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Trump Infuriated By Reports He Fell Asleep In Court

Trump Infuriated By Reports He Fell Asleep In Court

During his public remarks in between courtroom appearances, former President Donald Trump has consistently spoken with a defiant tone about the charges he's facing and in maintaining his innocence. However, a new report suggests that he is privately seething with rage about everything from how he's been depicted in official court sketches to various unflattering news reports.

According to Rolling Stone reporter Asawin Suebsaeng, Trump is convinced the courtroom sketch artist is "out to get him," complaining that some of the images the artist produced "were likely drawn to make fun of him."

"One such sketch captured Trump snoozing, with his eyes closed and head tilted," Suebsaeng wrote.

Suebsaeng also reports that Trump is "volcanically angry" about the various reports that emerged in which he was apparently sleeping intermittently during court proceedings. The New York Times' Maggie Haberman — who provided much of the paper's coverage of Trump during his time in the White House — reported earlier this week that he couldn't stay awake for the entirety of jury selection several days this week.

"He appeared to be asleep,” Haberman told CNN. “He didn’t pay attention to a note his lawyer passed him. His jaw kept falling on his chest, and his mouth kept going slack.”

Rolling Stone reported that, according to one unnamed source, the former president's anger is "maxed out, even for him." Suebsaeng wrote that Haberman's report provoked "an irate denial from Trump’s campaign and reigniting the former president’s antipathy towards Haberman."

"The resentment lasted the entire week, the sources add. It did not help Trump’s denial that he continued to doze off while seated in the Manhattan courtroom throughout the rest of the week," Suebsaeng wrote. "Despite his dozing being widely reported, the former president has laid much of the blame for the detail going viral at Haberman’s feet. He was even observed glaring at her on Monday as he exited the courtroom following her CNN appearance."

Trump is also enraged at late night host Jimmy Kimmel, who has turned the 45th president of the United States into a constant punchline for many of his jokes during this week's episodes. He recently attacked the comedian on his Truth Social platform, referencing his hosting of the Academy Awards earlier this year.

The former president lashed out as "Stupid Jimmy Kimmel, who still hasn’t recovered from his horrendous performance and big ratings drop as Host of The Academy Awards, especially when he showed he suffered from TDS, commonly known as TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME, to the entire World by reading on air my TRUTH about how bad a job he was doing that night." The former president additionally shared his opinion that Kimmel pulled a "CLASSIC CHOKE' during his Best Picture announcement, confusing the host with trophy presenter Al Pacino.

The Trump campaign continues to deny the rumors that Trump is angry about his coverage of the trial, with campaign spokesman Steven Cheung insisting to Rolling Stone that Suebsaeng's sources are lying.

“None of these sources know what the hell they’re talking about and clearly have no access to any type of factual information,” Cheung said. “These are the types of losers who will try to peddle fantasy as fact because they live miserable existences.”

Reprinted with permission from Alternet.

How A Dank Meme Turned Into 'Dark Brandon' (And Muted MAGA)

How A Dank Meme Turned Into 'Dark Brandon' (And Muted MAGA)

When MAGA Republicans first stumbled into the meme "Let's Go Brandon!"—a euphemism for "Fuck Joe Biden!"—it was electric.

The meme’s origin stems from a misunderstanding. During an October 2021 NASCAR race, an on-air NBC News reporter suggested the crowd was chanting "Let's go, Brandon" for Brandon Brown, who had just won the day’s race. It quickly became clear that was not the case.

Suddenly, the MAGA movement had a G-rated code for relaying how they really felt. “Let's Go Brandon” showed up on bumper stickers, at campaign rallies, even in chants at some events featuring President Biden. Republican Rep. Bill Posey of Florida used it to punctuate a speech he delivered on the House floor—an easy way to score political points.

MAGA’s demented delight in the phrase might have peaked on Christmas Eve 2021, when Biden and his wife, Dr. Jill Biden, were fielding caller questions on NORAD's Santa tracker hotline. After a perfectly pleasant interaction with the president and the first lady, one caller, a 35-year-old father, ended the conversation with "Merry Christmas and Let's Go Brandon."

Jill Biden gave an uncomfortable chuckle as President Biden sought to further engage the caller, who either hung up or had been disconnected.

But Let's Go Brandon has ultimately suffered an unusual fate. By the second half of 2022, the meme had been largely co-opted by the left, becoming a new meme known as “Dark Brandon,” which centers on a grinning, laser-eyed portrayal of the president. As Don Caldwell, general manager of the meme-tracking site Know Your Meme, explained to The Daily Beast in an August 2022 article, the “Dark Brandon” meme suggests that Biden only seems like a hapless elderly man.

“It’s revealed that he’s pulling the strings behind the scenes and that everything’s going to plan,” Caldwell said.

In many ways, it's a new take on a Saturday Night Live sketch from the 1980s in which comedian Phil Hartman portrayed then-President Ronald Reagan as a doddering old man in public who shifted into a ball-busting mastermind behind closed doors. Only today, the president is on the joke.

And as “Dark Brandon” has risen, Republicans' own “Brandon” chants have practically gone mute. In other words, Democrats stole Republicans' thunder—and they did it with a gamely assist from the White House.

According to The Daily Beast's reporting:

The Biden press shop had noticed the rise in Dark Brandon content online and decided to lean into the meme as the president capped off a successful stretch, a White House official told The Daily Beast. Dealing with Trump and Republicans during and after the 2020 campaign convinced the Biden team that mockingly embracing the other side’s online attacks could have a strategic advantage.

But the more fun the Democrats have had with Dark Brandon, the more the meme has evolved and the richer it has become.

After Senate Democrats finally passed Biden's signature Inflation Reduction Act on Aug. 7, 2022, White House deputy press secretary Andrew Bates tweeted out, "Dark Brandon is crushing it."

Fun, yes, but nothing compared to the Dark Brandon troll to end all trolls following the Kansas City Chiefs' Super Bowl win this past Sunday. In the lead-up to the game, some right-wing fever dream had birthed the idea that President Biden was conspiring with Taylor Swift and her boyfriend, the Chiefs' star tight end Travis Kelce, to rig the Super Bowl and eventually leverage a Swift endorsement of Biden to win reelection.

After the Chiefs' come-from-behind victory over the San Francisco 49ers, President Biden tweeted out a picture of old laser-eyes himself accompanied by the message, "Just like we drew it up."

Who’s laughing now?

Reprinted with permission from Daily Kos.

Toto Drummer Jeff Porcaro's Catalog Sold for $30 Million

Toto Drummer Jeff Porcaro's Catalog Sold for $30 Million

Music publishing corporation Primary Wave has confirmed the purchase of late Toto drummer Jeff Porcaro’s catalog in a deal Billboard said was worth $30 million. The arrangement includes his share of the rights to songs co-written with Toto, including “Africa.” “Being one of the millions of fans to scream the chorus of ‘Africa’ at the top of my lungs on several occasions, this is certainly another thrilling moment in Primary Wave history,” Adam Lowenberg, Primary Wave’s chief marketing officer, said in an official statement. “Quite simply, Jeff Porcaro belongs on the Mount Rushmore of great Ame...

T1 re-signs their legendary mid laner Faker

T1 re-signs their legendary mid laner Faker

On Nov. 18, T1 announced that they’ve re-signed their legendary mid laner, Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok. As of this contract, Faker will be playing for T1 for at least another ~ years. Faker has been playing for T1 for the entirety of his career. As the team’s franchise star, he brought back three World Championships, nine LCK championships, and two MSI championships, including a back-to-back World Championship. Faker led his team to a top 4 finish at this year's Worlds, unfortuantely coming up short against DWG KIA in the semifinals. “Faker means a lot to the organization. One of the gaming superst...