Ben Rhodes, the former Deputy National Security Adviser to President Barack Obama, has raised concerns about Jared Kushner’s alleged corruption in his $3 billion investment fund, predominantly financed by foreign sources.
Kushner’s firm received a $2 billion investment from a Saudi sovereign wealth fund shortly after he departed from the White House, serving as a senior adviser to his father-in-law, Donald Trump.
During an interview with MSNBC’s Alex Wagner, Rhodes expressed his unease, “This is just putting a price tag on American foreign policy… This is a level of corruption that we’ve just never seen, and it’s hiding in plain sight.”
Earlier in the program, Wagner highlighted that Kushner’s firm had been involved with foreign interests and cited its engagements in hotel developments in Serbia and Albania. She inquired about the potential implications of Kushner’s “entanglement” with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Trump...
Kushner’s firm received a $2 billion investment from a Saudi sovereign wealth fund shortly after he departed from the White House, serving as a senior adviser to his father-in-law, Donald Trump.
During an interview with MSNBC’s Alex Wagner, Rhodes expressed his unease, “This is just putting a price tag on American foreign policy… This is a level of corruption that we’ve just never seen, and it’s hiding in plain sight.”
Earlier in the program, Wagner highlighted that Kushner’s firm had been involved with foreign interests and cited its engagements in hotel developments in Serbia and Albania. She inquired about the potential implications of Kushner’s “entanglement” with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Trump...
- 4/13/2024
- by Baila Eve Zisman
- Uinterview
In one of the most high-profile hires of the 2024 election cycle, NBC News is bringing on former Republican National Committee chair Ronna McDaniel as an on-air contributor.
McDaniel will make her NBC debut on Sunday’s Meet the Press, and will appear on NBC, MSNBC and NBC News Now programming.
McDaniel, the former head of the Michigan Republican party, took over the leadership role at the RNC in 2017. She stepped down last month, and Sunday’s interview will be her first since leaving the RNC. A source says conversations about the interview began well before she was hired as a contributor.
NBC News senior vp politics Carrie Budoff Brown announced McDaniel’s hiring to staff Friday.
“It couldn’t be a more important moment to have a voice like Ronna’s on the team,” Budoff Brown wrote. “As chair of the Republican National Committee, she spent nearly eight years at...
McDaniel will make her NBC debut on Sunday’s Meet the Press, and will appear on NBC, MSNBC and NBC News Now programming.
McDaniel, the former head of the Michigan Republican party, took over the leadership role at the RNC in 2017. She stepped down last month, and Sunday’s interview will be her first since leaving the RNC. A source says conversations about the interview began well before she was hired as a contributor.
NBC News senior vp politics Carrie Budoff Brown announced McDaniel’s hiring to staff Friday.
“It couldn’t be a more important moment to have a voice like Ronna’s on the team,” Budoff Brown wrote. “As chair of the Republican National Committee, she spent nearly eight years at...
- 3/22/2024
- by Alex Weprin
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
President Joe Biden is “warming” to the idea of being more publicly critical of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as his country’s assault on Gaza continues unabated, The Washington Post reported.
The paper reported that Biden is becoming increasingly frustrated with Netanyahu, citing interviews with multiple sources familiar with internal White House discussions. Per the Post, the president and his aides are “no longer viewing Netanyahu as a productive partner who can be influenced even in private.”
Biden and the prime minister have known each other for more than four decades,...
The paper reported that Biden is becoming increasingly frustrated with Netanyahu, citing interviews with multiple sources familiar with internal White House discussions. Per the Post, the president and his aides are “no longer viewing Netanyahu as a productive partner who can be influenced even in private.”
Biden and the prime minister have known each other for more than four decades,...
- 2/11/2024
- by Peter Wade
- Rollingstone.com
Emmy nominee Razan Ghalayini has joined Alex Gibney’s Jigsaw Productions as vice president of non-fiction development.
The executive will be responsible for managing Jigsaw’s non-fiction slate of projects and will drive sales efforts alongside scripted and audio divisions.
“I am thrilled to welcome Razan to Jigsaw. I have long been an admirer of her work. And I am in awe of her infectious enthusiasm and her ability to find, develop and produce stories that are powerful, vitally relevant to our present moment and hugely entertaining,” said Gibney, president of Jigsaw.
Prior to joining the team, Ghalayini served as a co-executive producer of “Full Frontal With Samantha Bee,” where she directed and produced over 70 segments across 10 countries. Before late night, she co-produced feature documentaries including the HBO film “Homegrown: The Counter-Terror Dilemma” and “We Are the Giant,” about the activists leading the Arab Spring. Additionally, she directed “Entrapped,” a...
The executive will be responsible for managing Jigsaw’s non-fiction slate of projects and will drive sales efforts alongside scripted and audio divisions.
“I am thrilled to welcome Razan to Jigsaw. I have long been an admirer of her work. And I am in awe of her infectious enthusiasm and her ability to find, develop and produce stories that are powerful, vitally relevant to our present moment and hugely entertaining,” said Gibney, president of Jigsaw.
Prior to joining the team, Ghalayini served as a co-executive producer of “Full Frontal With Samantha Bee,” where she directed and produced over 70 segments across 10 countries. Before late night, she co-produced feature documentaries including the HBO film “Homegrown: The Counter-Terror Dilemma” and “We Are the Giant,” about the activists leading the Arab Spring. Additionally, she directed “Entrapped,” a...
- 2/28/2023
- by Matt Donnelly
- Variety Film + TV
New York, N.Y. — On a Friday morning in mid-November, Barack Obama sat in a classroom behind the soaring glass windows of Columbia University’s business school, almost knee-to-knee in a circle of chairs with three dozen young leaders from Africa. He was fielding questions on topics with no easy answers. Should developing countries prioritize democracy over economic development? Is there a democratic solution to the climate crisis? At that very moment, he was considering an inquiry from a young entrepreneur from Angola: Practically speaking, how could the group encourage democracy in their own countries?...
- 11/30/2022
- by Kara Voght
- Rollingstone.com
Exclusive: Grandview has hired former Gotham Group and Anonymous Content manager Tara Timinsky.
Timinsky joins from Gotham. Among the writer and journalist clients coming with her are author, producer and trans advocate Geena Rocero, Brian Broome, who was most recently named a finalist for the Kirkus Nonfiction Prize for his memoir Punch Me Up To The Gods, The Atlantic’s Kaitlyn Tiffany, Guggenheim fellow Rhonda K. Garelick, and authors Etaf Rum and Lori Nelson Spielman.
Timinsky began her career at Anonymous, where she started in the mailroom and landed her first assistant job working in Business & Legal Affairs. Following the arrival of Howie Sanders and Kassie Evashevski, she transitioned to help found Anonymous’s Media Rights Department, where she was promoted to manager and brokered deals for clients including Cecelia Ahern, Sebastian Junger, Francisco Cantú, Ben Rhodes and The New York Times.
Timinsky said: “I’m immensely excited to join Grandview,...
Timinsky joins from Gotham. Among the writer and journalist clients coming with her are author, producer and trans advocate Geena Rocero, Brian Broome, who was most recently named a finalist for the Kirkus Nonfiction Prize for his memoir Punch Me Up To The Gods, The Atlantic’s Kaitlyn Tiffany, Guggenheim fellow Rhonda K. Garelick, and authors Etaf Rum and Lori Nelson Spielman.
Timinsky began her career at Anonymous, where she started in the mailroom and landed her first assistant job working in Business & Legal Affairs. Following the arrival of Howie Sanders and Kassie Evashevski, she transitioned to help found Anonymous’s Media Rights Department, where she was promoted to manager and brokered deals for clients including Cecelia Ahern, Sebastian Junger, Francisco Cantú, Ben Rhodes and The New York Times.
Timinsky said: “I’m immensely excited to join Grandview,...
- 10/26/2021
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
America’s War on Terror began with ill-defined intentions and led to 20 years of brutality that eroded the country’s international goodwill while fostering paranoia, mistrust of public institutions, and xenophobia at home. This is the crux of “America After 9/11,” the latest investigative journalism project from PBS’ Frontline team, and it’s a belief that the two-hour film effectively relays via its facts-first reporting and extensive sourcing.
To call the film timely is both stating the obvious and an understatement; while “America After 9/11” is one of numerous media productions being published this month to coincide with the 20th anniversary of World Trade Center attacks, the film’s release also comes just weeks after the United States’ contentious exit from Afghanistan. As its title implies (and as is to be expected from Frontline), “America After 9/11,” which is directed by longtime political documentarian Michael Kirk, centers on the United States’ political and...
To call the film timely is both stating the obvious and an understatement; while “America After 9/11” is one of numerous media productions being published this month to coincide with the 20th anniversary of World Trade Center attacks, the film’s release also comes just weeks after the United States’ contentious exit from Afghanistan. As its title implies (and as is to be expected from Frontline), “America After 9/11,” which is directed by longtime political documentarian Michael Kirk, centers on the United States’ political and...
- 9/7/2021
- by Tyler Hersko
- Indiewire
CNN cut back on coverage of one of the biggest news stories of the day during its primetime schedule due to a very unorthodox situation: The anchor not telling the story is the brother of the public official at the center of it.
The WarnerMedia-backed outlet kept anchor Chris Cuomo on the air Tuesday night even as it worked to cover a state investigation that found Cuomo’s older brother, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, had sexually harassed 11 women, and as top U.S. officials including President Joe Biden called for New York’s top government executive to step down. The younger Cuomo, who has vowed to keep himself away from the story, focused instead on the issue of getting vaccinated against coronavirus. Governor Cuomo has denied the claims made against him.
CNN’s somersaults to keep one Cuomo from covering the other were noticeable. “We are focused on Covid here,...
The WarnerMedia-backed outlet kept anchor Chris Cuomo on the air Tuesday night even as it worked to cover a state investigation that found Cuomo’s older brother, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, had sexually harassed 11 women, and as top U.S. officials including President Joe Biden called for New York’s top government executive to step down. The younger Cuomo, who has vowed to keep himself away from the story, focused instead on the issue of getting vaccinated against coronavirus. Governor Cuomo has denied the claims made against him.
CNN’s somersaults to keep one Cuomo from covering the other were noticeable. “We are focused on Covid here,...
- 8/4/2021
- by Brian Steinberg
- Variety Film + TV
CNN is trying to stay out of anchor Chris Cuomo’s latest family affair.
CNN said it had no plans to discipline its top primetime anchor, despite the fact that he provided counsel during staff meetings to his brother, Andrew Cuomo, the governor of New York, while he was in the midst of fending off sexual harassment accusations.
A report Thursday in The Washington Post revealed that Cuomo, who anchors CNN’s 9 p.m. hour and has been its most-watched anchor for months, took part in sessions earlier this year with Gov. Cuomo, his communications team, attorneys and other advisors. The younger Cuomo, the anchor, raised eyebrows in 2020 when he conducted several interviews with the older Cuomo, the governor, on his CNN program during the height of the coronavirus pandemic. Conducting interviews with prominent family members is typically seen as a breach of professional ethics for journalists.
“Chris has not...
CNN said it had no plans to discipline its top primetime anchor, despite the fact that he provided counsel during staff meetings to his brother, Andrew Cuomo, the governor of New York, while he was in the midst of fending off sexual harassment accusations.
A report Thursday in The Washington Post revealed that Cuomo, who anchors CNN’s 9 p.m. hour and has been its most-watched anchor for months, took part in sessions earlier this year with Gov. Cuomo, his communications team, attorneys and other advisors. The younger Cuomo, the anchor, raised eyebrows in 2020 when he conducted several interviews with the older Cuomo, the governor, on his CNN program during the height of the coronavirus pandemic. Conducting interviews with prominent family members is typically seen as a breach of professional ethics for journalists.
“Chris has not...
- 5/20/2021
- by Brian Steinberg
- Variety Film + TV
Chris Cuomo held up a giant cotton swab on TV last May and poked fun at his brother, the governor of New York, during an interview. Now journalism observers wonder if CNN must clean up a lapse in journalism ethics.
Cuomo anchors what has become CNN’s most-watched program, a 9 p.m. hour that in the not-too-distant past served as home to Larry King, the master of the genial celebrity interview. Cuomo can be amiable, too, but he is also master of a tough, on-air style that can veer from interview to interrogation, and guests on occasion can grow combative. His show, “Cuomo Prime Time,” is often viewed as a signature element of the Jeff Zucker era at CNN, during which the executive has helped foment a more lean-in attitude from a cable outlet once viewed as a vanilla dispenser of facts and stories.
At the height of coronavirus chaos,...
Cuomo anchors what has become CNN’s most-watched program, a 9 p.m. hour that in the not-too-distant past served as home to Larry King, the master of the genial celebrity interview. Cuomo can be amiable, too, but he is also master of a tough, on-air style that can veer from interview to interrogation, and guests on occasion can grow combative. His show, “Cuomo Prime Time,” is often viewed as a signature element of the Jeff Zucker era at CNN, during which the executive has helped foment a more lean-in attitude from a cable outlet once viewed as a vanilla dispenser of facts and stories.
At the height of coronavirus chaos,...
- 3/2/2021
- by Brian Steinberg
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Ben Rhodes, former Deputy National Security Advisor to President Obama, is launching a podcast series that will explore the impact of President Trump’s foreign policy.
Rhodes will launch Missing America on August 11. It will be produced by Crooked Media, the company behind Pod Save America and Pod Save The World, the latter of which Rhodes is currently co-hosting.
The nine-episode narrative miniseries will take listeners around the world and show them how Trump’s ‘America First’ policies have impacted the country’s standing in the globe. It will look at nationalism, authoritarianism, sectarianism, disinformation and climate change across the world.
Rhodes has landed exclusive interviews with some of the senior members of Joe Biden’s foreign policy team and other guests will include former National Security Advisor Susan Rice, former CIA Director John Brennan, former Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power, Senator Chris Murphy, former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd,...
Rhodes will launch Missing America on August 11. It will be produced by Crooked Media, the company behind Pod Save America and Pod Save The World, the latter of which Rhodes is currently co-hosting.
The nine-episode narrative miniseries will take listeners around the world and show them how Trump’s ‘America First’ policies have impacted the country’s standing in the globe. It will look at nationalism, authoritarianism, sectarianism, disinformation and climate change across the world.
Rhodes has landed exclusive interviews with some of the senior members of Joe Biden’s foreign policy team and other guests will include former National Security Advisor Susan Rice, former CIA Director John Brennan, former Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power, Senator Chris Murphy, former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd,...
- 8/3/2020
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
Open newspapers this week, and you’ll see hand-wringing galore. Supposedly we’re about to go to war with Iran, suspected in last weekend’s unmanned bombing of the world’s largest oil processing facility in Saudi Arabia.
“The Middle East is on the brink,” warns The Guardian.
“We’re a lot closer to war than you’ve been told,” says The Daily Beast.
“We are at the predictable brink of an even wider war,” says Ben Rhodes, former national security aide to Barack Obama.
Maybe war will happen. The...
“The Middle East is on the brink,” warns The Guardian.
“We’re a lot closer to war than you’ve been told,” says The Daily Beast.
“We are at the predictable brink of an even wider war,” says Ben Rhodes, former national security aide to Barack Obama.
Maybe war will happen. The...
- 9/20/2019
- by Matt Taibbi
- Rollingstone.com
David Crow Dec 29, 2018
Former President Barack Obama reveals his favorite movies of 2018, including Annihilation, Black Panther, BlacKkKlansman, and more.
President Barack Obama might be out of the White House, but he is hardly out of many Americans’ minds. While some politicians like to spend their holiday season shouting empty ultimatums on Twitter, the former 44th President of the United States continued his tradition of revealing his favorite books and music of the year that was, and now in 2018 he is adding movies to the list.
Taking to Facebook earlier this week, President Obama revealed his 15 favorite films of 2018, a number of which align with our own top 10 lists, including love for Annihilation, BlacKkKlansman, If Beale Street Could Talk, Leave No Trace, and Roma. The president also shows admiration for the documentaries Minding the Gap and Won’t You Be My Neighbor?, as well as Blindspotting, Black Panther, Eighth Grade, and The Death of Stalin,...
Former President Barack Obama reveals his favorite movies of 2018, including Annihilation, Black Panther, BlacKkKlansman, and more.
President Barack Obama might be out of the White House, but he is hardly out of many Americans’ minds. While some politicians like to spend their holiday season shouting empty ultimatums on Twitter, the former 44th President of the United States continued his tradition of revealing his favorite books and music of the year that was, and now in 2018 he is adding movies to the list.
Taking to Facebook earlier this week, President Obama revealed his 15 favorite films of 2018, a number of which align with our own top 10 lists, including love for Annihilation, BlacKkKlansman, If Beale Street Could Talk, Leave No Trace, and Roma. The president also shows admiration for the documentaries Minding the Gap and Won’t You Be My Neighbor?, as well as Blindspotting, Black Panther, Eighth Grade, and The Death of Stalin,...
- 12/29/2018
- Den of Geek
Barack Obama continues to be America’s pop culture president. On Friday, Obama shared his list of his 15 favorite movies of 2018, which featured nine directors who are nonwhite.
Those directors include Barry Jenkins (“If Beale Street Could Talk”), Bing Liu (“Minding the Gap”) Hirokazu Kore-eda (“Shoplifters”), Lee Chang-dong (“Burning”), Chloé Zhao (“The Rider”), Alfonso Cuaron (“Roma”), Carlos Lopez Estrada (“Blindspotting”), Ryan Coogler (“Black Panther”) and Spike Lee (“BlacKkKlansman”).
Obama also listed his favorite books and songs of the year.
Also Read: Michelle Obama Ends Hillary Clinton's 17-Year Run as Most Admired Woman in Us
“As 2018 draws to a close, I’m continuing a favorite tradition of mine and sharing my year-end lists. It gives me a moment to pause and reflect on the year through the books, movies, and music that I found most thought-provoking, inspiring, or just plain loved,” Obama wrote on Instagram.
Obama also shouted out his wife Michelle’s new biography,...
Those directors include Barry Jenkins (“If Beale Street Could Talk”), Bing Liu (“Minding the Gap”) Hirokazu Kore-eda (“Shoplifters”), Lee Chang-dong (“Burning”), Chloé Zhao (“The Rider”), Alfonso Cuaron (“Roma”), Carlos Lopez Estrada (“Blindspotting”), Ryan Coogler (“Black Panther”) and Spike Lee (“BlacKkKlansman”).
Obama also listed his favorite books and songs of the year.
Also Read: Michelle Obama Ends Hillary Clinton's 17-Year Run as Most Admired Woman in Us
“As 2018 draws to a close, I’m continuing a favorite tradition of mine and sharing my year-end lists. It gives me a moment to pause and reflect on the year through the books, movies, and music that I found most thought-provoking, inspiring, or just plain loved,” Obama wrote on Instagram.
Obama also shouted out his wife Michelle’s new biography,...
- 12/28/2018
- by Omar Sanchez
- The Wrap
Former President Barack Obama has released his annual year-end list of favorites films, books, and music, a tradition he started while in the office.
Among the favorite movies of 2018, Obama listed award faviorites and Oscar Best Picture hopefuls Black Panther, Roma, and Eighth Grade.
Foreign films such as the Lee Chang-dong-directed adapation Burning and Golden Globe nominated Japanese drama Shoplifters were also a favorite for the 44th U.S. President, along with skateboarding documentary Minding the Gap and Mister Rogers doc Won’t You Be My Neighbor.
“As 2018 draws to a close, I’m continuing a favorite tradition of mine and sharing my year-end lists. It gives me a moment to pause and reflect on the year through the books, movies, and music that I found most thought-provoking, inspiring, or just plain loved,” Obama shared on his Facebook account. “It also gives me a chance to highlight talented authors, artists,...
Among the favorite movies of 2018, Obama listed award faviorites and Oscar Best Picture hopefuls Black Panther, Roma, and Eighth Grade.
Foreign films such as the Lee Chang-dong-directed adapation Burning and Golden Globe nominated Japanese drama Shoplifters were also a favorite for the 44th U.S. President, along with skateboarding documentary Minding the Gap and Mister Rogers doc Won’t You Be My Neighbor.
“As 2018 draws to a close, I’m continuing a favorite tradition of mine and sharing my year-end lists. It gives me a moment to pause and reflect on the year through the books, movies, and music that I found most thought-provoking, inspiring, or just plain loved,” Obama shared on his Facebook account. “It also gives me a chance to highlight talented authors, artists,...
- 12/28/2018
- by Amanda N'Duka
- Deadline Film + TV
Barack Obama may be a couple of years removed from the Oval Office, but the president ex officio is continuing a tradition he started as commander-in-chief of sharing his year-end list of his favorite movies, music, and books. He did not share his favorite shows and streaming series.
“It gives me a moment to pause and reflect on the year through the books, movies, and music that I found most thought-provoking, inspiring, or just plain loved,” Obama wrote on social media. “It also gives me a chance to highlight talented authors, artists, and storytellers — some who are household names and others who you may not have heard of before.”
It’s a best-of list that boasts Oscar contenders and box office hits such as “Black Panther,” “Eighth Grade,” and “Roma”; chart-toppers such as Leon Bridges’ “Bad Bad News” and Cardi B’s “I Like It”; and best-sellers such as Michael Ondaatje...
“It gives me a moment to pause and reflect on the year through the books, movies, and music that I found most thought-provoking, inspiring, or just plain loved,” Obama wrote on social media. “It also gives me a chance to highlight talented authors, artists, and storytellers — some who are household names and others who you may not have heard of before.”
It’s a best-of list that boasts Oscar contenders and box office hits such as “Black Panther,” “Eighth Grade,” and “Roma”; chart-toppers such as Leon Bridges’ “Bad Bad News” and Cardi B’s “I Like It”; and best-sellers such as Michael Ondaatje...
- 12/28/2018
- by Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
On Saturday, Brett McGurk, special presidential envoy to the coalition fighting Isis, resigned in response to President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw troops from Syria. He follows Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, who resigned earlier in the week, citing the same reason. McGurk was originally planning to leave the administration in early 2019, but will now depart on December 31.
Trump, in an attempt to downplay the news, tweeted on Saturday evening that he does not know McGurk and accused him of being a “grandstander” by resigning in this fashion.
Brett McGurk,...
Trump, in an attempt to downplay the news, tweeted on Saturday evening that he does not know McGurk and accused him of being a “grandstander” by resigning in this fashion.
Brett McGurk,...
- 12/23/2018
- by Peter Wade
- Rollingstone.com
“I am a Tariff Man” President Donald Trump tweeted this morning, triggering social media backspray.
Trump made the news tweeting about talks with China he says already have started and will end “90 days from the date of our wonderful and very warm dinner with President Xi in Argentina.
Bob Lighthizer will be working closely with Steve Mnuchin, Larry Kudlow, Wilbur Ross and Peter Navarro…on seeing whether or not a Real deal with China is actually possible. If it is, we will get it done,” Trump tweeted.
(Trump’s chief economic adviser Kudlow may need to get up to speed, having informed press the 90-day trade war truce with China would begin January 1, forcing the White House to correct that about an hour later, informing them, and him, it started December 1.)
“China is supposed to start buying Agricultural product and more immediately. President Xi and I want this deal to happen,...
Trump made the news tweeting about talks with China he says already have started and will end “90 days from the date of our wonderful and very warm dinner with President Xi in Argentina.
Bob Lighthizer will be working closely with Steve Mnuchin, Larry Kudlow, Wilbur Ross and Peter Navarro…on seeing whether or not a Real deal with China is actually possible. If it is, we will get it done,” Trump tweeted.
(Trump’s chief economic adviser Kudlow may need to get up to speed, having informed press the 90-day trade war truce with China would begin January 1, forcing the White House to correct that about an hour later, informing them, and him, it started December 1.)
“China is supposed to start buying Agricultural product and more immediately. President Xi and I want this deal to happen,...
- 12/4/2018
- by Lisa de Moraes
- Deadline Film + TV
President Donald Trump has nothing but respect for the troops. Unless it’s sprinkling. Trump and First Lady Melania Trump were scheduled to appear at the Ainse-Marne American Cemetery and Memorial in northern France, the site of one of the bloodiest World War I battles, but cancelled allegedly due to weather.
Trump was supposed to attend the event along with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who did attend, but the president decided not to go because it was raining in Paris. The White House said Trump...
Trump was supposed to attend the event along with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who did attend, but the president decided not to go because it was raining in Paris. The White House said Trump...
- 11/10/2018
- by Peter Wade
- Rollingstone.com
Exclusive: Likely Story’s Anthony Bregman and Stefanie Azpiazu have acquired film rights to The World As It Is: A Memoir of the Obama White House, the bestselling memoir by Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes, a first-hand account of the eight years of the Obama presidency as observed by one of his closest aides.
Several bidders were in the mix for an auction conducted by Anonymous Content’s Howie Sanders and Elyse Cheney of The Cheney Agency. Likely Story plans to mount a film to shoot next year for 2020 release. Compared with the daily contentiousness of the Donald Trump presidency, this account will likely make Obama supporters feel nostalgic and wistful for what seems like a different era. Two indie films were made about the formative years of the 44th president in Barry and Southside With You. This could be the first feature about his two terms in the White House.
Several bidders were in the mix for an auction conducted by Anonymous Content’s Howie Sanders and Elyse Cheney of The Cheney Agency. Likely Story plans to mount a film to shoot next year for 2020 release. Compared with the daily contentiousness of the Donald Trump presidency, this account will likely make Obama supporters feel nostalgic and wistful for what seems like a different era. Two indie films were made about the formative years of the 44th president in Barry and Southside With You. This could be the first feature about his two terms in the White House.
- 7/10/2018
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
The World As It Is (Random House, June 5) by Ben Rhodes
Agency: Anonymous Content
As Trump undermines the Western alliance, this West Wing-meets-Schlesinger's A Thousand Days inspirational coming-of-age memoir details how Rhodes went from aspiring novelist to Obama's foreign policy alter ego in his early 30s.
The Girl on the Velvet Swing (Mulholland Books, Jan. 16) by Simon Baatz
Agency: Paradigm
The Edgar finalist recounts in novelistic detail the 1906 killing of architect Stanford White by playboy millionaire Harry Thaw because White had raped his wife when she was a teen — the century's first high-profile murder, with ...
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Agency: Anonymous Content
As Trump undermines the Western alliance, this West Wing-meets-Schlesinger's A Thousand Days inspirational coming-of-age memoir details how Rhodes went from aspiring novelist to Obama's foreign policy alter ego in his early 30s.
The Girl on the Velvet Swing (Mulholland Books, Jan. 16) by Simon Baatz
Agency: Paradigm
The Edgar finalist recounts in novelistic detail the 1906 killing of architect Stanford White by playboy millionaire Harry Thaw because White had raped his wife when she was a teen — the century's first high-profile murder, with ...
</!--[Cdata[...
- 6/13/2018
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
The World As It Is (Random House, June 5) by Ben Rhodes
Agency: Anonymous Content
As Trump undermines the Western alliance, this West Wing-meets-Schlesinger's A Thousand Days inspirational coming-of-age memoir details how Rhodes went from aspiring novelist to Obama's foreign policy alter ego in his early 30s.
The Girl on the Velvet Swing (Mulholland Books, Jan. 16) by Simon Baatz
Agency: Paradigm
The Edgar finalist recounts in novelistic detail the 1906 killing of architect Stanford White by playboy millionaire Harry Thaw because White had raped his wife when she was a teen — the century's first high-profile murder, with ...
</!--[Cdata[...
Agency: Anonymous Content
As Trump undermines the Western alliance, this West Wing-meets-Schlesinger's A Thousand Days inspirational coming-of-age memoir details how Rhodes went from aspiring novelist to Obama's foreign policy alter ego in his early 30s.
The Girl on the Velvet Swing (Mulholland Books, Jan. 16) by Simon Baatz
Agency: Paradigm
The Edgar finalist recounts in novelistic detail the 1906 killing of architect Stanford White by playboy millionaire Harry Thaw because White had raped his wife when she was a teen — the century's first high-profile murder, with ...
</!--[Cdata[...
- 6/13/2018
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
If there was ever a relationship to aspire to, it's the glorious love of Barack Obama and Michelle Obama. The power-couple are the picture of solidarity and a recent revelation from a novel penned by Barack's former national security advisor may just hint at the key to the couple's lasting love — keeping the occasional secret from each other. The book, The World As It Is: A Memoir of the Obama White House, by Ben Rhodes details the Obamas' 2011 sleepover at Buckingham Palace. Rhodes recalled Barack's awe over spending time with Queen Elizabeth and how he sweetly likened her to his dear grandmother, Toot. Rhodes also shared how Barack tried to hide an unwelcome visitor from his wife during their palace stay. "I really love the queen," then-President Obama told Rhodes, according to the book. "She's just like Toot, my grandmother. Courteous. Straightforward. All about what she thinks. She doesn't suffer fools.
- 6/10/2018
- by Closer Staff
- Closer Weekly
There was a time in America when an immigrant was allowed to hold a key position in U.S. foreign policy, a time when another woman—wearing a hijab—was granted daily access to classified information in the White House.
That time was two years ago.
Just how dramatically American political norms have changed since President Obama left office becomes apparent in the HBO documentary The Final Year, directed by Greg Barker. The film, now in contention for Emmy nominations, tracks the last 12 months of Obama’s term.
“Personally it was extraordinary to see the government at work at that level, up close,” Barker tells Deadline. “I don’t think I’ll ever have a professional experience that parallels what it was like to make that film.”
Barker persuaded some key players in the administration to participate in The Final Year: Secretary of State John Kerry; National Security Advisor Susan Rice; Samantha Power,...
That time was two years ago.
Just how dramatically American political norms have changed since President Obama left office becomes apparent in the HBO documentary The Final Year, directed by Greg Barker. The film, now in contention for Emmy nominations, tracks the last 12 months of Obama’s term.
“Personally it was extraordinary to see the government at work at that level, up close,” Barker tells Deadline. “I don’t think I’ll ever have a professional experience that parallels what it was like to make that film.”
Barker persuaded some key players in the administration to participate in The Final Year: Secretary of State John Kerry; National Security Advisor Susan Rice; Samantha Power,...
- 6/1/2018
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
Author: Competitions
To mark the release of The Final Year on 5th March, we’ve been given 3 copies to give away on DVD.
Directed by Greg Barker, The Final Year is a unique insiders’ account of President Barack Obama’s foreign policy team during their last year in office. Featuring unprecedented access inside the White House and State Department, The Final Year offers an uncompromising view of the inner workings of the Obama Administration as they prepare to leave power after eight years. The film revolves around a foreign policy team assembled by Barack Obama nearly a decade ago, during his first presidential campaign: Secretary of State John Kerry, Un Ambassador Samantha Power, Deputy National Security Advisor and presidential confidant Ben Rhodes, as well National Security Advisor Susan Rice and President Obama himself. The film tracks this team over the course of 2016, as they travel the world attempting to solidify...
To mark the release of The Final Year on 5th March, we’ve been given 3 copies to give away on DVD.
Directed by Greg Barker, The Final Year is a unique insiders’ account of President Barack Obama’s foreign policy team during their last year in office. Featuring unprecedented access inside the White House and State Department, The Final Year offers an uncompromising view of the inner workings of the Obama Administration as they prepare to leave power after eight years. The film revolves around a foreign policy team assembled by Barack Obama nearly a decade ago, during his first presidential campaign: Secretary of State John Kerry, Un Ambassador Samantha Power, Deputy National Security Advisor and presidential confidant Ben Rhodes, as well National Security Advisor Susan Rice and President Obama himself. The film tracks this team over the course of 2016, as they travel the world attempting to solidify...
- 2/26/2018
- by Competitions
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Joe Kennedy III delivered the Democrats’ response to President Donald Trump‘s first State of the Union address on Tuesday night, but some viewers of the impassioned speech were distracted by the Massachusetts representative’s shiny lips.
Social media users were intrigued to see the 37-year-old grandson of slain former Attorney General and U.S. Sen. Robert F. Kennedy with wet, glistening lips — with many declaring that drool appeared to be coming out of the corner of his mouth.
One Twitter user dubbed him “Droolin’ Joe Kennedy,” while others compared the viral moment to Marco Rubio’s infamous water bottle...
Social media users were intrigued to see the 37-year-old grandson of slain former Attorney General and U.S. Sen. Robert F. Kennedy with wet, glistening lips — with many declaring that drool appeared to be coming out of the corner of his mouth.
One Twitter user dubbed him “Droolin’ Joe Kennedy,” while others compared the viral moment to Marco Rubio’s infamous water bottle...
- 1/31/2018
- by Stephanie Petit
- PEOPLE.com
Secretary of State John Kerry and President Barack Obama on the White House in The Final Year, a Magnolia Pictures release. Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures.
The Final Year is a documentary look at the last year of the Obama administration, or least the foreign policy side of it, as it takes one last shot at leaving a legacy and sets the stage for the hand-over to the next administration. That is an admiring look should come as no surprise but one gets the feeling it was made with an unspoken assumption that Hillary Clinton would be that next president. That may be the case, which actually makes this a more interesting film than it otherwise might have been, one now filled with ironic moments, given how the election actually turned out..
Director Greg Barker turns his camera mainly on three people, Secretary of State John Kerry, Un Ambassador Samantha Power,...
The Final Year is a documentary look at the last year of the Obama administration, or least the foreign policy side of it, as it takes one last shot at leaving a legacy and sets the stage for the hand-over to the next administration. That is an admiring look should come as no surprise but one gets the feeling it was made with an unspoken assumption that Hillary Clinton would be that next president. That may be the case, which actually makes this a more interesting film than it otherwise might have been, one now filled with ironic moments, given how the election actually turned out..
Director Greg Barker turns his camera mainly on three people, Secretary of State John Kerry, Un Ambassador Samantha Power,...
- 1/19/2018
- by Cate Marquis
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
The Final Year Magnolia Pictures/HBO Documentary Films Director: Greg Baker Screenwriter: Greg Baker Cast: Barack Obama, John Kerry, Samantha Power, Ben Rhodes Screened at: Review 1, NYC, 1/4/18 Opens: January 19, 2018 The choice made by Greg Baker, who handles the direction of “The Final Year,” to end this film with the Bob Dylan song […]
The post The Final Year Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
The post The Final Year Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
- 1/15/2018
- by Harvey Karten
- ShockYa
He spent 10 years as Barack Obama’s right-hand man. As a new film puts him in the spotlight, he talks high-stakes diplomacy and the chaos of Trump’s White House
In his final foreign speech as president, Barack Obama spoke to a crowd in Athens. “As you may have noticed,” he said, “the next American president and I could not be more different. But American democracy is bigger than any one person.” More than a year on, with that proposition tested daily, Obama’s decision to make his last trip abroad to the birthplace of western democracy looks prescient.
The person Obama turned to just before taking the stage was a trim man with thin, close-cropped hair and a furrowed brow who had been at his side on almost every foreign trip he made, and who helped write this and just about every other foreign policy speech the president delivered.
In his final foreign speech as president, Barack Obama spoke to a crowd in Athens. “As you may have noticed,” he said, “the next American president and I could not be more different. But American democracy is bigger than any one person.” More than a year on, with that proposition tested daily, Obama’s decision to make his last trip abroad to the birthplace of western democracy looks prescient.
The person Obama turned to just before taking the stage was a trim man with thin, close-cropped hair and a furrowed brow who had been at his side on almost every foreign trip he made, and who helped write this and just about every other foreign policy speech the president delivered.
- 1/13/2018
- by Julian Borger
- The Guardian - Film News
Remember January – that traditional time in the movigoing calendar when all the studios seize on the post-holiday, post-awards-deadline lull to unload their least-desirable properties? Still, that does not mean there isn't some wheat among the waves of chaff – for example, a Cannes-approved award-winner, an all-business thriller from a cult favorite, a blaxploitation throwback and a glimpse into Russian insanity that sets the Weirdest Documentary of the Year bar high. Here's what you'll be seeing at a theater near you this month.
A Ciambra (Jan. 26th)
In the Calabria region in the south of Italy,...
A Ciambra (Jan. 26th)
In the Calabria region in the south of Italy,...
- 1/2/2018
- Rollingstone.com
There was really only one rule filmmaker Greg Barker had to follow while shadowing the Obama administration’s senior officials for “The Final Year”: no classified material.
That was actually pretty easy to follow, considering neither he nor his crew had the clearance to be in the room when classified information was being discussed.
“The rules were actually pretty straightforward,” Barker said at a Q&A following a screening of his film at the International Documentary Association’s annual screening series. “The rules were you can’t show classified material, but it’s not really a problem because they’re not allowed to — none of us have security clearance, so they can’t really bring it into a room…it was never really an issue. And that was basically it, because they knew it had to feel authentic.”
For “The Final Year,” Barker followed Secretary of State John Kerry, Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power, and Deputy National Security advisor/senior staffer Ben Rhodes beginning in September 2015 as they embarked on their final year of work for President Obama (who also appears frequently throughout the film). And yes — most of the people involved, including Kerry, Power, Rhodes, and Obama himself, have seen the film.
In fact, Power and Rhodes were present when “The Final Year” debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival, and Barker said the crowd’s reaction was very emotional to watch.
“They have not spoken much publicly, so seeing the reaction when they came out afterwards was just incredibly emotional, very emotional,” he said. “So I think it’s very gratifying for them to see it with a public audience in particular.”
The film would play very differently if Hillary Clinton had been elected president instead of Donald Trump, but the fact that much of the work the team completes during the final year of their tenure would wind up undone a year later adds another layer to the film. There’s what audiences see play out in the film, and there’s what they know will play out a year later.
“I’ve never made a film that plays like this plays. It seems to me like there’s two narratives going on. There’s the narrative of the film, and then every week there’s a new scene that resonates in a different way for me,” he says, adding, “It speaks to the moment that we’re living in.”...
That was actually pretty easy to follow, considering neither he nor his crew had the clearance to be in the room when classified information was being discussed.
“The rules were actually pretty straightforward,” Barker said at a Q&A following a screening of his film at the International Documentary Association’s annual screening series. “The rules were you can’t show classified material, but it’s not really a problem because they’re not allowed to — none of us have security clearance, so they can’t really bring it into a room…it was never really an issue. And that was basically it, because they knew it had to feel authentic.”
For “The Final Year,” Barker followed Secretary of State John Kerry, Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power, and Deputy National Security advisor/senior staffer Ben Rhodes beginning in September 2015 as they embarked on their final year of work for President Obama (who also appears frequently throughout the film). And yes — most of the people involved, including Kerry, Power, Rhodes, and Obama himself, have seen the film.
In fact, Power and Rhodes were present when “The Final Year” debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival, and Barker said the crowd’s reaction was very emotional to watch.
“They have not spoken much publicly, so seeing the reaction when they came out afterwards was just incredibly emotional, very emotional,” he said. “So I think it’s very gratifying for them to see it with a public audience in particular.”
The film would play very differently if Hillary Clinton had been elected president instead of Donald Trump, but the fact that much of the work the team completes during the final year of their tenure would wind up undone a year later adds another layer to the film. There’s what audiences see play out in the film, and there’s what they know will play out a year later.
“I’ve never made a film that plays like this plays. It seems to me like there’s two narratives going on. There’s the narrative of the film, and then every week there’s a new scene that resonates in a different way for me,” he says, adding, “It speaks to the moment that we’re living in.”...
- 11/30/2017
- by Jean Bentley
- Indiewire
Bill Cunningham's last interview is in Antonio Lopez 1970: Sex Fashion & Disco Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
Greg Barker's The Final Year (documenting members of Barack Obama's administration, including Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power, Secretary of State John Kerry and speechwriter Ben Rhodes in 2016) opened Doc NYC last night. Tiffany Bartok's Larger Than Life: The Kevyn Aucoin Story (with Paulina Porizkova, Kate Moss, Brooke Shields, Cher, Isabella Rossellini, Naomi Campbell, Isaac Mizrahi, Tori Amos, Christy Turlington, Linda Evangelista, Linda Wells); James Crump's Antonio Lopez 1970: Sex Fashion & Disco (Jessica Lange, Grace Jones, Jerry Hall, Juan Ramos, Yves Saint Laurent, Donna Jordan, Karl Lagerfeld, Grace Coddington, Bob Colacello, Bill Cunningham); Bobbi Jo Hart's Rebels on Pointe, and Samuel D Pollard's Sammy Davis, Jr.: I've Gotta Be Me are four more of this year's Doc NYC highlights.
Larger Than Life: The Kevyn Aucoin Story
Larger Than Life: The Kevyn Aucoin Story...
Greg Barker's The Final Year (documenting members of Barack Obama's administration, including Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power, Secretary of State John Kerry and speechwriter Ben Rhodes in 2016) opened Doc NYC last night. Tiffany Bartok's Larger Than Life: The Kevyn Aucoin Story (with Paulina Porizkova, Kate Moss, Brooke Shields, Cher, Isabella Rossellini, Naomi Campbell, Isaac Mizrahi, Tori Amos, Christy Turlington, Linda Evangelista, Linda Wells); James Crump's Antonio Lopez 1970: Sex Fashion & Disco (Jessica Lange, Grace Jones, Jerry Hall, Juan Ramos, Yves Saint Laurent, Donna Jordan, Karl Lagerfeld, Grace Coddington, Bob Colacello, Bill Cunningham); Bobbi Jo Hart's Rebels on Pointe, and Samuel D Pollard's Sammy Davis, Jr.: I've Gotta Be Me are four more of this year's Doc NYC highlights.
Larger Than Life: The Kevyn Aucoin Story
Larger Than Life: The Kevyn Aucoin Story...
- 11/10/2017
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
The 2016 presidential election was a surreal period, with a November 8 outcome that unfolded with the intensity of a horror movie — you know, the kind where the monster that supposedly died a few minutes earlier springs back to life to launch a whole new franchise. Of course, some members of the electorate felt differently. Depending on your point of view, the Trump victory was either a traumatizing jolt or a happy ending, and as the one year anniversary looms we’ve got movies that wrestle with both sides of the equation.
One them is a sequel. In 2008, film distribution executive Jeff Deutchman launched the crowdsourced “11/4/08,” gathering footage from countless filmmakers who captured the highlights of a historic voting day. The result was a rah-rah celebration of the Obama victory on a personal scale, with intimate bonding scenes at voting stations and giddy faces generating a kind of utopian fever. In retrospect,...
One them is a sequel. In 2008, film distribution executive Jeff Deutchman launched the crowdsourced “11/4/08,” gathering footage from countless filmmakers who captured the highlights of a historic voting day. The result was a rah-rah celebration of the Obama victory on a personal scale, with intimate bonding scenes at voting stations and giddy faces generating a kind of utopian fever. In retrospect,...
- 11/8/2017
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
On Friday night, CAA hosted a screening of The Final Year, a documentary which takes an intimate look at the last year of the Obama's presidency, with a focus on his foreign policy team.
The film showcases Ben Rhodes, who served as a deputy national security advisor to the president, and Samantha Powers, who was the United States ambassador to the United Nations, as they fly around the globe and strive to solve problems as diverse as the Syrian Civil War, the kidnapping of girls by Boko Haram and border and trade disputes with China.
They were both present for...
The film showcases Ben Rhodes, who served as a deputy national security advisor to the president, and Samantha Powers, who was the United States ambassador to the United Nations, as they fly around the globe and strive to solve problems as diverse as the Syrian Civil War, the kidnapping of girls by Boko Haram and border and trade disputes with China.
They were both present for...
- 11/4/2017
- by Alex Cramer
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
In the 71 years since the United States dropped an atomic bomb incinerating the Japanese city of Hiroshima, no American president has visited the site of that devastating attack that killed 140,000 Japanese soldiers and civilians. Until now. In his historic visit to Hiroshima on Friday, President Obama will reflect on the tragic human toll of war and deliver a message on the need to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons. Accompanied by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan, Obama will tour the Japanese city that was nearly destroyed by a U.S. atomic bomb in August 1945 during World War II. Here...
- 5/26/2016
- by Tierney McAfee, @tierneymcafee
- PEOPLE.com
In the 71 years since the United States dropped an atomic bomb incinerating the Japanese city of Hiroshima, no American president has visited the site of that devastating attack that killed 140,000 Japanese soldiers and civilians. Until now. In his historic visit to Hiroshima on Friday, President Obama will reflect on the tragic human toll of war and deliver a message on the need to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons. Accompanied by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan, Obama will tour the Japanese city that was nearly destroyed by a U.S. atomic bomb in August 1945 during World War II. Here...
- 5/26/2016
- by Tierney McAfee, @tierneymcafee
- PEOPLE.com
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