'Last Week Tonight' examines ICE & DHS and police body cameras

I made a hopediction in the middle of 'SNL' addresses attack on Iran in cold open and Weekend Update.

Looks like Netflix buys Warner Brothers turned out to be wrong while NBC and CNBC report on likely Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger turned out to be wrong. I'm not happy about that, but not as unhappy as John Oliver will be. I'm looking forward to see what he says tonight. If it's about this deal, I'll post it tomorrow. Stay tuned.

Oliver had two comments about Paramount purchasing Warner Bros. Discovery, but the first one didn't get uploaded to YouTube and the second is buried deep inside last night's main story. I'll embed that after the season premiere, ICE & DHS.

John Oliver discusses ICE’s repeated atrocities over the past months and explores the massive entity overseeing it all: the Department of Homeland Security. How it started, who runs it, and how many hats Kristi Noem owns.

I knew DHS was big, but I didn't know it was the third largest federal government department by number of employees behind the Department of Defense (not War, not until Congress acts) and Department of Veterans Affairs. By size of budget, DHS is sixth behind Health and Human Services, Defense, Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, and Transportation. Welcome to the US government being an insurance company with an army. That's still a lot of money. As the graphic below shows, ICE alone has a budget larger than militaries of Turkey, Spain, and the Netherlands and just smaller than Canada's.


All of those are facts I didn't know before watching this segment, which meant that I learned three new things, making today a good day.

Now for the sequel, last night's Police Body Cameras. Watch carefully for the remark about Paramount; blink and you'll miss it.

John Oliver discusses why police body cameras can be useful, or useless, depending on whether they’re used properly, and yeah, he also discusses what it looks like to arrest a giant mouse. Because of course he does.

In theory, body cameras are a good thing, but we should be careful, if not downright vigilant, about how police use them in practice. This includes review of body camera footage, the equivalent of which Oliver seems to be daring Paramount to do to his show. Looks like he will have an even more hostile relationship with Paramount than he had with AT&T. That should be entertaining.

Since I haven't featured Oliver since 'Last Week Tonight' examines police chases, I'm closing by recognizing an award the show won, Best Variety Series at the Critics Choice Awards.


Congratulations! May the new ownership keep Oliver around for the awards the show wins, although that didn't save Stephen Colbert. Then again, Paramount renewed The Daily Show, so there's hope.

That's a wrap for today. Stay tuned for three holidays, Purim, Holi, and Marching Music Day, closer looks at the Iran war, and more Saturn Awards coverage.

'SNL' addresses attack on Iran in cold open and Weekend Update

I told my readers to stay tuned for highlights of last night's Saturday Night Live as today's Sunday entertainment feature to commence March's blogging. I wrote "SNL has lots of news to laugh at so we and they don't cry" and they didn't disappoint, beginning with Trump Iran War Address Cold Open.

President Trump (James Austin Johnson) and Sec. Hegseth (Colin Jost) speak after the United States launched a series of military strikes against Iran.

I was hoping for a mocking of the State of the Union, but, no, Donald "Hoover Harding Cleveland" Trump had to top himself just four days later. The result was this cold open with whatever the writers could come up with in one day. They weren't happy about it, either.

Colin and the attack returned in Weekend Update: U.S. Launches Attack on Iran; Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei Killed.

Weekend Update anchors Colin Jost and Michael Che tackle the week’s biggest news, like Hillary Clinton's Jeffery Epstein testimony.

At least the State of the Union got covered here. So did the Epstein Files, which became the subject line of Picture of Stephen Hawking in Epstein Files Goes Viral.

Weekend Update anchors Colin Jost and Michael Che tackle the week’s biggest news, like American Girl Doll collectors complaining about alleged changes to the dolls.

Looks like Netflix buys Warner Brothers turned out to be wrong while NBC and CNBC report on likely Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger turned out to be wrong. I'm not happy about that, but not as unhappy as John Oliver will be. I'm looking forward to see what he says tonight. If it's about this deal, I'll post it tomorrow. Stay tuned.

I wish I were surprised at Hawking being in the Epstein files. If I have learned nothing else from this scandal, it's that Epstein was relentless in cozying up to rich, powerful, and influential men and a lot of those men not only didn't resist his efforts, but seemed to enjoy them. Hawking was one of them. Surprised, no. Disappointed, yes.

Follow over the jump for Weekend Update's interviews and the monologue.

Randy Rainbow sings 'The Fate of Melania' and other parodies

I told my readers, "Stay tuned for an entertainment entry I will share next month. Randy Rainbow just uploaded a new song!" Watch and listen as Randy performs The Fate of Melania.

Parody of “The Fate of Ophelia’” (Taylor Swift, Max Martin, and Shellback)

Parody Lyrics by Randy Rainbow
Song Produced, Orchestrated, Mixed, Mastered by: Michael J Moritz Jr @michaeljmoritz

Vocal Arrangement by Brett Boles @thebrettboles
All Vocals: Randy Rainbow
Piano, Synths -Michael J Moritz Jr
Drums - Tom Jorgensen

Of course the Melania documentary inspired Randy, but so did Taylor Swift. Watch Taylor Swift - The Fate of Ophelia (Official Music Video) to see who else Randy is parodying.



The official music video for "The Fate of Ophelia"
I'm looking forward to seeing this song and video nominated for multiple GRAMMYs later this year.

This is not the first time Randy has mocked Melania Trump. The first time was nine years ago in RANDY RAINBOW Interviews MELANIA TRUMP!.


"A woman whose initials, when spoken aloud, not only describe her mind but her body and soul." *Snork* She hasn't changed these past nine years, inside and out.

That interview needed a song, which Randy provided his second time around with her in Just BE BEST!



THE RANDY RAINBOW SHOW: "Just Be Best!"
Randy has changed; he didn't include that this a parody of "Be Our Guest" in the video description, although maybe he didn't need to; it's exactly what I expected.

That's a wrap for today and the month of February. Stay tuned for highlights of tonight's Saturday Night Live as tomorrow's Sunday entertainment feature to begin March's blogging. SNL has lots of news to laugh at so we and they don't cry.

PBS Terra asks 'Is This the ABSOLUTE Worst Case Tipping Point?'

I had other plans for today's post, but then my wife and I watched Weathered on PBS Terra asking Is This the ABSOLUTE Worst Case Tipping Point?*

What happens when a planet crosses a climate tipping point it can’t recover from? Venus may hold the answer.

Scientists think Venus once had oceans, water, and a climate that may have resembled early Earth. But something pushed the planet past a threshold. Water evaporated, greenhouse warming spiraled, and Venus became the hottest planet in our solar system.

So what was that tipping point? And could anything like it happen on Earth?

In this episode of Weathered, Maiya May explores the science behind runaway greenhouse effects, ancient volcanic carbon releases, and one of the most surprising climate wildcards scientists have discovered: the potential collapse of stratocumulus clouds.

From crocodiles in the Arctic during past hothouse climates to cutting-edge models of cloud loss under extreme CO2 levels, this episode investigates what keeps Earth’s climate stable and what could push it toward irreversible change.

Earth isn’t turning into Venus anytime soon. But Venus reveals something more important: what happens when a planet loses its brakes.

My wife and I found this fascinating because we're both scientists who are concerned about climate change and interested in space. While my wife is a psychologist who uses the experimental method, I'm a paleontologist who uses the comparative method and modeling. That was enough to get me to blog about this video today, since it ticked off so many of my boxes.

One of those boxes is that it referred back to PBS Terra warns 'There's Something MUCH Bigger Than Yellowstone. And It Will Happen Again.' I enjoyed it except the way Maiya May presented it seemed to imply that the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) was associated with the eruption of the Columbia River Basalts. That happened during the Miocene, not the terminal Paleocene and earliest Eocene. The original video made it clear that the PETM is contemporaneous with the North Atlantic Igneous Province, just in case my readers were as confused as I was.

That was something I learned back in November. The new fact I learned today was about how stratocumulus clouds, which form at the top of the marine layer, work and what the model predicts would happen when carbon dioxide levels go about 1200 ppm. That makes today a good day, as any day I learn something new is a good day.

This wraps up today's evergreen educational entry. Stay tuned for an entertainment entry I will share next month. Randy Rainbow just uploaded a new song!

*I was planning on writing this week's version of Lydic, Meyers, Kimmel, and Colbert take closer looks at the 'Melania' documentary and other news, but the comedians didn't have a common theme to their monologues and my wife found a shinier object. Besides, Saturday Night Live will cover the week's news tomorrow night, so I'm not worried about missing anything.

'Andor' vs. 'Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' and 'Severance' for Best Science Fiction Television Series at the Saturn Awards

I told my readers to "stay tuned for this year's version of Star Trek vs. Star Wars at the Saturn Awards as I examine the nominees for Best Science Fiction Television Series" twice, so I'm following through with the nominees in this category.

Best Science Fiction Television Series:

Andor
The Ark
Foundation
Severance
Silo
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

As Deadline Hollywood reported, Andor leads this category with five nominations, followed by Star Trek: Strange New Worlds with four, Severance with three, and The Ark, Foundation, and Silo with just this one. Both Andor and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds are previous Saturn Award winners, the former Best New Genre Television Series in 2024 and the latter Best Science Fiction Television Series in 2022, making both fan choices. Andor would also be a professional choice, as it earned five Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series. Of course, the real professional choice is Severance, which won eight Emmy Awards this season, so I voted for it. I'd be pleasantly surprised if it wins; I think Andor and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds are more likely to take home the trophy of the planet with film for its rings.

There are two more categories with Star Wars nominees. I'll get to them after horror and fantasy. Stay tuned.

Previous posts about the 53rd Saturn Awards

• 'Avatar: Fire and Ash' leads Best Science Fiction Film nominees at the Saturn Awards
• 'Sinners' leads Best Thriller Film nominees at the Saturn Awards
• 'Fantastic Four: First Steps' vs. 'Superman' for Best Cinematic Adaptation Film at the Saturn Awards
• 'Wicked: For Good' leads Best Fantasy Film at the Saturn Awards
• 'Frankenstein' leads Best Horror Film at the Saturn Awards for Friday the 13th
• 'Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning' leads Best Action/Adventure Film at the Saturn Awards
• 'Dust Bunny' leads Best Independent Film at the Saturn Awards
• Animation and International Film nominees at the Saturn Awards
• 'Dexter: Resurrection' leads television nominees at the Saturn Awards

CNBC explains 'How America Got Hooked On Cars,' a driving update

I promised a driving update for today, so I begin with CNBC explaining How America Got Hooked On Cars.

Americans drive much more than in any other country – twice as much as the average German, for example. And the actual experience of driving isn’t quite as romantic as the image. Drivers are often stuck in traffic. Cars pump out pollution. Less walking means less exercise. Cars also can kill people. Some skeptics say, indeed–cars are awesome. But they got a lot of help from favorable policies and strong lobbies. CNBC spoke with some researchers and looked at numbers to get the full picture of why Americans became so dependent on cars.

This video reminds me of both CityNerd explains 'All the Ways Car Dependency Is Wrecking Us' and CityNerd explains 'Why Traffic Is Worse Than Ever (and can NYC fix it?)', both of which I used as regular posts and not as driving updates. It also reminds me of the history of suburbia in The End of Suburbia, which I last wrote about in depth in CNBC explains the problems of suburbia and their possible solutions. I don't miss the movie — "Treasures of the Earth: Power" is much more up-to-date, accessible, and positive — but I still want to explore its issues about transportation and land use. At least CNBC explored solutions in an encouraging way.

That's the general situation. Follow over the jump for my personal update.

'Dexter: Resurrection' leads television nominees at the Saturn Awards

I promised coverage of the television nominees at the Saturn Awards as this week's Sunday entertainment feature, but technology didn't cooperate twice, then the router arrived today and my wife set it up while I was at work — thanks! — so I'm uploading it today.

I begin by returning to Deadline Hollywood, which reported "Among the TV nominees, Showtime/Paramount+’s Dexter: Resurrection led the way with six nominations, followed by Andor, It: Welcome to Derry and Stranger Things with five apiece." This list, which passed my accuracy check, sets my agenda for the first four posts examining the television nominees, so I begin with Dexter: Resurrection and the shows nominated against it.

Best Thriller Television Series:

Dark Winds
Dexter: Resurrection
The Lowdown
MobLand
The Rainmaker
Your Friends and Neighbors

As Deadline Hollywood reported, Dexter: Resurrection leads both all television nominees and the nominees in this category with six nominations, while the rest of the nominees in this field have only this one nomination, so it's the favorite. It helps that at least two accounts on Twitter are mounting an awards campaign for Dexter: Resurrection. I didn't vote for it. Instead, I voted for Dark Winds, which my wife and I are fans of. I won't be disappointed if it loses to Dexter: Resurrection. In fact, I expect it.

I won't complain about the quality of the field, but I'm making a note to myself to submit my own list of thriller and mystery TV series next December. If I had done so last year, it wouldn't have changed my vote or the likely winner, but I might at least know who the other nominees are.

Follow over the jump for the actors from Dexter: Resurrection nominated at the Saturn Awards.

Still no Sunday entertainment feature

My wife turned her phone into a mobile hot spot and I was able to connect my desktop to it and read my blog, but I could not upload my post.  At least we tried. The router should arrive tomorrow and I have one entry ready to share and two more at least half-written. I'll be ready when I can do more than post from my phone. Stay tuned!

No Sunday entertainment feature today

 I have the post written, but my router failed last night, so I can't upload it from my desktop. I'm writing this on my phone. My wife and I have ordered a new router that will be shipped overnight. When it arrives and is installed, I will upload the entry. Stay tuned.

Bright Sun Films 'Toys R Us 2026 Update,' a tale of the Retail Apocalypse

I haven't written a blog post dedicated to Toys R Us since 2021's The history of the Times Square Toys R Us and evolution of Geoffrey the Giraffe, tales of the Retail Apocalypse, although Erik of Retail Archaeology mentioned the Toys R Us stores within a store as the second video in 2022's Company Man asks 'The Decline of Macy's...What Happened?' for Black Friday/Buy Nothing Day, a tale of the Retail Apocalypse. Neither of those served as a full update to The death and rebirth of Toys R Us, a tale of the Retail Apocalypse for Black Friday/Buy Nothing Day seven years ago. Without any further ado, I'm sharing Jake Williams of Bright Sun Films giving his Toys R Us 2026 Update.

Since it's complete liquidation in 2018, the Toys R Us brand was seemingly dead. However, following its revival in 2019 with brand new stores, it appeared that the brand had a new lease on life. But, even that resurgence was plagued with issues and now with new owners, Toys R Us is back for a third time! Join me today for this updated look on what has happened with the iconic Toys R Us company.

While I'm happy to see Toys R Us return to the U.S., I'm sad to see what's happened to the brand in Canada and Australia. The Retail Apocalypse is not just an American phenomenon; just ask Hudson's Bay Company.

That's a wrap for today. Stay tuned for coverage of the television nominees at the Saturn Awards as tomorrow's Sunday entertainment feature.