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Amazon CEO Says Layoff to Exceed 18,000 Jobs

January 5, 2023 Published by [email protected] (Reuters)

USA – Voice of America

Amazon.com layoffs will now stretch to more than 18,000 jobs as part of a workforce reduction it previously disclosed, Chief Executive Andy Jassy said in a public staff note on Wednesday.

The layoff decisions, which Amazon will communicate starting January 18, will largely impact the company’s e-commerce and human-resources organizations, he said.

The cuts amount to 6% of Amazon’s roughly 300,000-person corporate workforce and represent a swift turn for a retailer that recently doubled its base pay ceiling to compete more aggressively for talent.

Jassy said in the note that annual planning “has been more difficult given the uncertain economy and that we’ve hired rapidly over the last several years.”

Amazon has more than 1.5 million workers including warehouse staff, making it America’s second-largest private employer after Walmart. It has braced for likely slower growth as soaring inflation encouraged businesses and consumers to cut back spending and its share price has halved in the past year.

Amazon began letting staff go in November from its devices division, with a source telling Reuters at the time it was targeting 10,000 job cuts.

In number, its layoffs now surpass the 11,000 job cuts at Facebook-parent Meta Platforms as well as reductions at other tech-industry peers.

Raskin says nailing Trump on alleged crimes ‘would not be that satisfying’

January 5, 2023 Published by Julia Shapero

Just In | The Hill

Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), who served on the now-defunct Jan. 6 committee that referred former President Trump for criminal charges, said on Wednesday that nailing the former president on his various alleged crimes “would not be that satisfying.”

“We’re talking about a pathetic, old man, a coward,” Raskin told Andy Slavitt, a former official in the Obama and Biden administrations, in an interview for Slavitt’s podcast. “And so, even if he were to get his comeuppance in court finally in his late 70s or 80s, what would it really mean?”

“What we need to do is to figure out how to stop all of the Donald Trumps in the future and these horrific movements and forces he’s unleashed against us as a democracy,” Raskin added.

The Jan. 6 committee, which officially dissolved with the beginning of the 118th Congress on Tuesday, recommended in its final public meeting last month that the Department of Justice (DOJ) investigate Trump for inciting an insurrection, conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to make a false statement and obstruction of an official proceeding.

While the Justice Department does not have to take up referrals from congressional committees, Chair Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) said he was “convinced” that the agency would eventually charge Trump.

The DOJ currently has two investigations connected to the former president being led by special counsel Jack Smith, including its probes into the Jan. 6 riot and the classified documents recovered from Trump’s residence at Mar-a-Lago.

The Jan. 6 committee’s final report also presented several recommendations to prevent another incident like the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, including blocking Trump from holding office under the 14th Amendment and increasing Congress’ power to enforce subpoenas.

Blog Briefing Room, News, Andy Slavitt, Bennie Thompson, criminal referrals, Donald Trump, Jamie Raskin, Jan. 6 Capitol riot Read More

Amazon to Raise Layoff Total to 18,000, the Highest Number in Tech

January 5, 2023 Published by Jeffrey Quiggle

TheStreet

In November, the e-commerce company had announced a layoff expectation of about 10,000. Today’s announcement is a substantial increase.

In November 2022, a report emerged that Amazon (AMZN) – Get Free Report would lay off about 10,000 workers.

It said the layoffs could begin right away that week and that they would focus on the company’s devices, retail and human resources divisions.

Amazon had issued a weak holiday revenue forecast in October and had also announced slowing growth in its Web Services business, even though its third-quarter earnings beat Wall Street expectations.

Amazon CEO Andy Jassy told investors at the time that “we recognize there’s still a lot of opportunity to continue to improve productivity and drive cost efficiencies throughout our networks,” according to TheStreet.

Amazon Adds to Layoff Total With new Announcement

In an updated announcement on Jan. 4, the company raised that number to more than 18,000, the Wall Street Journal reports.

That would be the highest number of lost jobs at one company in the technology sector in the last year.

The layoffs reportedly would be focused on corporate positions rather than its warehouse jobs.

Jassy discussed the report in a blog post on the aboutamazon.com website.

“As I shared back in November, as part of our annual planning process for 2023, leaders across the company have been working with their teams and looking at their workforce levels, investments they want to make in the future, and prioritizing what matters most to customers and the long-term health of our businesses,” Jassy wrote. “This year’s review has been more difficult given the uncertain economy and that we’ve hired rapidly over the last several years.”

“In November, we communicated the hard decision to eliminate a number of positions across our Devices and Books businesses, and also announced a voluntary reduction offer for some employees in our People, Experience, and Technology (PXT) organization, he continued. “I also shared that we weren’t done with our annual planning process and that I expected there would be more role reductions in early 2023.”

“Today, I wanted to share the outcome of these further reviews, which is the difficult decision to eliminate additional roles. Between the reductions we made in November and the ones we’re sharing today, we plan to eliminate just over 18,000 roles. Several teams are impacted; however, the majority of role eliminations are in our Amazon Stores and PXT organizations,” Jassy wrote.

Honda And Sony Announce Afeela Car Brand, Unveil New Prototype

January 5, 2023 Published by Michael Gauthier

Carscoops

Honda and Sony has announced their jointly developed car will be sold under the newly developed Afeela brand.

Besides revealing the new brand name, the companies introduced a new prototype which is designed to preview an upcoming production model. Pre-orders are slated to begin in the first half of 2025 with sales beginning later that year, however deliveries aren’t slated to begin in North America until the spring of 2026.

The companies didn’t got into many specifics, but said the Afeela name was selected as it “expresses ‘feel’ which is at the center of the mobility experience considered by Sony Honda Mobility.”

Putting the questionable name aside, the car features a streamlined design and looks much more production ready than the Vision-S concept that was unveiled at CES three years ago. While the companies were coy on specifics, the model features a bland, but curvaceous with slender headlights and a distinctive “media bar.”

The latter acts as an interactive display and it change show everything from the Afeela brand name to animations depicting the weather. Sony Honda Mobility said they envision the media bar will have a wide range of possibilities that will be fueled by “various partners and creators.”

The company went on to say the car’s “minimal decorative lines and form remind that of a spaceship.” We’ll beg to disagree, but the model looks suitably futuristic as it sports a minimalist design and aerodynamically optimized 21-inch wheels. They’re joined by a flowing, contrasting black roof and a clean greenhouse. Other notable highlights include a rear light bar and a pronounced shoulder line.

In terms of size, the Afeela prototype measures 192.7 inches (4,895mm) long, 74.8 inches (1,900mm) wide, and 57.5 inches (1,460 mm) tall with a wheelbase that spans 118.1 inches (3,000mm). That means the model is slightly smaller than the Mercedes EQE, which is 196.6 inches (4,994 mm) long and has a more generous 122.8 inch (3,119 mm) wheelbase.

Developing …

[World] Kevin McCarthy: Three ways the House Speaker stalemate could finally end

January 5, 2023 Published by

BBC News world

Reuters

By Anthony Zurcher

North America correspondent

Two days of voting are in the books, and the US House of Representatives isn’t any closer to electing a Speaker.

In fact, the chamber may be farther away. Kevin McCarthy, who has served as the party’s House minority leader for four years, has 20 Republicans standing between him and the gavel – and they aren’t budging.

Matt Gaetz, one of those so-called “Never Kevins”, described Mr McCarthy as a “desperate guy” and said his request was simple: “For him to drop out of the race.”

Rebels reject Trump’s call to back McCarthy US House in disorder amid popcorn and palace intrigue

Mr McCarthy, for his part, pushed for the House to adjourn until Thursday, guaranteeing a third day of voting.

“I don’t think a vote tonight will make a difference,” he said, insisting that progress was being made. “But a vote in the future will.”

With that in mind, here are three ways that future vote could turn out:

1. Kevin McCarthy prevails

The current strategy from Kevin McCarthy appears to be to fight a war of attrition. His supporters will keep placing his name in nomination until those in opposition get tired of voting against him. Doing the same thing but expecting different results may be the definition of madness, but it may also be their only option until they can figure out what the recalcitrant Republicans really want.

If Mr McCarthy is able to craft some sort of deal, he would almost certainly have to offer more power and influence to his opponents, allowing them to declare victory.

The challenge for him is that any further concessions will ultimately weaken his hold on power, making it more likely that he could be unseated when the really tough fights – on things like the budget and raising the debt ceiling – take place later in the year.

Mr McCarthy could also hope that Democrats tire of the fight and stop showing up for the speaker votes, lowering the margin necessary for Mr McCarthy to win a majority. At least so far, however, Democrats appear to be relishing the Republican chaos.

And already, some Republicans – like Ken Buck of Colorado – are hinting that Mr McCarthy should step aside for an alternative candidate, like his deputy, Steve Scalise of Louisiana.

If not McCarthy for US House Speaker, who else?

2. Kevin McCarthy gives up

Surrender has to be considered a possible, even likely, outcome for Mr McCarthy after two days of failure. At some point, the rank-and-file Republicans who are currently supporting Mr McCarthy may decide the best move is to give the hardline Republicans their scalp and try to move on. And if even a few of them break ranks, the floodgates could open.

“We’re starting to get some open conflict on the floor as well as behind closed doors,” Mr Buck, who has voted for Mr McCarthy all six times, said on Wednesday afternoon. “We have to choose a speaker and move forward.”

Mr Scalise, the Republicans’ chief vote-counter, is perhaps the choice best positioned to be a candidate acceptable to both the conservative hardliners and the rest of the House Republicans. He is considered a staunch, southern conservative and has literally bled for the party, having been seriously wounded in the 2017 attack on Republican members of Congress during a baseball practice. The biggest obstacle at the moment is that he doesn’t seem to want the job.

Other possibilities include firebrand congressman Jim Jordan of Ohio and Jim Banks of Indiana, the head of the conservative Republican Study Committee. Neither seems capable of unifying the entire party behind them, however. (Byron Donalds of Florida was the nominee of the anti-McCarthy Republicans three times on Wednesday, but the novice congressman has been more of a vessel for anti-McCarthy sentiment than a serious candidate.)

3. The two parties agree on compromise candidate

Democrats and Republicans in the Ohio state House of Representatives joined together on Tuesday to reject a more conservative speaker and elect a moderate compromise candidate. Could such a thing happen in the US House of Representatives, as well?

There’s been plenty of such speculation, as Mr McCarthy’s predicament became clearer in recent days. Some of that has been fanned by his supporters as a warning for conservative hard-liners to fall in line, but some of it is real.

Getty Images

Image caption,

A group of Republicans, including Matt Gaetz (R), huddle in the House chamber

Don Bacon, a centrist Republican from Nebraska, has previously expressed an openness to working with Democrats to elect a compromise speaker if Mr McCarthy fails. Fred Upton, a former Republican congressman from Michigan with moderate credentials, has expressed an openness to presenting himself as a coalition pick (there is no requirement that a speaker has to be a current member of Congress). And there’s been some talk of sweeteners for Democrats, like rule changes that would allow them to introduce legislation or more committee power.

All of this would require a sizeable number of Democrats to go along with the plan, which in today’s sharply divided partisan environment seems unlikely in the extreme. And any Republican who works with Democrats will instantly be persona non grata among most conservatives.

Given that the House is already in uncharted territory by modern standards, however, no options are too far-fetched at this point.

Trump’s spell over GOP breaks with McCarthy meltdown

January 5, 2023 Published by Meridith McGraw and Nicholas Wu

Politics, Policy, Political News Top Stories

It was the second day of chaos on the floor of the House of Representatives when Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) took the previously unthinkable step of thumbing her nose at Donald Trump, the ex-president she otherwise venerates.

“Let’s stop with the campaign smears and tactics to get people to turn against us — even having my favorite president call us and tell us to knock this off. I think it actually needs to be reversed and the [former] president needs to tell Kevin McCarthy you do not have the votes and it’s time to withdraw,” Boebert said. “Ooo”s from Democrats could be heard from the chamber.

The inability of McCarthy to secure the needed votes to be House Speaker — despite six tries at doing so — represents a unique failure on his part. But it has also called into question the extent of Trump’s own power to shape the party in his image, coming at a time when some Republicans have openly soured on his current run for the presidency.

“If these 20 people are successful in exerting their will over the 200 more Republicans who want McCarthy, and deny McCarthy the speakership, then it will be a huge, huge hit against President Trump, because the people who he’s supposed to have the most influence with didn’t listen to him,” said Rodney Davis, the outgoing Republican congressman from Illinois.

The Trump-McCarthy relationship has taken several turns over the years, most often defined by loyalty from the latter toward the former. It was McCarthy who went down to Mar-a-Lago after Jan. 6 to meet with a seemingly exiled Trump and, implicitly, keep him in the fold.

Trump, in turn, has offered his support to McCarthy’s speaker ambitions even as contemporaneous materials surfaced showing the congressman’s frustrations with his presidency. After Republicans took back the House, Trump was in contact with members of the anti-McCarthy wing, publicly expressed his support for McCarthy, and even warned those waging battles against McCarthy that they were setting up a “doomsday scenario” in the House.

He worked the phones behind the scenes in support of McCarthy.

But Trump’s endorsement of McCarthy has not been enough to sway the so-called Never-Kevins, who each have their own personal issues with the California congressman and have pushed for additional demands over the course of the past few weeks, including amending the procedure for ousting a House Speaker and committee assignments. The hardliners pushing against McCarthy have included Freedom Caucus members from the most MAGA wing of the GOP, with Rep. Matt Gaetz, (R-Fla.) — no stranger to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club — helping lead the pack. They’re insistent, though, that the vote against McCarthy isn’t a vote against Trump.

“I would suggest that of the 20 who’ve been voting against Kevin McCarthy, they are friends with President Trump. They like President Trump, they support President Trump. However, this is a vote of 222 members of the Republican Party,” said Rep. Bob Good (R-Va.). He declined to comment on any calls with Trump but added, “I’m voting against Kevin McCarthy because it’s what I believe to be right for the country.”

“It didn’t move the needle,” Gaetz said of Trump’s McCarthy endorsement.

Trump’s defenders stress that his endorsement alone would never have been enough to push McCarthy over the needed vote threshold. One person close to Trump said he was “playing it safe,” trying deliberately not to attack anyone while recognizing that the 20 GOP lawmakers opposed to McCarthy have differing reasons for doing so.

“I know a lot of people are focusing on Trump’s ‘waning influence’ regarding this speaker vote,” said the person. “I think it would be a different story if Trump was attacking someone and they still wouldn’t budge. That would signal waning influence. … If anyone wants to suggest waning power or influence then I think they’re off base because Trump hasn’t gone full Trump mode.”

Other GOP luminaries argued that the problem facing the party over the past few days was not Trump’s influence but rather the strategic thinking of a small minority of House members. Asked about Boebert’s comments, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich bluntly criticized the Colorado Republican.

“Did you see the margin by which she was elected?” he said. “I don’t put much stock in what she says and I don’t think Trump does either. Trump admires McCarthy and if the attack is from the so-called right, then it’s pretty hard to explain why they’re against someone Trump is supporting.”

“I don’t think they care,” Gingrich added. “I think this is all about personal attitudes and bitterness and to me it’s kind of amazing to watch.”

Despite such protestations, Trump’s enthusiasm for McCarthy has come into question over the past 48 hours, and with it speculation about his eagerness to shape the contours of Republican politics.

Trump has not appeared in public to make the case for McCarthy; nor did he post to his site Truth Social about the failed speaker votes early evening on Tuesday when he grumbled about Republican dysfunction and attacked Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell.

That same night, Trump and McCarthy talked on the phone but it wasn’t until the next morning that the former president issued another Truth Social post that was then circulated around to House Republicans calling for McCarthy’s speakership.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, (R-Ga.), a McCarthy ally, told reporters Trump’s endorsement helped to stave off even more defectors. But other Republicans said the endorsement — in which Trump said McCarthy would be a “good” speaker and “maybe great” — demonstrated that the former president maybe wasn’t fully committed to the cause.

“It was a very strong message by Trump that he had to think overnight after McCarthy’s three failed speaker votes to offer a tepid endorsement. McCarthy begged like a dog and got table scraps at Mar-a-lago,” said Mike Davis, a former GOP Senate aide and Trump ally.

But Davis, like other allies of the ex-president, said the House floor disagreements were a reflection of distrust among some in the party of McCarthy and not a sign of Trump weakness.

“Trump’s already made it clear he’s not enthusiastically supporting McCarthy, that he didn’t give his endorsement before the three failed votes,” said Davis. “Trump has stayed out of this. What has Kevin McCarthy done for Trump? McCarthy let Pelosi fill the January 6 commission with her people and they used that as a sledgehammer against Trump.”

Iran outraged after French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo publishes cartoons mocking Khamenei

January 5, 2023 Published by Fox News

A series of offensive cartoons depicting Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo has provoked outrage in Tehran.

The magazine’s latest issue features the winners of a recent cartoon contest in which entrants were asked to draw the most offensive caricatures of Khamenei, who has held Iran’s highest office for more than 30 years.

FILE: In this photo released by the official website of the office of the Iranian supreme leader, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks during a meeting with a group of Basij paramilitary force in Tehran, Iran, on Nov. 26, 2022.
(Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP)

The contest was billed as a show of support for anti-government protests rocking Iran in response to the death of a woman in the custody of Iran’s morality police in September.

One of the finalists depicts a turbaned cleric reaching for a hangman’s noose as he drowns in blood, while another shows Khamenei clinging to a giant throne above the raised fists of protesters. Others depict more vulgar and sexually explicit scenes.

IRAN SENTENCES TWO TEENS TO DEATH FOR WAGING ‘ENMITY AGAINST GOD’ IN PROTEST AGAINST REGIME

On Wednesday, Iran summoned the French ambassador to condemn the cartoons. Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian vowed a “decisive and effective response” to the publication of the cartoons, which he said had insulted Iran’s religious and political authorities.

Charlie Hebdo has a long history of publishing vulgar cartoons mocking Islamists. On Jan. 7, 2015, two French-born al-Qaida extremists attacked the newspaper’s office, killing 12 cartoonists, and it has been the target of other attacks over the years.

The magazine presents itself as an advocate for democracy and free expression but it routinely pushes the limits of French hate speech laws with often sexually explicit caricatures that target nearly everyone.

US BASE IN SYRIA HIT WITH 2 ROCKETS FOLLOWING 3RD ANNIVERSARY OF SOLEIMANI KILLING

The French government, while defending free speech, has rebuked the privately-owned magazine in the past for fanning tensions.

Demonstrators in Iran cry out in the streets.
(Credit: NCRI)

Iran has been gripped by nationwide protests for nearly four months following the death in mid-September of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman who had been detained by Iran’s morality police for allegedly violating the country’s strict Islamic dress code.

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Women have taken the lead in the protests, with many stripping off the compulsory Islamic headscarf in public. The protesters have called for overthrowing Iran’s ruling clerics in one of the biggest challenges to their rule since the 1979 Islamic Revolution that brought them to power.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Bradford Betz is a Fox News Digital breaking reporter covering crime, political issues, and much more.

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Adam Kinzinger joins CNN days after leaving Congress, sparking viral mockery: ‘Nobody saw this coming’

January 5, 2023 Published by

Latest & Breaking News on Fox News

Adam Kinzinger has quickly lined up a new gig after concluding his tenure one of the most outspoken anti-Trump lawmakers on Capitol Hill as a cable news pundit.

CNN announced Wednesday that Kinzinger, who officially left Congress this week after choosing not to seek reelection in the 2022 midterms, has joined the network as a senior political commentator.

Kinzinger made his debut as a CNN contributor on “Erin Burnett Outfront.”

“Congressman, we really are thrilled to have you onboard. Welcome,” CNN anchor Erin Burnett told the ex-lawmaker.

THIS IS CNN? BELEAGUERED NETWORK HAS TUMULTUOUS YEAR, MARKED BY HIGH-PROFILE FIRINGS, CONTINUED RATINGS WOES

“It’s great to be on the team, by the way,” Kinzinger replied. “Thank you. I’m excited.”

Kinzinger, one of the lawmakers on the House Jan. 6 Committee, was a frequent guest on CNN over the past two years, invited on-air to bash former President Trump and the majority of Republicans.

Critics have long asserted that Kinzinger’s anti-Trump commentary signaled his desire to join a liberal news network at the end of his term.

DON LEMON SAYS CNN WAS NEVER ‘LIBERAL,’ INSISTS NEW BOSS ISN’T TRANSFORMING NETWORK

Now that Kinzinger is CNN pundit, many mocked the not-so-surprising career move.

“Hahahahahahaha,” radio host Dana Loesch reacted.

“In a shock to literally no one,” political satirist Tim Young wrote.

“Nobody saw this coming. Nobody,” Cornell Law Professor and media critic William A. Jacobson sarcastically tweeted.

“Was basically giving CNN his resume for the past year,” Axios reporter Tim Baysinger quipped.

“It’s the least CNN could do after his 2-year apprenticeship there,” Washington Free Beacon reporter Chuck Ross mocked the announcement.

“Quick turnaround,” The Hollywood Reporter media writer Alex Weprin pointed out.

“And folks thought CNN+ was going to be rock bottom for that network,” Ruthless podcast co-host Comfortably Smug joked.

FOX NEWS CRUSHES CNN, MSNBC IN 2022, FINISHES NO. 1 AMONG ALL OF CABLE FOR 7TH STRAIGHT YEAR

“Hustled out his integrity, country and voters in exchange for TeeeVeee time to sound like a random lib,” political commentator Yossi Gestetner tweeted.

“I guess it’s nice to see someone land their dream job,” GOP strategist Matt Whitlock wrote.

“I know it’s a cliché for a lot of people to say they’re only doing this for a media contract. It also turns out to be true most of the time,” Versus Media podcast host Stephen L. Miller tweeted.

Kinzinger was one of the ten GOP lawmakers who supported former President Trump’s impeachment following the events of Jan. 6.

The former Illinois representative announced in October 2021 that he was retiring though he would have faced an uphill battle for reelection due to redistricting.

He now joins CNN’s roster of so-called “Never-Trump Republicans” including Ana Navarro, Alyssa Farrah Griffin, and former Rep. Charlie Dent.

Harry Hamlin, 71, says he changed his college major from architecture to acting after taking psychedelic drug

January 5, 2023 Published by Fox News

Harry Hamlin might have never pursued an acting career if he hadn’t taken a road trip to “one of the most magical places on Earth” before starting college in the early 1970s.

The 71-year-old actor told People magazine that he initially intended to study architecture at UC Berkeley, but his plans changed after taking a psychedelic drug given to him by a Hell’s Angel during a trip to a redwood forest outside of San Francisco.

“I began to see things in a different way and my curiosity was sort of turbo-charged,” the “Mad Men” alum recalled.

Harry Hamlin’s college plans changed after he accepted a psychedelic drug from a Hell’s Angel.
(Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)

Two days before registration for architecture classes at the university opened, Hamlin was invited on a road trip to La Honda, California.

HARRY HAMLIN ALMOST DIVORCED LISA RINNA WHEN SHE JOINED ‘REAL HOUSEWIVES’

The former “L.A. Law” star remembered that he and his friends spent the night at a hidden compound with tree houses.

The group was gathered around a campfire when they were approached by a Hell’s Angel who asked to borrow a wrench. The man used the wrench to open up a pipe in one of the tree houses and took out a “pile of blue pills,” which turned out to be psychedelics.

The biker gave Hamlin and each of his friends a blue pill to thank them for their help. Afterward, the California native missed the first day of registration.

“By the time I got there, a guy said classes had filled up but if I hot-footed it over to the drama department, I might be able to satisfy my requirements,” he explained.

The actor, who is pictured in 1979, said he took a “blue pill” during a road trip to “one of the most magical places on earth” before starting college in the early 1970s.
(Getty )

“I ended up in Acting 101,” Hamlin added. “I never got back to the architecture school.”

Hamlin later transferred to Yale University where he graduated with bachelor of arts degrees in drama and psychology in 1974.

He later launched a successful career in acting which now spans almost five decades. Over the course of his career, Hamlin won a Primetime Emmy Award and has been nominated for three Golden Globe Awards.

“I think the key to longevity is to always pursue the next impossible task as an actor because you can never be an expert in this,” Hamlin told People. “There’s always another challenge.”

The “Clash of the Titans” star explained that he enjoys taking risks with his acting projects. While pursuing an M.F.A. in acting at San Francisco’s American Conservatory Theater, he appeared naked on stage while starring in a production of “Equus.”

“They didn’t have us rehearse taking our clothes off so the first time we took our clothes off was actually the first night on stage together,” he remembered. “It was trial by fire.”

Hamlin added, “To have that experience as your first professional experience, nothing is going to scare you after that.”

The Emmy Award winner’s acting career now spans over five decades.
(Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for Race To Erase MS)

In 1976, the actor starred in a television production of William Shakespeare’s play “The Taming of the Shrew.” He has also performed in stage productions of “Henry V,” “Hamlet” and “Macbeth.”

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In his interview with People, he revealed that he takes acting classes every Saturday, where he is studying “King Lear.”

“My lifelong pursuit has been to try and untangle the Shakespearean roles that I’ve done and want to continue to do,” Hamlin said.

“The thing about Shakespeare is it’s a big mystery and every play is a big mystery and you’ve got to figure out the key to get in — and unlock the mystery.”

“I’m just getting into Lear so to deconstruct this, and get to the point where I know what I’m doing with it, will probably take six months,” he added.

“And then you have to memorize the play and then you spend another six months trying to figure out how to do it right.”

Hamlin will next be seen in the new AMC series “Anne Rice’s Mayfair Witches,” which will premiere on Jan. 8. He is also starring alongside Sally Field, Jane Fonda, Rita Moreno, Jimmy O. Yang, Lily Tomlin and Tom Brady in the upcoming movie “80 for Brady.” The comedy is set to be released in theaters on Feb. 3.

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Ashley Hume is an entertainment writer for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to [email protected] and on Twitter: @ashleyhume

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TUCKER CARLSON: This was a ‘manufactured panic’ about Russia

January 5, 2023 Published by

Latest & Breaking News on Fox News

Good evening and welcome to Tucker Carlson Tonight. Here’s the latest summarized. Kevin McCarthy badly wants to be the next speaker of the House, but as of tonight, he is not going to be. He doesn’t have the votes. It’s not a question of who’s good or who’s bad, who’s well-intentioned, who’s not. It’s a question of simple electoral math, something that Kevin McCarthy is highly familiar with since he does this for a living.

At this point, as of right now, facing that mathematical reality, Kevin McCarthy has two choices. He can either step aside and let somebody else do the job, acknowledging in the process that he is not the only person in Congress capable of being speaker. Or he can try and win over the people who oppose him, as you traditionally do in elections. Oh, you’ve got reservations about Kevin McCarthy? You don’t want to be ruled by a man who wears a Ukrainian flag lapel pin and lives with Frank Luntz? No problem. We get it.

FETTERMAN’S NEW CHIEF OF STAFF CO-FOUNDED THE MOSCOW PROJECT THAT PUSHED TRUMP-RUSSIA COLLUSION NARRATIVE

Let us tell you how he’s better than you think he is. Let us try and change your mind. Let us try to convince you. In a normal race, that’s what you would do. But that is not what Kevin McCarthy’s team is doing. Instead, like the left, they purport to oppose. They’re using threats and fear to force people to support the candidate. Anyone who opposes Kevin McCarthy, one of his surrogates explained today, is, quote, “an enemy.” A, quote, “terrorist.” That’s their message. In a moment, we’ll tell you how that message is working.

But first tonight, in the summer of 2016, the government transparency organization WikiLeaks released thousands of emails from the servers of the Democratic National Committee. Those documents showed conclusively that Hillary Clinton partisans had worked to rig the Democratic primary against her rival, Bernie Sanders. It was obvious from the start that that email dump had come from an internal source, probably from a DNC staffer who was offended by the corruption of the Clinton team. But of course, the Democratic Party couldn’t admit that. Too embarrassing, too revealing.

So instead, in order to cover this wrongdoing, the Clinton campaign claimed that Russia did it. The Russians hacked the servers. Remember that? Now, you may have believed it or not, but intel agencies in this country must have known at the time that it was not true. They would know, but they said nothing. And they said nothing because blaming Russia turned out to be a very useful political tool. In fact, before long, it became the default response to every perceived disaster in Washington. Hillary lost. Why? Russia! Donald Trump can’t be President. Why? Russia! Hunter Biden’s laptop is here. Russian! Audit aid to Ukraine? Can’t. Russia! And so on and so on.

So over time, probably inevitably, the inflated threat of Russia became a pretext for everything bad, including censorship in this country. It’s Russian disinformation. Shut it down. Thanks to new reporting from Matt Taibbi, who has spent weeks sifting through previously secret Twitter files, we know the federal government’s intelligence and law enforcement agencies enthusiastically joined the effort to censor the political speech of American citizens illegally. It was a sophisticated effort.

At one point, for example, the State Department released a report falsely claiming that thousands of Twitter accounts were controlled by foreign governments. Russia! And then, unnamed sources in the intel world leaked scary headlines about Russian disinformation running rampant on Twitter. “Twitter deleted data potentially crucial to the Russia probes,” screamed Politico, ever obedient to the intel agencies. And then the Washington Post published a piece threatening to increase regulation of Twitter’s advertising because, of course, Russia. So it was a manufactured panic about Russia. But on the basis of that manufactured panic, lawmakers in Washington demanded more censorship.

[VIDEO]

ED MARKEY: The issue is not that the companies before us today are taking too many posts down. The issue is that they’re leaving too many dangerous posts up. In fact, they’re amplifying harmful content so that it spreads like wildfire and torches our democracy.

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Oh. Too much speaking. Your opinions are a threat to our “democracy.” That would be sitting United States Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts. But almost nobody said anything because Russia. And so it accelerated. Not long after that tape was shot in November of 2020, Congressman Adam Schiff of California, who was then the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, demanded that Twitter censor any discussion about the House Intelligence Committee. Quote, “suppress any and all search results about Committee staff,” a Schiff aide demanded of Twitter. Schiff was particularly furious that a journalist called Paul Sperry had reported on Schiff’s connection to the CIA whistleblower behind Donald Trump’s impeachment. So Schiff demanded that Twitter censor Sperry. Quote, “suspend the many accounts, including Paul Sperry,” commanded Schiff’s office.

This is illegal. It’s openly unconstitutional. Government officials cannot suppress speech. That’s the Bill of Rights. And even at Twitter, executives seem to understand that. “No, this isn’t feasible. We don’t do this,” replied one Twitter executive. But ultimately, however, they caved. In time, in fact, Paul Sperry was censored by Twitter, along with many thousands of others. Twitter had effectively become a government propaganda outlet. How that happened and the effect that it had on American electoral politics is one of the most important stories of our time. And as we said, we know about it because of Matt Taibbi, who has been at the center of it.