'Trump' hijacks the Resurrection to sell Bibles on 'SNL' for Easter

Happy Easter! As I have the past two years, I'm celebrating with the Easter cold open from the previous night's Saturday Night Live. Watch as James Austin Johnson's Trump hijacks the Resurrection to sell Bibles in Easter Cold Open - SNL.

Donald Trump (James Austin Johnson) advertises his God Bless the USA bible.

With luck and hard work by his opponents, we won't have Donald Trump in power and possibly even the news next Easter. If we do, we'll have worse things to worry about than an SNL Easter skit with Trump as Pontius Pilate or the equivalent.

Mocking of TFG selling Bibles resumed in Weekend Update: Trump Selling $60 Bibles, Francis Scott Key Bridge Collapses.

Weekend Update anchors Colin Jost and Michael Che tackle the week's biggest news, like former Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama attending a fundraiser for President Joe Biden in New York City.

Wow, it was a busy news week! At least the SNL writers found time for Boeing's current problems, including Boeing’s embattled CEO being poised to walk away with millions. Nothing like a golden parachute for jumping out of a malfunctioning airplane!

Weekend Update continued with Robotic Police Dog Shot, Oppenheimer Premiers in Japan.

Weekend Update anchors Colin Jost and Michael Che tackle the week’s biggest news, like a famous Washington D.C. cherry blossom tree getting chopped down.

The Oscar-winning Oppenheimer opening in Japan makes today's post worthy of being the Sunday entertainment feature. A robotic police "dog" being shot reminds us that we live in science fiction times complete with 21st Century crime scenes. Also, pour one out for poor Stumpy, although the tree's genes will live on.

Follow over the jump for the rest of Weekend Update, two Ramadan skits, and a recap of last year's top SNL posts.

Randy Rainbow asks 'HOW WILL YOU VOTE?' for Flashback Friday

Happy Flashback Friday! It's finally time to start my retrospectives of the top posts of the 13th year of Crazy Eddie's Motie News with the subject of the top entry actually posted during the blogging year just ended, Randy Rainbow.* Since this is a Flashback Friday, Randy is not putting out new videos while he's on tour, and the major party presidential nominees will almost certainly be the same as four years ago, I'm celebrating today with a video that turns out to be just as timely now as it was then, Randy asking HOW WILL YOU VOTE? - A Randy Rainbow Song Parody.


I know who I'm voting for in November. Do you?

Follow over the jump for the top posts featuring Randy Rainbow during the 13th year of this blog.

The history of Giving Tuesday

Happy Giving Tuesday! I'm going back to the creation of the holiday with PBS NewsHour describing How Henry Timms was inspired to create Giving Tuesday in 2018.

Henry Timms is the creator of Giving Tuesday and co-author of the bestselling book “New Power,” which explores how people gather and galvanize today, often via social media. For this week’s That Moment When, Steve Goldbloom speaks with Timms, who explains why “we need to stop seeing people as donors and start seeing them as owners.”

As The Belfer Center for Innovation & Social Impact (92NY), the 92nd Street Y is a member of Bridge Alliance, which I have volunteered for since it absorbed the Coffee Party in 2021. Knowing that a member organization helped create this day gives me a warm feeling about my involvement.

That was the past. WUSA gave an update on the tenth anniversary of the day's creation in VERIFY: What's the history of Giving Tuesday?.

On the 10th anniversary of the holiday following consumer holidays such as Black Friday and Cyber Monday, Verify looks at how Giving Tuesday changed donation habits.

The categories Woodrow Rosenbaum named that showed the most growth during the pandemic remind me of the ones Charity Navigator uses. Since I'm a big fan of Charity Navigator, that pleases me, too. I recommend my readers use that site to look for worthy nonprofits to contribute to.

Speaking of nonprofits and the pandemic, watch as the Michigan Nonprofit Association explains Michigan’s Unsung Heroes: How Nonprofits Stepped Up During the Pandemic.

When 2020 began, no one imagined the challenges Michigan’s residents and its economy would face. Especially nonprofits. But in the face of pandemic-induced hardships, nonprofits stepped up and played a pivotal role in keeping Michigan afloat during difficult times. They provided essential services, aid, and unwavering support to communities in need. Nonprofits were the safety net.

Take a look at their remarkable story of survival and service.

I listed some Michigan charities worthy of donations last year.

I like this list, which includes food banks like Forgotten Harvest, animal welfare organizations like the Michigan Humane Society, and political advocacy groups like the ACLU of Michigan. As I wrote nine years ago, Detroit has great charities.

After a week of holiday posts, it's time to return to current events. Stay tuned.

Hey, I'm an environmentalist. I recycle!

WatchMojo's 'Top 20 Stores That Don't Exist Anymore' for Throwback Thursday, tales of the Retail Apocalypse

Happy Throwback Thursday! I'm observing today by sharing WatchMojo's Top 20 Stores That Don't Exist Anymore.

These stores are staples of history, but they sadly don't exist anymore. For this list, we’ll be looking at retail outlets that were once the pinnacle of your shopping experience, and are now a faded memory. Our countdown includes Borders, Radio Shack, KB Toys, Sharper Image, and more! Have you ever shopped at one of these places? Let us know in the comments...

Readers who have been following my tales of the Retail Apocalypse should recognize a lot of the defunct chains mentioned in this video, which lives up to my description of the channel's product as "high-quality, well-researched clickbait that is worth sharing." I hope my readers enjoyed this trip back through memory lane as much as I did and learned something as well.

Follow over the jump for the top posts about the Retail Apocalypse during the twelfth year of Crazy Eddie's Motie News.

PBS NewsHour describes 'The state of COVID in the U.S. three years into pandemic'

In the spirit of "tragedy tomorrow, comedy tonight," I'm moving from Colbert and Meyers return from a week off to take closer looks at the rally in Waco and waiting for an indictment yesterday to an update on the pandemic today with PBS NewsHour's The state of COVID in the U.S. three years into pandemic.

Three years into the pandemic, cases, hospitalizations and deaths are all declining. But questions remain about new variants and whether some people may need a spring booster shot, and there are many concerns about the impact of long COVID. Epidemiologist Katelyn Jetelina joined William Brangham with an update on the state of COVID in the U.S.

I just got my second booster shot today, so I'm already following the advice to get one. I'm also still wearing my mask in public indoor spaces, which leads to ABC News' As COVID-19 protection measures go away, high-risk Americans remain concerned.

Nearly three years after the start of the pandemic, almost all restrictions for COVID-19 safety have been dropped, but some Americans are still worried about their own health.

I'm a diabetic and asthmatic, so I have health issues that I feel I have to continue protecting myself. I'm also protecting my wife, who has her own health issues. I am nowhere near ready to to stop wearing my N95 masks. That will probably continue after the currently scheduled end of the pandemic on May 11, 2023. I'm returning to PBS NewsHour as it asks and answers What happens when U.S. COVID emergency measures end in May?

Since the start of the pandemic, both former President Trump and President Biden have repeatedly renewed a special declaration of a national and public health emergency. But the government’s approach toward COVID has dramatically changed and Biden said he would allow that emergency declaration to end in May. William Brangham spoke with Lawrence Gostin about what it will mean.

I'm not looking forward to the end of the health emergency, the timing of which has been set by politics, not science.

As my readers could gather, the theme of today's Wayback Wednesday retrospective is top posts about the pandemic. Follow over the jump to see those and how they earned their page views.

Randy Rainbow sings 'Life's a (bleep)ing Fantasy for Santos' on Flashback Friday

Happy Flashback Friday! For the first retrospective of the twelfth year of this blog's top posts, I'm examining the most read entries examining George Santos and featuring the song and dance of Randy Rainbow with his latest, Life's a F***ing Fantasy for Santos - A Randy Rainbow Parody.

Parodies: "Jolly Holiday" from Mary Poppins (Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman)
"Georgy Girl" by The Seekers (Tom Springfield)

Parody lyrics: Randy Rainbow

Vocals: Randy Rainbow

Song Produced, Orchestrated, Mixed, Mastered by: Michael J Moritz Jr

Arrangement/Vocal Arrangement - Joel Waggoner

Piano/Orchestral - Michael J Moritz Jr
Guitar/Engineer - Jakob Reinhardt
Bass/Drums - Ryan Saranich

I'm recycling my reaction from Weekend Update on 'SNL' reports on Tucker Carlson, rats carrying COVID, and the Oscars: "My prediction that, as long as George Santos remains in the news, he will be an inspiration for comedy continues to come true." I can think of few people better equipped to mock him than Randy Rainbow.

Follow over the jump for the stories of how the top posts about George Santos and those featuring Randy Rainbow got their page views.

Happy Irish Coffee Day 2022!

Happy Irish Coffee Day! I skipped celebrating it on this last year, posting Talk show nominees at the 2021 Critics Choice Awards here and Celebrate Coffee Party USA's 11th birthday by giving a gift of $11.00 at Coffee Party USA's website instead.* I've decided to return to observing it here this year, especially since National Day Calendar just uploaded National Irish Coffee Day on January 25 today.

On a cold, wet day in 1942 weary travelers to the small Shannon Airport in southwest Ireland found their way to a restaurant and chef Joe Sheridan. To warm his guests, he served them hot coffee, spiked with whiskey and topped with whipped cream. The passengers asked if the beverage was Brazilian coffee. Sheridan responded that it was Irish coffee.

As soon as I saw this video in my search results, I subscribed to National Day Calendar's YouTube channel. I love holidays!

*The past four years, I've used today to fundraise for the Coffee Party. That's no longer my focus for today, as I explained in Colbert and Meyers take closer looks at the Taliban taking over Afghanistan.

Today is National Nonprofit Day, but beyond asking my readers to donate to their favorite nonprofit, I'm just not feeling it...That's because I'm no longer a director of a nonprofit and that nonprofit is no longer an independent organization with its own fundraising. If my readers want to support the Coffee Party and its parent organization Bridge Alliance, they can become a Friend of Bridge, contributions to which are tax deductible. They can also donate to whichever member of Bridge Alliance strikes their fancy. There, that's the pitch.

Since tomorrow is Coffee Party USA's 12th birthday, I recommend a donation of $12.00 to the Bridge Alliance Education Fund or whichever Bridge Alliance member strikes their fancy.

PBS NewsHour reports on Bridge Alliance members and others trying to build bridges across political divides

The second video I embedded in PBS NewsHour on voting rights mentioned a segment by Paul Solman. Here it is: Political polarization prompts efforts to bridge the gap through shared experiences.

PBS NewsHour spent much of last week trying to examine what still divides our country and the deep polarization that preceded the Jan. 6 riots. Now, Paul Solman looks at multiple efforts to bridge those major political and cultural fissures in the U.S., beginning with smaller steps forward.

I took particular interest in it because it mentioned Bridge Alliance members Braver Angels, BridgeUSA, Civic Health Project, and Common Ground Committee and showed their logos while explaining their work. That's because, while I'm no longer a director of Coffee Party USA and it's no longer an independent organization with its own fundraising, I'm working with its new parent organization Bridge Alliance promoting their work on Coffee Party USA's Facebook page. I couldn't resist noticing PBS featuring their work and sharing it with my readers. As much as outrage drives readership, I'd like to devote some energy to activism that lowers the emotional temperature. I hope at least some of my readers do, too.

Giving Tuesday in Michigan

Happy Giving Tuesday! I'm focusing on news reports about giving to Michigan charities this year, beginning with WXYZ's Giving Tuesday 2021: Metro Detroit organizations look for donations, volunteers.*

You've heard of Black Friday and Cyber Monday – two days of deals and shopping. But Tuesday marks Giving Tuesday, a day that has become one for generosity when people give to their favorite charities.

Forgotten Harvest is one of the charities I recommended four years ago and mentioned in At least Detroit has great charities, Detroit Zoo director's salary goes up along with zoo's rating as a charity and Forgotten Harvest's farm. I still recommend it, as my wife and I have donated to them before. I also recommend the rest of the charities I listed in those entries.

Follow over the jump for three reports from the west side of the state.

Part 3 of the 2020 Golden Coffee Cups movie shortlists: updated documentaries.

I promised "the third installment of the movie shortlists, which will recognize the appearances by public officials in shortlisted documentaries" in Part 2 of the 2020 Golden Coffee Cups movie shortlists: actors. That was two months ago. The reason for the delay was that I realized I needed to add the documentaries that qualified by being nominated at the News and Documentary Emmy Awards to the shortlisted films for the 2020 Golden Coffee Cups movie awards. Here is the updated list, which Coffee Party USA invites its followers to stream as a way of encouraging their appreciation of politics and government in film.

Best Documentary about Politics or Government of 2020 (Best Political Documentary)

20/20: In the Cold Dark Night
31 Days in March: The Month Coronavirus Unraveled American Business
76 Days
A Concerto Is a Conversation
A Love Song for Latasha
Advocate
Agents of Chaos
All In: The Fight for Democracy
Assassins
Athlete A
Belly of the Beast
Boys State
Bully. Coward. Victim. The Story of Roy Cohn
Challenger: The Final Flight
City Hall
Coded Bias
Colette
Collective
Crip Camp
Do Not Split
Essential but Deportable: Undocumented Immigrants in the Trump Era
Father Soldier Son
Feels Good Man
Finding Yingying
Frontline: Amazon Empire: The Rise and Reign of Jeff Bezos
Frontline: Inside Italy’s COVID War
Frontline: Opioids, Inc.
Frontline: Policing the Police 2020
Frontline: Return From ISIS
Frontline: Tutwiler
Frontline: United States of Conspiracy
Hunger Ward
I Am Greta
In Event of Moon Disaster John Lewis: Good Trouble
Kill Chain: The Cyber War on America's Election
Kingdom of Silence
Lessons of Auschwitz VR project
MLK/FBI
Mr. Soul!
Not Done: Women Remaking America
Notturno
Once Upon A Time In Iraq
Rebuilding Paradise
Rewind
Rising Phoenix
Scandalous: The Untold Story of the National Enquirer
Softie
Stockton on My Mind
The Art of Political Murder
The Fight
The Last Ice
The New Yorker Documentary: When Humanitarian Aid Is Considered a Crime
The Perfect Weapon
The Social Dilemma
The Trade
The Zo
The Way I See It
The Weekly: The Sicario
This Ain't Normal
Time
Totally Under Control
Trafficked with Mariana van Zeller: Scams
VOCES: Building the American Dream
Welcome to Chechnya
With Drawn Arms

Now that I've finished the updated list, I'll post the shortlist for Best Appearance of a Government Official in a Documentary during 2020 in part 4. I'm already compiling it, so stay tuned.

Coffee Party USA is a project of the Bridge Alliance Education Fund, the public education arm of Bridge Alliance, a coalition of 100 organizations working together for a thriving, just, and healthy democracy based on a culture of inclusivity and equity. Readers can support the Coffee Party's and Bridge Alliance's work by becoming a Friend of Bridge, which is tax deductible. Follow the Coffee Party at our website and on our Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

To be cross-posted to the Coffee Party USA blog.

Colbert and Meyers take closer looks at the Taliban taking over Afghanistan

Today is National Nonprofit Day, but beyond asking my readers to donate to their favorite nonprofit, I'm just not feeling it.* Instead, I'm examining a news event directly related to the description of the blog, the collapse of the Afghan government and its precipitous takeover by the Taliban. While I expected the eventual outcome, its swiftness shocked me so much that I have to process it through comedy. I begin with Stephen Colbert's monologue last night, Biden Faces Mounting Criticism As The Taliban Takes Control Of Afghanistan.

President Biden addressed the nation Monday afternoon to outline new goals for America's military mission in Afghanistan, as dramatic scenes of the Taliban's takeover of Kabul prompted harsh criticism of the president's withdrawal plan.

It only took a minute for Colbert to begin the comparisons to the fall of Saigon. At least that happened two years after the U.S. withdrew its troops and the South Vietnamese government and army put up a stiff fight the whole time. This time, the Afghan government and army gave up while the U.S. was still there, as President Biden pointed out. Frankly, I feel insulted, both by the Afghan government's (in)actions and the U.S. intelligence failure. I expressed what a waste of time, money, and lives the U.S. involvement in Afghanistan was ten years ago in We could have had the Moon, instead we get Afghanistan. Seeing this collapse a decade later demonstrates that I wasn't disgusted enough at the squandering of blood and treasure in "the Graveyard of Empires" at the time.

Colbert made two points as he closed out his monologue. First, our intervention in Afghanistan was a bipartisan failure of four administrations over 20 years. Second, there is nothing we can do about it in Afghanistan. Seth Meyers agreed with the first point but offered an alternative to the second in As US Withdraws from Afghanistan, Refugees Must Be Evacuated Immediately: A Closer Look.

Seth takes a closer look at the Taliban regaining control of Afghanistan as a 20 year foreign policy disaster that American officials from both parties bear responsibility for comes to a tragic end.

It took ten years for the U.S. to take out Osama bin Ladin and we stuck around for another decade. As for taking in Afghan refugees, that is another parallel to the fall of Saigon. The U.S. should at least accept the Afghans who worked for us and their families as refugees.

Seth closed by asking his viewers to donate to God's Love We Deliver. Just click the donate button at his video. That's one way of celebrating National Nonprofit Day.


*That's because I'm no longer a director of a nonprofit and that nonprofit is no longer an independent organization with its own fundraising. If my readers want to support the Coffee Party and its parent organization Bridge Alliance, they can become a Friend of Bridge, contributions to which are tax deductible. They can also donate to whichever member of Bridge Alliance strikes their fancy. There, that's the pitch.

Part 2 of the 2020 Golden Coffee Cups movie shortlists: actors

In part 1, I announced the shortlisted films for the 2020 Golden Coffee Cups movie awards, which recognize the best depictions and representations of politics and government on the big screen during the past year's movie season as defined by the Motion Picture Academy. For part 2, I am announcing the shortlists for actors in a scripted political film during the 2020 movie awards season.

I compiled the shortlists for the Best Actor in a Political Film during 2020, Best Portrayal of a Government Official in a Film during 2020, and Best Portrayal of an Activist or Concerned Citizen in a Film during 2020 using nominations from the Academy Awards, Golden Globes, Critics Choice Awards (including the Critics Choice Super Awards), Screen Actors Guild Awards, Emmy Awards (for Hamilton), and People's Choice Awards. All actors on the shortlists performed in movies that examine a political theme or take place in a government setting, including public safety, public education, and the military.

Best Actor in a Political Film during 2020

Ben Affleck as Jack (The Way Back)
Maria Bakalova as Tutar Sagdiyev (Borat Subsequent Moviefilm)
Sacha Baron Cohen as Borat Sagdiyev (Borat Subsequent Moviefilm) and Abbie Hoffman (The Trial of the Chicago 7)
Chadwick Boseman as Stormin' Norman (Da 5 Bloods)
James Corden as Barry Glickman (The Prom)
Andra Day as Billie Holiday (The United States vs. Billie Holiday)
Daveed Diggs as Marquis de Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson (Hamilton)
Jodie Foster as Nancy Hollander (The Mauritanian)
Sidney Flanigan as Skylar (Never Rarely Sometimes Always)
Renée Elise Goldsberry as Angelica Schuyler (Hamilton)
Betty Gilpin as Crystal (The Hunt)
Jonathan Groff as King George (Hamilton)
Tom Hanks as Commander Ernest Krause (Greyhound)
Caleb Landry Jones as SPC Ty Carter (The Outpost)
Lin-Manuel Miranda as Alexander Hamilton (Hamilton)
Daniel Kaluuya as Fred Hampton (Judas and the Black Messiah)
Delroy Lindo as Paul (Da 5 Bloods)
Leslie Odom Jr. as Aaron Burr (Hamilton) and as Sam Cooke (One Night in Miami...)
Tahar Rahim (The Mauritanian)
Anthony Ramos as John Laurens and Philip Hamilton (Hamilton)
Talia Ryder as Skylar (Never Rarely Sometimes Always)
Phillipa Soo as Eliza Hamilton (Hamilton)
LaKeith Stanfield as Bill O'Neal (Judas and the Black Messiah)
Hilary Swank as Athena (The Hunt)
John David Washington as Protagonist (Tenet)
Liu Yifei as Mulan (Mulan)

Best Portrayal of a Government Official in a Film during 2020

Daveed Diggs as Marquis de Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson (Hamilton)
Jonathan Groff as King George (Hamilton)
Tom Hanks as Commander Ernest Krause (Greyhound)
Lin-Manuel Miranda as Alexander Hamilton (Hamilton)
Leslie Odom Jr. as Aaron Burr (Hamilton)

Best Portrayal of an Activist or Concerned Citizen in a Film during 2020

Ben Affleck as Jack (The Way Back)
Maria Bakalova as Tutar Sagdiyev (Borat Subsequent Moviefilm)
Sacha Baron Cohen as Borat Sagdiyev (Borat Subsequent Moviefilm) and Abbie Hoffman (The Trial of the Chicago 7)
Chadwick Boseman as Stormin' Norman (Da 5 Bloods)
James Corden as Barry Glickman (The Prom)
Andra Day as Billie Holiday (The United States vs. Billie Holiday)
Sidney Flanigan as Skylar (Never Rarely Sometimes Always)
Jodie Foster as Nancy Hollander (The Mauritanian)
Betty Gilpin as Crystal (The Hunt)
Renée Elise Goldsberry as Angelica Schuyler (Hamilton)
Caleb Landry Jones as SPC Ty Carter (The Outpost)
Daniel Kaluuya as Fred Hampton (Judas and the Black Messiah)
Delroy Lindo as Paul (Da 5 Bloods)
Leslie Odom Jr. as Sam Cooke (One Night in Miami...)
Tahar Rahim (The Mauritanian)
Anthony Ramos as John Laurens and Philip Hamilton (Hamilton)
Talia Ryder as Skylar (Never Rarely Sometimes Always)
Phillipa Soo as Eliza Hamilton (Hamilton)
LaKeith Stanfield as Bill O'Neal (Judas and the Black Messiah)
Hilary Swank as Athena (The Hunt)
John David Washington as Protagonist (Tenet)
Liu Yifei as Mulan (Mulan)

The Coffee Party invites its volunteers and followers to stream the movies in which these actors performed to encourage their appreciation of politics and government in film. It also invites its volunteers and readers to watch for the third installment of the movie shortlists, which will recognize the appearances by public officials in shortlisted documentaries.

Coffee Party USA is powered by the Bridge Alliance Education Fund, the public education arm of Bridge Alliance, a coalition of 100 organizations working together for a thriving, just, and healthy democracy based on a culture of inclusivity and equity. Readers can support the Coffee Party's and Bridge Alliance's work by becoming a Friend of Bridge, contributions to which are tax deductible. Follow the Coffee Party at our website and on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Modified from Coffee Party USA announces the 2020 Golden Coffee Cups movie shortlists, part 2: actors at Coffee Party USA's blog.

Coffee Party USA announces the 2020 Golden Coffee Cups movie shortlists, part 1: films

I closed Coffee Party USA announces the 2019-2020 Golden Coffee Cup Television Winners! by telling followers of the Coffee Party to stay tuned for the first stage of the next awards.

With the 2019-2020 television season out of the way, the members and volunteers of Coffee Party USA will move on to the best political movies of the 2020 awards season. Watch for the posting of the shortlists for the show categories on our blog along with an invitation to stream them while staying safe at home.

It's time to announce the shortlists for scripted movies and documentaries for the Golden Coffee Cups Movie Awards, which recognize the best depictions and representations of politics and government on the big screen during the past year's movie season as defined by the Motion Picture Academy. Because the Motion Picture Academy extended the eligibility period for this year's Oscars as a result of the pandemic, some movies released during January and February of 2021 appear on the shortlists.

I compiled the shortlist for the Best Drama or Comedy about Politics or Government of 2020 (Best Scripted Political Movie) using nominations from the Academy Awards, Golden Globes, Critics Choice Awards (including the Critics Choice Super Awards), Screen Actors Guild Awards, Directors Guild of America Awards, Producers Guild of America Awards, and People's Choice Awards. All movies on the shortlist examine a political theme or take place in a government setting, including public safety, public education, and the military.

Best Drama or Comedy about Politics or Government of 2020 (Best Scripted Political Movie)

Another Round
Bloodshot
Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
Da 5 Bloods
Greyhound
Hamilton
Judas and the Black Messiah
Mulan
Never Rarely Sometimes Always
One Night in Miami...
Project Power
Quo vadis, Aida?
Tenet
The Hunt
The Letter Room
The Little Things
The Man Who Sold His Skin
The Mauritanian
The Midnight Sky
The Outpost
The Present
The Prom
The Way Back
The Trial of the Chicago 7
The United States vs. Billie Holiday
Two Distant Strangers

Next, the shortlist for the Best Documentary about Politics or Government of 2020 (Best Political Documentary). In addition to the awards shows I listed for Best Scripted Political Movie, I included nominated documentaries from the Critics Choice Documentary Awards, Cinema Eye Awards, and the Emmy Awards — television documentaries are eligible for the movie awards, as there is no corresponding television category. Like the scripted movies, the shortlisted documentaries examine a political theme or take place in a government setting, including not only public safety, public education, and the military, but also international sports because of its politicized nature.

Best Documentary about Politics or Government of 2020 (Best Political Documentary)

76 Days
A Concerto Is a Conversation
A Love Song for Latasha
All In: The Fight for Democracy
Assassins
Athlete A
Boys State
City Hall
Coded Bias
Colette
Collective
Crip Camp
Do Not Split
Feels Good Man
Hunger Ward
I Am Greta
John Lewis: Good Trouble
MLK/FBI
Mr. Soul!
Notturno
Rebuilding Paradise
Rising Phoenix
The Fight
The Last Ice
The Social Dilemma
The Way I See It
Time
Totally Under Control
Welcome to Chechnya

The Coffee Party invites its volunteers and followers to stream these movies to encourage their appreciation of politics and government in film. It also invites its volunteers and readers to watch for the second installment of the movie shortlists, which will recognize the best performers in scripted political movies and appearances by public officials in documentaries.

Coffee Party USA is a project of the Bridge Alliance Education Fund, the public education arm of Bridge Alliance, a coalition of 100 organizations working together for a thriving, just, and healthy democracy based on a culture of inclusivity and equity. Readers can support the Coffee Party's and Bridge Alliance's work by becoming a Friend of Bridge, which is tax deductible. Follow the Coffee Party at our website and on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Modified from the original at Coffee Party USA's blog.

Coffee Party USA announces the 2019-2020 Golden Coffee Cup Television Winners!

For the past three weeks, the members and volunteers of Coffee Party USA have been voting on the nominees for the 2019-2020 Golden Coffee Cups for television. Voting closed Sunday so it's time to announce the winners in seven categories showcasing the best in politics and government on the small screen during the 2019-2020 television season.

Watchmen earned two awards, Best Miniseries or Movie for Television about Politics and Government and split Best Comedy, Drama, Miniseries, or Movie for Television about Fantastic and Futuristic Politics and Government with The Mandalorian. The Handmaid's Tale won Best Drama Series about Politics and Government. Schitt's Creek defeated last year's winner Saturday Night Live for Best Comedy Series about Politics and Government. Last Week Tonight with John Oliver returned as Best Talk Show. Frontline won the initial award for Best Documentary, Nonfiction, or Reality Series about Politics and Government. Kiefer Sutherland as Tom Kirkman on Designated Survivor and Alec Baldwin as Donald Trump on Saturday Night Live will share the office of Best Television President for 2018-2019 Season, replacing Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Selina Meyer on Veep, whose term expired. Sorry, this category does not go to the House of Representatives to break the tie. Congratulations to the winners and thanks to all of our members and volunteers who voted for the best shows and performances about politics and government during the 2019-2020 television season!

With the 2019-2020 television season out of the way, the members and volunteers of Coffee Party USA will move on to the best political movies of the 2020 awards season. Watch for the posting of the shortlists for the show categories on our blog along with an invitation to stream them while staying safe at home.

Coffee Party USA is a project of the Bridge Alliance Education Fund.  Follow the Coffee Party at our website and on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Follow over the jump for the nominees in each category.

Coffee Party USA announces the nominees for the 2019-2020 Golden Coffee Cups for television

This past February, Coffee Party USA invited its supporters to stream the political TV series on the Golden Coffee Cups shortlist while staying safe at home. For the past four months, the members and volunteers of Coffee Party USA did just that. For the past three weeks, they voted on the nominees. Today, Coffee Party USA announces the nominees for the 2019-2020 Golden Coffee Cups for television.

After the preliminary round of voting, Saturday Night Live leads with four nominations, one for Best Political Comedy and three for Best TV President. Madam Secretary, Outlander, The Handmaid's Tale, and Watchmen all earned two nominations each. The remaining 29 shows have one nomination apiece.

Here are the nominees in seven categories showcasing the best in politics and government on the small screen during the 2019-2020 television season.

Best Drama Series about Politics and Government

Madam Secretary
Mr. Robot
Outlander
The Blacklist
The Crown
The Handmaid's Tale

Madam Secretary and The Handmaid's Tale return from last year's field of nominees. Both earned other nominations, Madam Secretary for Best TV President and The Handmaid's Tale for Best Comedy, Drama, Miniseries, or Movie for Television about Fantastic and Futuristic Politics and Government. The previous two winners, Mindhunter and Succession, did not repeat as nominees. Replacing them are Mr. Robot, Outlander, The Blacklist, and The Crown. While new to this category, Outlander earned a nomination last year for Best Comedy, Drama, Miniseries, or Movie for Television about Fantastic and Futuristic Politics and Government. The Crown returns after having been nominated in this category for the 2017-2018 season. Mr. Robot, and The Blacklist are first-time nominees at these awards.

Follow over the jump for the rest of the nominees

CNBC describes 'How The Rich Avoid Paying Taxes' and asks 'Are Rich People Fleeing Places With High Taxes?'

Yesterday was the tax filing deadline for federal and most states. CNBC observed the day by uploading How The Rich Avoid Paying Taxes.

The more money you make, the more you have to pay in taxes, right? Not always. The ultra-wealthy typically take advantage of rules in the tax code which enable them to lower their effective tax rate. Warren Buffet has often pointed out that he pays less taxes than his secretary and Amazon famously paid zero taxes in 2018. So how exactly are the country’s biggest earners using the tax code to avoid paying taxes?

As I've written many times on this blog, I am an officer of the Coffee Party, which has tax reform as one of its goals. Here are the specific reforms the organization is pursuing.

Citizen-Oriented Taxes: Pass or repeal tax laws to reduce our debt, enhance society, and create economic growth. Equitable Taxation: The burden of taxation must be applied fairly to businesses and people. Simplified Tax Code: The Tax Code should be reformed for simplicity.

As Sheneya Wilson, founder of Fola Financial, pointed out, the current tax code exists to enhance society and create economic growth, but it doesn't seem to support the rest of the Coffee Party's goals, particularly simplicity and fairness. CNBC highlighted closing loopholes as the main reform to achieve those two goals. The issue is that those loopholes ideally exist to enhance society and create economic growth and loopholes should be targeted only if they don't support those goals. Let's see if Joe Biden's attempt to close some loopholes meets that criterion and succeeds.

Yesterday's video addressed federal taxes. Three weeks ago, CNBC examined the effects of state and local tax rates when it asked Are Rich People Fleeing Places With High Taxes?

To balance their budgets during the coronavirus pandemic, states including New Jersey and New York have raised taxes on the wealthy. Conservatives warn that it will cause many of those who left at the onset of the pandemic make those moves permanent since they’re no longer bound to the physical locations of their offices or their children’s schools. But available data from 2020 show that the so-called exodus wasn’t as pronounced as initially projected, and the urban exit that did happen, was to suburbs rather than low tax states.

CNBC's answer is no, at least about rich people moving from high-tax to low-tax states. Instead, well-off people are moving from the cities to the suburbs, while poorer people are moving from high-cost states to low-cost states, which tend also tend to be high-tax and low-tax states, respectively. My interpretation is that cost drives taxes more than the other way around, but I'm not an economist. As for moving to the suburbs or exurbs, I agree with CNBC that it's a move to safety. Also, if people are working from home, they might want a better home, something I pointed out last July, when I wrote "If one has to shelter in place, then one might find a better place to find shelter" and "If one is looking for an economic silver lining to the pandemic, here it is."

I'm getting farther afield from taxes, so I'm stopping before I wander off the subject entirely to something more suited to one of my driving updates during the pandemic. In the meantime, I hope all my American readers filed their taxes by yesterday!

ACLU and other organizations react to Derek Chauvin's conviction by calling for police reform, including passing the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act

While I've commented a lot about the public and media reaction to the — now I can say it — murder of George Floyd, I haven't commented on the crime itself other than to examine police behavior in general. I certainly have kept mum about the trial, as whatever I would write would have no effect on the result; I've been disappointed enough by trial outcomes not to get the hopes of myself or my readers up. Now that the jury has reached its verdict, it's time to say something. For that, I'm outsourcing my reaction to the professionals at the civil rights, voting rights, and other good government nonprofits that Coffee Party USA lists as partners. So many of them issued statements that I decided to compile them here and share this post instead of sharing the press releases individually to the Coffee Party USA Facebook page. That would have taken all week and I think this will have more impact.

I begin with the American Civil Liberties Union: ACLU Statement on Derek Chauvin Guilty Verdict.

A jury has found former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin guilty on all charges in the murder of George Floyd.

The following statement can be attributed to Jason Williamson, deputy director of the ACLU’s Criminal Law Reform Project:

“George Floyd will never make his way home to play games with his daughter, Gianna. He’ll never go on walks through the park with his beloved fiancée Courteney or play basketball with his brother, Philonise. While today’s verdict is a step forward in the fight for police accountability and may help heal a grieving community, the systems that allowed a police officer to murder Mr. Floyd, ripping him away from his family and the communities that loved him so much, remain fully intact. These are the same systems that resulted in the death of another 20-year-old Black man at the hands of police less than 10 miles from this trial.

“Honoring the lives of George Floyd, Daunte Wright, Breonna Taylor, Eric Garner, Philando Castile, Tamir Rice, Michael Brown and countless other Black lives violently taken at the hands of police means that elected officials, activists, organizations like the ACLU, and regular people must not allow this verdict to lull us into a place of complacency. Instead, we must renew our conviction to create a world where police do not have the opportunity to use violence and harassment to target Black people as police have been doing since their inception as slave patrols created to monitor, control, and oppress Black communities. This new world includes removing police entirely from low-level enforcement and massively reinvesting in the communities that desperately want more for the legacies of their fallen. And we will fight with them to get there.”

The following statement can be attributed to John Gordon, executive director of the ACLU of Minnesota:

“Today, for the first time in state history, a white police officer has been held accountable for killing a Black man. Now, we can finally say George Floyd’s name and make it synonymous not only with grief, anger, and loss over his brutal murder, but with a moment of justice. But to be clear, true justice would mean George Floyd was alive today, with his fiancée, his daughter, and his family.

“While this verdict brings a certain rare form of accountability for police, achieving this outcome for Mr. Floyd is only one step in addressing police abuse of power, disparate treatment, and excessive force against Black and Brown communities. We still must radically change policing in Minnesota and across the country, increase accountability and transparency, and create policies that combat racism in policing.

“The jury's decision to convict Derek Chauvin does not negate the fact that Mr. Floyd’s tragic murder is part of a horrifying local and national pattern of officers using excessive force against people of color. Mr. Floyd was one of more than 5,000 people killed by police since 2015.

“Mr. Floyd should not have died under an officer’s knee — he should still be alive today. So should Daunte Wright, Philando Castile, Breonna Taylor, and countless other Black people killed by police.

“Our elected officials, activists, communities, and organizations, including the ACLU of Minnesota, must continue to fight for racial justice in Mr. Floyd’s name. We must re-examine our entire system of public safety and public health, and root out the racism that pervades law enforcement. We must prohibit police mistreatment of communities of color, which leads to people being both underserved and overpoliced. We must divert funding from traditional policing toward community-based services, such as crisis teams, so all communities are truly safe. We must remove police from enforcing traffic infractions and low-level offenses. Taking another person’s life is the most extreme action a police officer can take, and new standards for use of force, along with increased accountability and transparency, are needed to ensure that police violence and killings end.

“We join with Mr. Floyd’s family, our community, and our nation in mourning his death. We will never forget to ‘Say His Name.’ Together, we’ll work to ensure that one day, we can remember George Floyd in celebration of the true justice for all achieved in his name.”

The ACLU understands what "defund the police" really means. In addition, while the ACLU didn't mention the federal George Floyd Justice in Policing Act in yesterday's press release, it expressed its conditional support for the 2020 version of the bill and has a petition page to support the Texas version of the bill.

Follow over the jump for more press releases about the crime, the verdict, and what it means from Common Cause, the League of Conservation Voters, the League of Women Voters, People for the American Way, and Public Citizen, all of whom have expressed support for the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act or its predecessor, the 2020 Justice in Policing Act.

Coffee Party USA invites you to stream the political TV series on the 2019-2020 Golden Coffee Cups shortlists while staying safe at home

Hey, all of you binge-watching your guilty pleasure shows while staying safe at home, relaxing after working from home, returning for work after wearing a mask all day, or just stressed out from the real world! I have another suggestion to make your time in front of the big-screen TV in the living room, the slightly smaller screen in the bedroom, or even holding your tablet or smartphone work to help your appreciation of politics and government on television and then apply your understanding to help Coffee Party USA in one of our projects.

With the 2018-2019 television season out of the way, the members and volunteers of Coffee Party USA will move on to the 2019-2020 television season. Watch for the posting of the shortlists for the show categories along with an invitation to stream them while staying safe at home. If you want to become one of the voters for this or future Golden Coffee Cups, such as for the best political movies of 2020, become a member. Voting will happen on a members-only Facebook group.

Before I present the shortlists, I'm sharing a two-part activity Coffee Party USA and I are proposing our readers and supporters do.

The first part of the activity is to stream as many of the shows on the shortlists between now and March 13, 2021 to see which have the best portrayals of politics and government on television. The second is to become a member of Coffee Party USA by March 13, 2021, which you can do for as little as $30.00 per year. That's because the members will also vote on the nominees and winners this year. That means you!

That's your two-part activity. Now, have fun watching television while supporting the work of Coffee Party USA, whose core values include continuous learning on behalf of an informed citizenry, joining Coffee Party USA, and voting on the nominees!

Without any further ado, I present the shortlists for the Golden Coffee Cups for Television, beginning with the shortlist for Best Drama Series about Politics and Government.*

#FreeRayshawn
9-1-1
Better Call Saul
Big Little Lies
Billions
Black Mirror
Carnival Row
David Makes Man
Designated Survivor
Doctor Who
Euphoria
Evil
For All Mankind
Godfather of Harlem
His Dark Materials
Homeland
How to Get Away with Murder
Hunters
Killing Eve
Madam Secretary
Mindhunter
Mr. Robot
Outlander
Ozark
Penny Dreadful: City of Angels
Pose
Snowpiercer
Star Trek: Picard
Star Trek: Short Treks
Star Wars Resistance
Star Wars: The Clone Wars
Stranger Things
Stumptown
Succession
S.W.A.T.
The Blacklist
The Boys
The Crown
The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance
The Good Fight
The Handmaid's Tale
The Mandalorian
The Man in the High Castle
The Morning Show
The Outsider
The Rookie
The Witcher
Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan
Vikings
Westworld

Succession won last year and Mindhunter the year before. In addition, the first winner of Best Miniseries or Movie for Television about Politics and Government, Black Mirror, has been moved here based on the reclassification of the series by the Television Academy. The shortlist sets up a situation where they could go up against each other for the trophy. Of course, they have to be nominated first. Will you be one of the people to join so you nominate them and the rest of the field?

Follow over the jump to read the shortlists for television shows in the other four categories along with a two-part activity involving them.

PIX11 on movie and TV presidents for Presidents Day 2021

Happy Presidents Day! For today's celebration, I'm returning to the theme of last year's The best movie and TV presidents, real and fictional, for Presidents Day weekend with Watchu Talkin’ About: Presidents from TV and film, which PIX11 News just uploaded this morning.

In honor of President’s Day, PIX11 News’ Ojinika Obiekwe is joined by founder of the new entertainment app PopViewers Chris Witherspoon to celebrate some fictional presidents on the big and small screen.

Two of the fictional presidents on the list at 4:30 are former winners of Best Television President, Kiefer Sutherland as Tom Kirkman on "Designated Survivor" for 2019 and Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Selina Meyer on "Veep" for 2020. Louis-Dreyfus as Meyer is not eligible for this year's Golden Coffee Cups for Television, but Sutherland as Kirkman is. I started working on the shortlists for this year's awards yesterday, so watch for the post announcing them later this week. Stay tuned, everyone!

Talk show nominees at the 2021 Critics Choice Awards

I closed 'Ozark' and 'The Crown' lead drama series nominees about politics and government at the 2021 Critics Choice Awards by telling my readers "Stay tuned for the comedy, limited series, and talk show nominees throughout the week." Instead of writing about comedy today, I'm skipping ahead to the talk show nominees.* Here are the nominees from the 26th annual Critics Choice Awards press release.

BEST TALK SHOW

Desus & Mero (Showtime)
Full Frontal with Samantha Bee (TBS)
The Kelly Clarkson Show (NBC/Syndicated)
Late Night with Seth Meyers (NBC)
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (CBS)
Red Table Talk (Facebook Watch)

Not seeing Emmy winner "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver" among the nominees surprised me. I guess the Critics Choice Association (CCA) didn't think his most recent season was worthy. As I keep saying when I analyze awards shows, electorates matter. I'm even more surprised that the CCA didn't renominate one of last year's co-winners, "The Late Late Show with James Corden." After watching his his monologues during lockdown, I can see why. He, his announcer, and his band are a bit too relaxed and start the show too slowly for my taste. On the other hand, I think last year's returning co-winner "Late Night with Seth Meyers" got sharper when produced from Seth's home, becoming even more of a favorite to repeat.

While I like Seth, his show is my third choice; my top two are "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert," which I used for the preview image because the other talk shows haven't posted a promotional tweet about their nominations, and "Full Frontal with Samantha Bee." Speaking of which, here is the image "Late Night with Seth Meyers" tweeted out when the show won last year.

Good luck to all the nominees and may the most entertaining and insightful show win!

*That's because today is Irish Coffee Day, when I celebrate Coffee Party USA's birthday a day early, so I'm writing a birthday post for them today, too. Writing a short entry is my way of making time for this. Don't worry, I plan on blogging about comedy series nominees tomorrow. Stay tuned.