Vladimir putin

Remember Heavy Metal, the 1981 animated movie based on the French magazine Métal Hurlant? That feature-length hodgepodge of stories about stoner aliens, voluptuous androids, horny space travelers, dragon-riding heroines in dominatrix gear and other interstellar-overdriven pulp touches? “A step beyond science fiction” was the tagline; a 13-year-old boy peering at intricate drawings of rayguns and boobies with a flashlight under the sheets was the vibe. For a generation of geeks, this was solid gold. Fast forward to right now — past the years of Spike & Mike’s Twisted Animation festivals and MTV’s Liquid Television, the endless rewatchings of Akira and the rise of Adult Swim — and you can find outré toons a few keyboard clicks away. But perhaps you have a certain animation itch that needs to be scratched, and only a topless cyborg who can turn into a mecha-fox hellbent on vengeance will do the trick. Maybe Netflix knows this. Maybe they … [Read more...] about ‘Love, Death & Robots’ Review: Netflix’s ‘Heavy Metal’ For Post-Millennials

Like a serial killer returning to the scene of a crime, Rudy Giuliani has been in Ukraine recently, still digging for dirt on former vice president Joe Biden, even as Giuliani’s associates, Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, are prosecuted for campaign finance fraud and the House conducts hearings and draws up articles of impeachment around Ukraine. While there, Giuliani has met with people who have been pushing conspiracy theories around Biden and claiming Ukraine, not Russia, meddled in the election—a talking point straight from Russian President Vladimir Putin himself. Speaking to the media on Saturday, Trump said that Giuliani will deliver a report to the Justice Department and Congress on what he has found in Ukraine. “He’s going to make a report,” Trump said. “I think to the attorney general and to Congress. He says he has a lot of good information. I have not spoken to him about that information yet… I hear he has found plenty.” Giuliani … [Read more...] about Trump Says Giuliani Will Deliver Report on Ukraine and Biden to Attorney General and Congress

Days after blaming former President Obama for Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine, President Trump is reportedly considering blocking $250 in military aid intended for the nation that has for years been the target of Russian military aggression. On Wednesday, Politico reported that Trump asked officials, particularly National Security Director John Bolton and new Defense Secretary Mark Esper, to review the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, the program that would provide the aid. According to officials a senior administration official, the president wants to make sure the U.S. interests abroad are being prioritized. Democratic lawmakers are not happy, citing the delay as an other example of Trump’s cozy relationship with Vladimir Putin. “Trump is sending up smoke signals bigger than mountains for Vladimir Putin,” Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) told CNN on Thursday. “And, for that matter, for those countries who are counting on U.S. assistance … [Read more...] about Why Is Trump Considering Blocking Military Aid to Ukraine?

If the emerging details are accurate, Donald Trump’s efforts to get Ukraine to interfere in the 2020 election are not just a repeat of his overtures toward Russia in 2016 — they’re worse. The Wall Street Journal is reporting that, on a late-July call with Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky, Trump pressured the Eastern European leader “about eight times” to support Rudy Giuliani’s efforts to dig up dirt that could damage the presidential campaign of Joe Biden. (A bit of context is helpful here: Biden’s son Hunter was involved in an energy deal in Ukraine. Giuliani, Trump’s personal lawyer, has made unsubstantiated claims that Joe Biden pressured the Ukrainian government, during his term as Vice President, to benefit his son. “Not one single credible outlet has given credibility to these assertions,” candidate Biden told reporters Friday. Ukrainian officials have previously said they have no evidence of wrongdoing by … [Read more...] about Ukraine Phone Call Is the Russian Trump Tower Meeting on Steroids

An ordinary U.S. suburb, deep in the Eighties: a bunch of kids and parents hang out at the local bowling alley. The youngsters take turns rolling gutterballs, while Roxy Music’s “More Than This” plays on the jukebox. The moms hits the snack counter for popcorn, french fries and sodas, next to a neon sign of a hot dog. A typical American scene – except it’s also a battle zone, because this mom and dad are Soviet agents, deep in a high-stakes espionage game at the height of the nuclear arms race. Even a bowling alley is part of the deadly struggle between two superpowers ready to blow up the world at the touch of a button. More than this, there’s nothing. The Americans, FX’s masterful espionage saga, is the most heartbreaking and harrowing drama on TV right now. But as it heads into its final two seasons, the show feels weirder – because it’s also timelier, unfortunately. The Eighties Cold War doesn’t look as remote or quaint as … [Read more...] about Why ‘The Americans’ Suddenly Feels More Timely Than Ever