’au sommet du pouvoir.
Elle est ensuite passée par différents ministères, l’Enseignement scolaire, la Famille, avant de décrocher la présidence de la région Poitou-Charentes en 2004.
Mais c’est bien évidemment sa candidature à l’élection présidentielle qui a marqué les esprits. Ségolène Royal s’est imposée au sein de son parti face à des dinosaures comme Laurent Fabius et Dominique Strauss-Kahn puis obtenu près de 17 millions de voix lors du scrutin national, pas assez pour battre Nicolas Sarkozy.
La suite fut plus compliquée pour Ségolène Royal.Elle a raté son parachutage à La Rochelle lors des dernières élections législatives, un poste de député qu’elle considérait acquis car elle s’était déjà positionnée comme future candidate à la présidence de l’Assemblée Nationale. Elle a n’a fini que 4e lors de la primaire socialiste de 2011 chargée de désigner le candidat à l’élection présidentielle de 2012. Point de perchoir, de députation ni d’Elysée donc pour Ségolène Royal qui a dû opérer un repli politique, mais aussi médiatique voire privé sur sa région. En attendant des jours meilleurs. Il aura donc fallu la combinaison de la défaite de la gauche aux élections municipales, le remaniement voulu par François Hollande et le départ de Valérie Trierweiler pour permettre à Ségolène Royal de revenir de son exil.
Scène surréaliste ce dimanche sur le plateau du Supplément de Canal +. Vexé après un reportage à son sujet, Jean-Vincent Placé, le Président du groupe Europe Écologie Les Verts au Sénat a quitté furieux le plateau de Maïtena Biraben.
Dimanche mouvementé pour Jean-Vincent Placé. Invité du Supplément de Canal +, l’homme politique a visiblement très mal pris un reportage qui faisait référence à ses PV de stationnement non payés. Agacé, le sénateur EELV fustige alors le travail des journalistes de l’émission. «Je n’aime pas du tout votre façon de faire des reportages, lance-t-il, passablement énervé. Vous repassez cette histoire de PV en racontant n’importe quoi, j’en ai ras-le-bol». Et quand Maïtena Biraben lui demande s’il nie les informations diffusées, l’homme politique originaire de Corée du Sud rentre dans une colère noire: «Je n’ai rien à nier. J’ai déjà tout dit sur ce dossier et je trouve ça lamentable de ressortir une histoire vieille de cinq ans. Le seul but est de me nuire politiquement. Je ne supporte pas qu’on dise des choses fausses sur moi». Exaspéré, Jean-Vincent Placé décide finalement de quitter le plateau juste avant la coupure pub. «Je trouve ça lamentable, honteux. Je me tire d’ailleurs, vous me faites chier!» balance ce dernier en débranchant son micro. Panique sur le plateau même si la présentatrice essaie tant bien que mal de retenir son invité. Finalement, au retour de la coupure pub, Jean-Vincent Placé est de nouveau sur le plateau pour poursuivre l’émission. Mais entre l’écologiste et les journalistes, la tension restera palpable jusqu’à la fin du programme. Peu après la diffusion de l’émission, l’homme politique est revenu sur cet événement via son compte Twitter : « Ecoeuré par le Supplément. Enregistré le vendredi, monté à charge avec des fausses interventions et passant des extraits hors antenne ».
La sortie de Jean-Vincent Placé n’est pas sans rappeler l’incident autour d’Henri Guaino dans l’émission C à vous. Début février, l’ancien conseiller de Nicolas Sarkozy avait été invité par Anne-Sophie Lapix sur le plateau de l’émission de France 5. Un entretien qui avait tourné court. Le député avait en effet décidé de quitter précipitamment le plateau après un débat houleux. Décidément, la relation entre les médias et les politiques n’est pas près de s’apaiser.
A 22 ans, Laury Thilleman a plus d’un tour dans son sac, après avoir fait la belle sur les podiums, elle n’a eu de cesse de montrer qu’elle avait bien d’autres capacités. Le 8 mai, elle montrera ses talents de comédienne sur TF1.
Elue Miss France en 2011 après avoir empoché toutes les écharpes de Bretagne, Laury Thilleman a vite rebondi. Embauchée par Eurosport comme journaliste sportive, elle a aussi participé à différentes émissions, comme Splash, Fort Boyard ou plus récemment la quatrième saison de Danse avec les stars. Sollicitée en novembre dernier par Cyril Hanouna pour le prime time spécial de Touche pas à mon poste, la belle liane d’1,79 m a pris à cœur son rôle de chroniqueuse.
Cette fois-ci, c’est dans un autre domaine que Laury Thilleman va surprendre. Elle s’essaie à la comédie, en jouant une victime dans la douzième saison de la série Alice Nevers. Que les fans se rassurent, si elle est tuée tôt dans l’épisode, ils auront tout le loisir de la retrouver au cours du téléfilm grâce à l’enquête de Marine Delterme qui fera intervenir de nombreux flashs-back.
Laury Thilleman embrasserait-elle une nouvelle carrière? A priori, ce n’est pas l’objectif: «Je me suis tellement impliquée pour ête légitime dans le milieu du sport, que mes priorités ne vont pas vers la comédie mais peut-être vais-je avoir une révélation!»
Leonardo DiCaprio pourrait incarner Steve Jobs dans un long-métrage dirigé par Danny Boyle.
L’acteur Leonardo DiCaprio pourrait jouer dans le prochain biopic consacré à Steve Jobs, fondateur d’Apple, si Sony Pictures et Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire) trouvent un accord.
Le réalisateur et la marque propriétaire des droits du livre de Walter Isaacson Steve Jobs sont en négociations pour trouver le rôle principal. Un vrai challenge pour ce qui semble être l’un des films les plus difficiles à monter. David Fincher devait le réaliser, jusqu’à ce que les désaccords portant sur la distribution (il voulait Christian Bale dans le rôle de Jobs) et le contrôle de l’œuvre lui fassent jeter l’éponge.
Leonardo pourrait rejoindre l’équipe si les dates de tournage de son prochain film The Revenant coïncident avec celles de Jobs. Rien n’est donc encore joué. Ashton Kutcher avait déjà interprété non sans mal le rôle du créateur de la marque à la pomme dans un film retraçant sa carrière. Voulant à tout prix ressembler à son personnage, Kutcher avait suivi le même régime que Jobs, à base de fruits. Ce qui lui avait valu un séjour à l’hôpital pour combler ses carences nutritives. Leonardo, plutôt porté sur la fête, en fera-t-il autant?