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There are scores of people forecasting what will happen once the impeachment trial of President Trump begins on Tuesday, Jan. 21, but lets be real: No one knows what is going to happen or what the long-term implications will be.

However, it has definitely brought to life a hunger for media to help us understand the impeachment. Even for those of us who vividly remember the impeachment of Bill Clinton or resignation of Richard Nixon, this is a fraught time full of confusion. Where can we turn for help?

Well, the streaming sphere is a good start. Here is a handful of viewing and listening options that help contextualize this moment thats sure to be etched in American history annals.

The good thing about presidential history is that it is covered so extensively. But theres a downside: Because so few people have been president, it is very hard to judge the future by the past thanks to a limited data set. Still, there is always something to be learned from what came before.

The Lost Tapes, which streams on Hulu, is a neat show from the Smithsonian Channel that tries to frame history through the lens of news reports at the time. Most of us have gotten so used to analysis from pundits that the bare facts are often shielded from us. Thats not to say that modern historical perspective is worthless. Its just good, sometimes, to revisit the cultural context of events.

The second season of Lost Tapes has an episode about the Clinton impeachment, laying out news reports and secret documents behind the scandal that led to the proceedings. In addition to comparing the most recent events with our current predicament, its helpful to remember how far weve come in how we talk about things like sexual harassment in the workplace, as well as how we treat women who are the subjects of investigations. Or, to judge by the recent events surrounding Katie Hill, how we do not.

Memory is fallible, and stark reminders of exactly what coverage of the last impeachment looked like help keep our heads clear.

Though she is mostly known for her punditry on MSNBC, Rachel Maddows greatest work might actually be her podcast miniseries Bag Man.

Over the course of seven episodes, Bay Area native Maddow lays out the oft-forgotten tale of former Vice President Spiro Agnew. When he is remembered at all these days, its as a minor sideshow that took place in the shadow of the Richard Nixon investigations. In truth, Agnew was, perhaps, a bigger crook than his boss as well as a man who held sway over a vast right-wing army dedicated to beating back progressivism.

The podcast, which can be heard through Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher and other services, interviews many of the figures who were involved in the investigation of Agnew, as well as dissecting how a criminal investigation of the possible next president changed forever the way we deal with wrongdoing at the highest levels of the American government. Combine that with this incredible period musical score, and it becomes an addicting thing to hear.

Ian Danskin made a name for himself as a video essayist with his long look at the GamerGate controversy called Why Are You So Angry?, which many now see as a proof of concept for many of the tactics used by Russians to interfere in the 2016 election. His current long-term project in the same vein is The Alt-Right Playbook, and it may be the best way any of us are ever going to understand the darkest timeline.

The open-ended YouTube series (Danskin has said he has no idea how long it will eventually be) explores how rabidly right groups built themselves into an online armada that, in the alt-rights own words, memed a president into office. Now that Trump has been impeached, these same people are often his most vocal supporters.

With admirable scholarship, wit and a distinctive animated style, Danskin clears the fog around the alt-right mind-set. This in turn, helps us to understand why people continue to defend a president under impeachment even if the evidence seems clear as crystal to others. Its uncomfortable media, but its indispensable knowledge told in bite-size ways that might possibly save us all.

The classic cinematic look at the Nixon investigation is All the Presidents Men, and if you havent seen it, you really should watch that film since its one of those movies thats considered an all-timer. (Its streaming on Amazon Prime.) However, you should probably watch it so you get even more of the jokes in Dick.

Streaming on Amazon Prime and starring Kirsten Dunst and Michelle Williams as two bubble-headed teens who stumble into the Watergate scandal by becoming Nixons dog walker, Dick can help us remember just how ridiculous so much all of this impeachment process was, or, is.

Impeachable offenses are serious. Even Clintons sexual misdeeds involve the felony of lying to a grand jury. But we should never forget that so many of these things that take over the news cycles are, well, stupid. A razor-sharp period comedy, like Dick, might make light of the bad things Nixon did, but it also puts him in his place.

We need that more than ever now.

Originally posted here:
Impeachment streaming: What to watch (and hear) to help contextualize the moment - San Francisco Chronicle

There is currently a social media debate running after Twitch approved several emotes that have been labeled as racist, before banning a creator for using them. Kordell is a streamer who says he has "had my account for almost 6 years too with 0 offenses" and is shocked about the ban, which is currently listed as "indefinite."

This is sparking several debates about not just the emotes, but also how they got approved in the first place, especially if they are considered worthy of a permanent ban from the platform. The debate began when @koordell posted on Twitter about how he has been "suspended indefinitely" due to the fact that his emotes violated terms of service, but is unsure about what the problem is.

The emotes include an image of a black child in a toilet, another running naked, and a third in a bucket eating watermelon. There's also one of a puppet that bears some resemblance to Pepe, a character commonly associated with the alt-right.

RELATED: Twitch Partner Jenna's Chat Logs Reveal Racist, Homophobic, Sexist Slurs

It's easy to see why the combination is especially problematic, at least for the majority of people. The streamer himself sees no issue with them, saying he "found them funny," and comments state that they are based on memes and vines.

The line is clearly divided between those who believe they are inherently and obviously racist and appear baffled by the fact the streamer doesn't see it that way. Others believe Twitch is making a fuss over nothing and that it's all "lame."

There are suggestions that the emotes may have been accidentally approved, possibly through an automated approval system. This would fit since the emails posted showing them being approved are dated January 19, just four days before Kordell's post about the ban. It seems likely that his long-standing strike-free account has meant they were approved automatically but when someone from Twitch actually checked them, the ban, unsurprisingly, kicked into place.

While there is an argument that moving straight to a permanent suspension could be deemed harsh, others have received the same penalty for lesser offenses. With Twitch's moderation constantly under scrutiny right now, it's understandable that it moved quickly to counter the obvious error in approval.

Source: Twitter

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Helen began playing games at an early age with her first computer being a hand-me-down Sinclair ZX Spectrum. It didnt put her off She is all grown up now but is still a gamer at heart, especially when it comes to The Sims and other strategy and simulation games.She juggles the daily demands of life with a family and somehow still finds the time to indulge her two passions in life, writing and gaming; sometimes both at the same time.

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Streamer Banned For Using Racist Emotes That Twitch Approved - TheGamer

A police force in London labelled Extinction Rebellion one of its key threats in a counter-terrorism assessment and provided awareness training on the climate crisis group across the capital, resulting in intelligence tip-offs.

City of London police grouped the environmental protest movement alongside far-right organisations in an assessment of its counter-terrorism operations seen by the Guardian.

The report provides further evidence that Extinction Rebellion has become of interest to counter-terrorism police after the Guardian revealed that the group was included in anti-radicalisation materials alongside violent far-right and jihadist groups.

Provided to a scrutiny committee of the City of London Corporation, the report detailed the police forces performance against different measures including the capability and impact the force is having against countering terrorist activity.

In a detailed summary of its performance in countering terrorism, the report said: The force has continued close liaison (which has included the dissemination of intelligence) with partners and pan-London agencies regarding the key threats, particularly with regard to far-right organisations and Extinction Rebellion.

CTSAs (counter-terrorism security advisers) have delivered Action Counter Terrorism (ACT) awareness training across the City, including bespoke presentations to organisations. This has resulted in an increase in intelligence being submitted to the force by ACT-trained security personnel.

The report was discussed at a hearing of the scrutiny committee in June last year. Another paragraph said: The key issues continue to be threats relating to international terrorism and domestic terrorism. In addition, the high-profile actions of Extinction Rebellion, which centred around non-violent disobedience, results in some disruption in the City, with the potential for the event to be hijacked or infiltrated by more extremist groups.

Paul Stephens, an Extinction Rebellion member and former Metropolitan police detective sergeant, said on behalf of the movement: With each new example revealed by the Guardian, the categorisation of Extinction Rebellion with terrorist groups looks more like a strategy to encourage intelligence gathering than an error and is in complete contradiction to the words of counter-terrorism policing. It is an obvious and unethical tactic which could lose the trust of valued sources.

We will never knowingly mislead the police, so why not speak to us directly? I hope that the gravity of this emergency and the need for communication and cooperation is understood.

A City of London police spokesperson said: City of London police does not consider Extinction Rebellion to be a terrorist organisation. Ahead of the protests in the summer, our officers, who have regular contact with businesses in the area, spoke to them to ask them to consider the impact of the protests on their business continuity, and to make plans accordingly.

The Guardian revealed this month that Extinction Rebellion had been placed on a list of extremist ideologies that should be reported to authorities running the Prevent programme. Last week it was revealed that Greenpeace, Peta and other non-violent groups were included in a counter-terrorism police document distributed to medical staff and teachers as part of anti-extremism briefings.

Police chiefs said any such advice was issued by Counter Terrorism Policing South East (CTPSE) in the south-east of England and not in any other part of the UK, and they branded it an error of judgment and vowed to recall the guidance.

City of London falls under a separate division of the CT policing network, Counter Terrorism Command (SO15), along with the Metropolitan police.

The Guardian has since heard from teachers and council workers across the country who have received Prevent training that referenced Extinction Rebellion.

A teacher from south London described a Prevent training session held at her school by a Home Office official, organised by the borough council last September. As part of the training, she was shown an image of a bag with an XR badge affixed.

She told the Guardian: The specialist went through five or six different groups there was far right, Islamism, they were all things Id seen before. The one that did stand out was Extinction Rebellion and climate protesting.

A council housing officer whose borough falls within the counter-terrorism policing east region said two police officers provided a Prevent training session to staff in June last year in which they included Extinction Rebellion.

I was unable to concentrate for the rest of the session as I was so shocked by the appearance of Extinction Rebellion, they said.

A teacher at a college in the Midlands said they were in a induction session in November last year, a large part of which was given over to a representative from a West Midlands counter-terrorism unit.

For the most part she focused on rightwing threats but there was one slide that detailed some alt-right extremist groups alongside XR and surprisingly, Greenpeace, they said. It is entirely inappropriate that XR be considered a terrorist threat or even a group that is to be monitored. Doing so diminishes the threat from other groups and also utterly negates XRs agenda of challenging climate change.

In the north-west, evidence emerged of a Prevent interest in stickers advocating anti-fascism and tougher action on climate change, with images of the stickers circulated to council managers. One questioned why such causes were being included in Prevents work and lodged a complaint in late December 2018.

Read the rest here:
Extinction Rebellion listed as 'key threat' by counter-terror police - The Guardian

Captain America may have retired and gotten old, but the Marvel Cinematic Universes other Captain is just getting started. Disney announced today that a sequel to Captain Marvel is officially underway. Brie Larson will play Carol Danvers once again, although original directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck will not be returning for the sequel, so Marvel is currently searching for a female director to take the reigns.

Its not a surprise that Marvel is making a Captain Marvel sequel. The first movie made $1.13 billion, and the heroine has proved very popular. Shes an important part of the MCUs future, both within fiction (as shes the most powerful hero around) and in the real world, because shes going to be one of the pivotal tent poles supporting the franchise now that Iron Man and Captain America are gone.

Even though its no mystery why Disney would make a Captain Marvel sequel, the future of the MCU is still quite mysterious at the moment. Avengers: Endgame marked the end of a decade-long saga, and the upcoming Phase Four will be the start of something quite new. Sure, some established heroes like Captain Marvel, Black Panther, and the Guardians of the Galaxy are coming back, but not right away. First, Marvels going to take some creative risks, and well soon see exactly what that means for the future of its ever-expanding universe. Heres a breakdown of whats next in the MCU (both in theaters and on Disney+) and what it means. Please note that movies and TV shows, even in a franchise like the MCU, should be able to be enjoyed on their own merits rather than just as pieces of a puzzle. That said, its hard not to speculate how these titles might connect, given the success of the Infinity Saga.

The first upcoming MCU movie doesnt actually move the MCU forwardit takes it back in time instead. Black Widows long-awaited solo movie appears to be a prequel to Endgame (considering she, spoilers obviously, died in that movie), so while Black Widow will likely reveal new secrets about Natasha Romanoffs past, it probably wont introduce the franchises next Thanos, or whatever overarching plot might be next.

Eternals is where things get importantand weird. This is probably the MCUs biggest risk, as the Eternals are a fairly obscure (but influential) group of comic characters that are essentially the Marvel Universes Gods, for lack of a better term. The movie, which stars Angelina Jolie, newly ripped Kumail Nanjiani, Kit Harington, and more, will likely be cosmic in scale, and will introduce viewers to a whole new side of the MCU. Exactly what that entails is a mystery for now, but it will almost assuredly have long-lasting ramifications for future plots.

Two Marvel series are hitting Disney+ this year, though its unclear which will premiere first. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, which brings back Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan to reprise their film roles, will likely explore the post-Endgame careers of two established Avengersone of whom now wields Captain Americas shield. Daniel Brhl, who played Helmut Zemo in Civil War, will also appear in the series, suggesting that the duo will battle with him again. Beyond that, the plots a mystery.

Marvel is hyping WandaVision up to be very important to the larger plot of the MCU, and the events of the series will directly tie into Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. If Disney+s promise that the TV shows are going to be essential viewing for the films is to be believed, this is the first real test. WandaVisions exact plot is still an intriguing mystery, but it seems we'll see Elisabeth Olsen and Paul Bettanys characters living in some eerie 50s style paradise, which is unsettling because Vision is currently dead in the main continuity. Supposedly, the series will explain how Wanda gets her Scarlet Witch moniker, and Teyonah Parris joins the cast playing an adult version of Captain Marvel's Monica Rambeau, who in the comics is also the superhero Spectrum.

Simu Liu will play Shang-Chi, a martial arts-based superhero and, notably, Marvels first Asian-lead. Interestingly, the titular Ten Rings belong to The Mandarin, who was revealed to be a hoax when he was portrayed by Ben Kingsley in Iron Man 3. Tony Leung will play the real deal in Shang-Chi.

Tom Hiddleston returns to play the alternate timeline version of Loki who escaped with the Space Stone during Avengers: Endgames return to the Battle of New York. Since the series presumably takes place outside the main MCU continuity, youd think this probably wouldnt have many ramifications for the main plot, but Loki is reported to tie into the next, multiverse-hopping movie in the MCU...

With two Disney+ series reportedly leading up to the Doctor Strange sequel, it seems likely that this will be an important movie for the structure of the MCU. Benedict Cumberbatch and his good-not-great American accent will return, and a purported plot synopsis indicates that Chiwetel Ejiofors Karl Mordo will unleash catastrophe as he attempts to get rid of sorcerers. Elizabeth Olsen will also appear in the film. Director Scott Derrickson left the project earlier this year.

Because Sony and Marvel made up, there will be a third Spider-Man film starring Tom Holland in the MCU. Presumably, theyll find some way to work home into the title of this one, and it will likely explore Peter Parkers life after Mysterio outed his secret identity. The plot is currently unknown, and its also unclear if any of Sonys standalone movies, like Venom or Morbius, will matter. Licensing rights are so exhausting.

This animated series will, like the comic its named after, explore tantalizing alternate Marvel histories. For instance, what if Peggy Carter took the super-serum instead of Steve Rogers? What if TChalla became Star-Lord? And what if zombies invaded the MCU? Should be fun and, by design, not essential to driving the larger plot of the franchise forward.

Taika Waititi comes back to recapture some of that Ragnarok magic, this time joined by a returning Natalie Portman, whose Jane Foster will become the new Thor. Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson also return, with Thompsons Valkyrie confirmed to be the franchises first major LGBTQ character. This movie should be lots of fun, but its too far in the distance to make any real guesses about how it slots into any larger vision for the MCU. Whether or not the Guardians of the Galaxy, who Thor was last seen flying off with in Endgame, will appear in Love and Thunder is unclear.

Everyones favorite archer is getting a Disney+ series. Jeremy Renner will return as Clint Barton, and hell be training a new character, fan-favorite comics character Kate Bishop, to take over the Hawkeye mantle.

Were now getting into what should be Phase Five, so making real predictions about what the MCU is going to look like would be like building the third floor of a house without having seen blueprints for the second story. Many of the established top-tier heroes are coming back for sequels, though, including Black Panther. Ryan Coogler will return to direct TChallas next adventure.

The third Guardians of the Galaxy was delayed when Disney fired (and later rehired) James Gunn as a result of a targeted campaign from members of the alt-right. It was a whole exhausting thing, but vol. 3 is happening once Gunn finishes making The Suicide Squad for Marvels rival, DC. The plot is unknown, but there are many dangling threads that the movie could explore, like the alternate timeline version of Gamora, Adam Warlock, or Thors pseudo-membership in the Guardians. Filming is expected to begin this year.

Peyton Reed is confirmed to return to direct a third Ant-Man movie, possibly for a 2022 release. There arent many more details, but its certainly possible that Scott Langs daughter Cassie, who is older now as a result of Endgames time jump, could take on her comic book superhero identity of Stature/Stinger. No confirmation about that yet, though.

As mentioned earlier, there arent many details about the Captain Marvel sequel, though its said to be set in the present day, rather than the originals 90s timeframe.

At 2019s D23 Expo, news broke that Kamala Khan, a teenage Muslim heroine and arguably the most popular new character of the past decade, will come to Disney+ for a Mrs. Marvel series. It would make sense that this series could tie into the Captain Marvel movie, given that Kamala was inspired by Carol Danvers in the comic, but thats not confirmed.

The 2019 D23 Expo also saw news about a Moon Knight series, which will follow the adventures of a somewhat mystical hero who also has multiple personalities.

Finally, a She-Hulk series was also announced at that same D23 Expo, though there are not many additional details. The series will presumably follow the legal exploits of Jennifer Walters, Bruce Banners cousin who gains Hulk-like powers following an emergency blood infusion.

These next movies are all way out there, so there are essentially no details about them beyond word that Marvel is pursuing them. During last years San Diego Comic Con, Marvel announced that Mahershala Ali will play the vampire hunter Blade in a future movie, although there were no details about when that movie might come out. Its not part of Phase Fourthats all we know.

Similarly, because Disney owns Fox, Marvel once again has the film rights to the Fantastic Four. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige revealed at Comic Con that theyre going to make a Fantastic Four movie, but there were no further details. Fun, though!

Similarly, Feige said that Marvel was developing movies based on the X-Men franchise now that Disney owned the film rights, but there were no additional details. He did, however, say the MCUs X-Men would be different from the Fox films, though its unclear what that means.

Finally, for now, Ryan Reynolds confirmed in December that a third Deadpool movie is on the way from Marvel Studios. Given that Deadpools whole shtick is being R-rated, and the Disney-owned MCU is pretty family friendly, your guess is as good as mine as how this is all going to work.

Let's untangle all the super-powered cinematic worlds.

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Where Captain Marvel 2 Fits Into the MCU's Future Timeline - GQ

STUFF

White nationalist group the Dominion Movement said it was on "hiatus" after the Christchurch mosque shootings on Friday March 15, 2019.

A soldier charged with sharing military information that threatened New Zealand's security was leading a growing white nationalist movement.

The 27-year-old soldier, who has name suppression, was arrested in December at Linton Military Camp in circumstances that were shroudedin secrecy.

The man had been planning a trip to Russia for ChristmasStuffrevealed at the time. He is now being supervised by the Defence Force while awaiting a military court trial.

He is charged with accessing a computer system for a dishonest purpose and for disclosing information that prejudiced the security or defence of New Zealand. It is not known who he supplied the information to.

READ MORE:*Soldier with far-right links accused of disclosing military information*Arrested New Zealand soldier with far-right ties was questioned after March 15 attacks*The 'growing' white nationalist group with a 'harmful and violent' ideology*What is known about theidentitarianmovement backed by the Christchurch shooting accused*Austria considers dissolving far-right group amid Christchurch shooting link probe

Stuff has confirmed the soldier was behind an online profile namedJohannWolfe, a self-described co-founder of the white nationalist group the 'Dominion Movement', which subscribed to the sameidentitarianpolitics as the March 15 terror suspect.

DEFENCE FORCE/SUPPLIED

A New Zealand soldier who allegedly distributed stolen military information was a co-founder of far-right group the Dominion Movement.

The group shut down its internet presence in the hours after the Christchurch mosque attacks, but a seemingly identical group - 'Action Zealandia' - has since emerged and earlier this month vandalised signage at a National Party office in Auckland.

The soldier was also questioned by police after March 15, Stuff has previously reported.

The soldier, under the pseudonym, was interviewed by the Australian alt-right podcast station The Convict Report produced by white nationalist group The Dingoes which also shut down afterthe March 15 attack.

A source close to the soldier has confirmed to Stuff the soldier is the person named JohannWolfe in the podcast interview.

Those close to the soldier weredevastated after listening to the content of the interview, according to the source.

"It's heartbreaking listening to this. I know his family, this is not how he was raised," they said.

The soldier told the interviewers of their success at gaining new recruits for the white nationalist group.

"We're getting a reputation. We have a well-fostered public image of being well-natured and well-intentioned," he said.

"We focus on the positives rather than the negatives: the love of our own culture and our own heritage, instead of what we hate about other races - which is an easy trap to fall into."

He describes his own entry to the far-right ideology, saying he found solace in online humour after feeling "beaten over the head" for being white.

The soldier then spends much of the interview making what many would regard as racist remarks about Mori, and talks "extreme anti-European agitation" from the Government.

The Dominion Movementgroup, on its website, claimed meetings with both Australian counterparts from 'Identity Australia' and with Kerry Bolton, the former secretary of the white nationalist group National Front.

The soldier's involvement in white nationalist groups did not end after March 15.

His arrest first came to light aftermembers of the far-right Christian group Wargus Christi began talking about a member being arrested in a chatroom on the Telegram app.

"One of our boys has been arrested for reasons still unknown," a message from the Wargus Christi group read.

Whether he was involved with Action Zealandia, an apparentsuccessor to the Dominion Movement, is unknown.

Members of Action Zealandiagroup mask their identities on online posts, and have been plastering their white nationalist message in cities around the country.

On January 10, the group posted a series of images showing its members defacingsigns at the National Party's Greenlane office, due to it housing the office of Chinese MP Jian Yang.

Both the Defence Force and police were continuing a combined criminal investigation into the soldier.

Questions put to the New Zealand SecurityIntelligence Service were not answered.

Defence Minister Ron Mark in December alluded to the soldier posing a security risk to New Zealand.

"I'd like to think that any Government department that has the security interests of this nation at heart would be monitoring itself, as well," he said.

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Soldier alleged to have traded military information was leader of white nationalist group - Stuff.co.nz