The creator of the popular HBO political comedy series “Veep” said the current political reality is “madder” than that portrayed in the comedy series in an opinion piece published
Friday in The New York Times.
“What’s going on? The stuff happening out there right now is madder than ‘Veep’ and deadly serious,” Armando Iannucci said in his Times piece.
He added, “These are real events, not melodramatic fictions, and they have a real impact on our lives. Depending on who wins, either we’ll continue our attempts to halt global warming, or we’ll sit back and melt in our sleep.”
“Veep” has gained extra attention in the wake of President Biden stepping out of the 2024 presidential race and Vice President Harris becoming the likely Democratic nominee, with some seeing parallels between the show’s storyline and current events.
“The show stars the unbeatable Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Vice President Selina Meyer,” Iannucci said in his Times piece. “As the series progresses, Selina is suddenly thrown onto the main stage when the president decides not to run for a second term, leaving her to go into the convention as the new presumptive nominee. For 24 hours, the mainstream media asked if I was pleased with the comparison.”
“This is the first time I’m setting out a definitive answer to that question, and the answer is: No, I’m not. I’m extremely worried! Not about Ms. Harris. I’m sure she’ll inject much-needed sharpness into the campaign,” he continued. “What worries me is that politics has become so much like entertainment that the first thing we do to make sense of the moment is to test it against a sitcom.”
A producer of “Veep,” David Mandel
, said in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter published Wednesday that the most similar candidate in this year’s presidential race to Louis-Dreyfus’ character in the series is Trump, not Harris.
“The Selina-est candidate is Donald Trump,” Mandel said in the interview.
“Vain, worried about his looks, has a ridiculously better relationship with his body people than his own children, petty, vindictive, worries about his own money, doesn’t believe what he says, says whatever to get elected,” Mandel continued.
Former President Trump said Friday he removed “the last bandage off of my ear” in the wake of a recent assassination attempt against him in which one of his ears was injured.
“As I think you can see, I’ve recovered well and, in fact, just took off the last bandage off of my ear,” Trump said at an event by the conservative Christian organization Turning Point Action in Florida.
Trump faced an assassination attempt earlier this month in which he said that he was hit
by a bullet in one of his ears. He could be seen sporting a bandage on one of his ears at the recent Republican National Convention (RNC) in Milwaukee and subsequent events.
“I took it off for this group,” Trump said at Friday’s event. “I don’t know why I did that for this group, but, that’s it. I think that’s it, I hope that’s it.”
The former president insisted Thursday that it was a bullet that struck one of his ears following FBI Director Christopher Wray saying when testifying
in front of Congress Wednesday that “there’s some question about whether or not it’s a bullet or shrapnel that, you know, hit his ear.”
“No, it was, unfortunately, a bullet that hit my ear, and hit it hard. There was no glass, there was no shrapnel,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “The hospital called it a ‘bullet wound to the ear,’ and that is what it was. No wonder the once storied FBI has lost the confidence of America!”
Rep. Ronny Jackson (D-Texas), a former White House physician who has said he treated the president’s ear, disputed Wray’s questioning
of what hit Trump’s ear.
“During the Congressional Hearing two days ago, FBI Director Christopher Wray suggested that it could be a bullet, shrapnel, or glass,” Jackson said in a letter posted Friday to Truth Social.
“There is absolutely no evidence that it was anything other than a bullet. Congress should correct the record as confirmed by both the hospital and myself. Director Wray is wrong and inappropriate to suggest anything else,” he added.
(NEXSTAR) — On Friday, the Paris Olympics kicked off in grand France fashion, with major skyline displays, light shows, sights on the Seine and some unfortunately, drizzly weather.
The ceremony began with French soccer icon Zinedine Zidance carrying the Olympic flame through Paris and culminated with a glowing cauldron
(not a hot air balloon, despite its appearance) sailing through the night sky.
In case you missed any of the day and night’s festivities, here are some the day’s most eye-catching photos.
PARIS, FRANCE – JULY 26: Aircraft make a heart out of smoke during the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 on July 26, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Eugene Hoshiko-Pool/Getty Images)
TOPSHOT – Athletes from Greece’s delegation sail in a boat along the river Seine at the start of the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Paris on July 26, 2024. (Photo by Emmanuel DUNAND / AFP) (Photo by EMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP via Getty Images)
PARIS, FRANCE – JULY 26: A torchbearer runs past Pont Neuf during the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 on July 26, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
PARIS, FRANCE – JULY 26: Tightrope walker Nathan Paulin performs on a high rope during the athletes’ parade on the River Seine near the Eiffel Tower during the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 on July 26, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Maddie Meyer / POOL / AFP) (Photo by MADDIE MEYER/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
PARIS, FRANCE – JULY 26: Former French football player Zinedine Zidane carries the torch during the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 on July 26, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Loic Venance – Pool/Getty Images)
PARIS, FRANCE – JULY 26: (EDITOR’S NOTE: This Handout screengrab was provided by a third-party organization and may not adhere to Getty Images’ editorial policy.) This handout released by the Olympic Broadcasting Services, shows a view of singer Celine Dion performing on the Eiffel Tower during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games Paris 2024 on July 26, 2024 in Paris, France. (Screengrab by IOC via Getty Images)
TOPSHOT – Smoke billows near windows as performers participate in the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Paris on July 26, 2024. (Photo by Bernat Armangue / POOL / AFP) (Photo by BERNAT ARMANGUE/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
TOPSHOT – US’ singer Lady Gaga sings at the Sully bridge area prior to the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Paris on July 26, 2024. (Photo by Emmanuel DUNAND / AFP) (Photo by EMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP via Getty Images)
PARIS, FRANCE – JULY 26: A general view shows the Eiffel Tower with the Olympics Rings during the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 on July 26, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Luis Robayo – Pool/Getty Images)
TOPSHOT – Gojira band Heavy Metal musicians perform during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France, July 26, 2024. (Photo by Zhang Yuwei / POOL / AFP) (Photo by ZHANG YUWEI/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
PARIS, FRANCE – JULY 26: Dancers performing French Cancan choreography as part of one of twelve artistic tableaux, are pictured from the boat of Brazil’s delegation sailing along the river Seine during the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 on July 26, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Carl de Souza-Pool/Getty Images)
PARIS, FRANCE – JULY 26: A cutout of a face is seen in the River Seine during the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 on July 26, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Hannah Peters / POOL / AFP) (Photo by HANNAH PETERS/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Spectators cheer on from a bridge as athletes from France’s delegation sail in a boat along the river Seine during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Paris on July 26, 2024. (Photo by Franck FIFE / POOL / AFP) (Photo by FRANCK FIFE/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
PARIS, FRANCE – JULY 26: Athletes Coco Gauff and Lebron James of team United States are seen on a boat on the River Seine during the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 on July 26, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Ashley Landis-Pool/Getty Images)
PARIS, FRANCE – JULY26: Rafael Nadal of Spain carries the Olympic torch during the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 on July 26, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Stephanie Lecocq – Pool/Getty Images)
PARIS, FRANCE – JULY 26: Spectators with a Palestine flag display a banner criticising Israel from a balcony amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas during the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 on July 26, 2024, in Paris, France. (Photo by Nir Elias – Pool/Getty Images)
PARIS, FRANCE – JULY 26: Team Tunisia and Turkiye are seen on a boat on the River Seine during the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 on July 26, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Steph Chambers / POOL / AFP) (Photo by STEPH CHAMBERS/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Lights illuminate the Eiffel Tower during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Paris on July 26, 2024. (Photo by Ludovic MARIN / POOL / AFP) (Photo by LUDOVIC MARIN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
PARIS, FRANCE – JULY 26: Floriane Issert (C), a Gendarmerie non-commissioned officer of the National Gendarmerie, rides on a horse while leading volunteers carrying flags of Olympic teams on the Iena Bridge during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Paris on July 26, 2024, as the Eiffel Tower is seen in the background. (Photo by Ludovic Marin – Pool/Getty Images)
PARIS, FRANCE – JULY 26: A detailed view of the Olympic Cauldron in the sky behin the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel and the Lourve pyramid after being lit by Torch bearers French Athlete Marie-Jose Perec and French Judoka Teddy Riner (not pictured) during the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 on July 26, 2024 in Paris, France. during the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 on July 26, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
PARIS, FRANCE – JULY 26: Dancers perform on a roof during the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 on July 26, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)
PARIS, FRANCE – JULY 26: (EDITOR’S NOTE: This Handout screengrab was provided by a third-party organization and may not adhere to Getty Images’ editorial policy.) Smoke rises in the colours of the national flag of France on the Pont d’Austerlitz as boats cruise along the River Siene during the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 on July 26, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by David Burnett/IOC via Getty Images)
PARIS, FRANCE – JULY 26: A general view of a balloon carrying the Olympic Cauldron rises to conclude the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 on July 26, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
The 2024 Paris Olympics run through Sunday, August 11.
Already, the case has given people an unprecedented look inside Fox News and the chaos behind the coverage of the 2020 election and the Jan. 6 insurrection.
A new advertisement for former President Trump’s campaign tries to paint Vice President Harris as the face of “Bidenomics.”
The nearly minute-long ad, which Trump posted
on his Truth Social account Friday, features clips of Harris mentioning “Bidenomics” and ends with text stating “HARRIS OWNS ‘BIDENOMICS’ SHE MADE IT HAPPEN.”
“‘KAMALA HARRIS OWNS BIDENOMICS,’” Trump captioned the Truth Social post with the ad.
President Biden has used the
“Bidenomics” slogan to shine a light on the efforts of his administration to turn the economy around.
“Here’s the simple truth about trickle-down economics, it didn’t represent the best of American capitalism, let alone America,” Biden said last
June. “It represented a moment where we walked away … from how this country was built, how this city was built. Bidenomics is about the future.”
Harris became the likely presidential nominee for the Democratic Party after Biden dropped out of the presidential race last weekend. She quickly snapped up key endorsements from those in her party and large amounts in fundraising in the days after her boss dropped out.
According to a national average of polls
from The Hill/Decision Desk HQ, Harris is behind Trump by 2.1 points, at 45.7 percent support to the former president’s 45.8 percent.
“The freedom not just to get by, but to get ahead. The freedom to be safe from gun violence. The freedom to make decisions about your own body. We choose a future when no child lives in poverty, where we can all afford health care,” Harris says.
