News Briefs: Bye, Bye September
Welcome to another edition of my curated news—some perfectly random items that grabbed my attention—from Ohio's governor to Melania. Let's go!
Mike DeWine: the sad man of Ohio. If you missed Mike DeWine’s op-ed in the New York Times, I urge you to read it. The Republican governor of Ohio deserves a lot of credit for coming to the defense of Haitians in Springfield, Ohio, at a time when they are being unjustly vilified. (JD Vance and Donald Trump are still spreading the discredited rumor that Haitians eat the town’s pets.)
DeWine, who has deep roots in that town (he was born there and lives close by), as well as strong connections to Haiti (he and his wife have been to that impoverished country over 20 times on humanitarian missions), comes across as a very decent man.
His op-ed was a powerful plea for tolerance. But this paragraph left me spinning:
As a supporter of former President Donald Trump and Senator JD Vance, I am saddened by how they and others continue to repeat claims that lack evidence and disparage the legal migrants living in Springfield. This rhetoric hurts the city and its people, and it hurts those who have spent their lives there.
He wants us to know that Trump and Vance are liars who are scapegoating some of the most vulnerable among us. He’s also telling us that these lies are ruining lives and tearing a community apart. Just the same, he’s making it clear he stands by Trump and Vance.
How does DeWine reconcile all this? I don’t think he can. There’s a palpable tension in his words. He knows better—which is why I think he’s a very sad man.
Misogynist of the month: Bernie Moreno. The competition in this category has been fierce—so fierce that JD Vance didn’t even make the cut this round.
For sheer brutality (the video of him violently kicking his girlfriend) and scale (what’s up withthose 1,000 bottles of baby oil?), it’s hard to top rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs, who’s now in jail (thank goodness) facing charges for sex trafficking, racketeering, and transportation to engage in prostitution.
Then, there’s North Carolina GOP gubernatorial candidate Mark Robinson whose racist, sexist rants on porn site Naked Africa recently came to light. To be fair, he offended not just women but most of humanity. (Calling yourself “Black Nazi” was hard to beat.) In any case, Robinson is a top-notch misogynist renowned for blaming women for getting pregnant; he said they “weren’t responsible enough to keep [their] skirt down”.
Despite these formidable contenders, I’m voting for Ohio Republican senate candidate Bernie Moreno as misogynist for the month. He deserves credit for insulting a group of women that’s often overlooked: the menopausal set.
Consider what he said at a recent rally:
A lot of suburban women are like, “Listen, abortion is it. If I can't have an abortion in this country whenever I want, I will vote for anybody else.” OK. It's a little crazy, by the way, but especially for women that are like past 50. I'm thinking to myself, I don't think that's an issue for you!
Oh, Mr. Moreno, aren’t you droll? You know exactly where you can stick it.
Cad du jour: Robert Kennedy Jr. Rather than simply accepting responsibility for getting caught sexting with New York Magazine writer Olivia Nuzzi (photo at top), Kennedy is broadcasting (via his minions) that she was the aggressor who photobombed him with nudies until he capitulated. I’m not here to defend Nuzzi in any way. (Sending nude selfies of yourself to interviewees is not considered best journalism practice. Plus, she’s 31 and he’s 70, so yuck.) But come on, fellas, that Fatal Attraction stuff is, like, so last century.
Most disappointing wait: Return of SNL. It was the much anticipated season premier and the celebration of the show’s 50th anniversary. And it fell completely flat. While Maya Rudolph’s Kamala Harris and Jim Gaffigan’s Tim Walz were spot on, the rest of the show barely reached mediocrity. (And can we please get rid of the tiresome game show parodies?) Take it from me: Stick with the Daily Show or Stephen Colbert.
Funniest liar of the season: Melania Trump. Let’s end on a truly comedic note. While promoting her new book “Melania” on Fox News, the former First Lady called her husband, “a family man.” Enough said.
Hang in there, folks.
Vivia
Contact: chen.vivia@gmail.com
Twitter (X): ViviaChen