Black activist and prominent social critic Cornel West on Sunday linked the ongoing protests in America to anger over the “vicious legacy of white supremacy†and the “collapse of the legitimacy of leadership.â€
“The beautiful thing is we’re seeing citizens who are caring and concerned. They’re hitting the streets,â€Â the Harvard Divinity School professor told Chris Wallace on “Fox News Sunday.â€
“The problem is we have a system that’s not responding and seems to be unable to respond,†he added.
While demonstrators across the nation are protesting the death of George Floyd, a Black man who was killed last week during an arrest by white Minneapolis police officers, they’re also erupting against a decaying social order, West indicated.
“What we’re seeing here is the ways in which the vicious legacy of white supremacy manifests in organized hatred, greed and corruption,†West said. “We’re dealing with moral meltdown … We’re witnessing the collapse of the legitimacy of leadership, the political class, the economic class, the professional class. That’s the deeper crisis.â€
He acknowledged that there has been progress against racism, especially for the middle class. But West also cited Malcolm X in reminding Wallace that “you don’t stab folk in the back nine inches, pull it out three inches and say you’re making progress.â€
Asked about the violence and looting in some of the protests, West emphasized that “most of my fellow citizens, God bless them, that are in the streets are there peaceful, or are there marching.â€
He added: “Looting is wrong, but legalized looting is wrong, too … I look at the wickedness in high places first and then keep track of the least of these.â€
“If we’re more concerned about the property and spillover than the poverty, decrepit school systems, dilapidated housing, massive unemployment and underemployment,†West warned, “we’re going to be doing this every five, every 10, every 20 years.â€
Check out what West had to say in the video above. His interview begins at 19:30.
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MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Protesters took to the streets across America again Sunday, with violence flaring in pockets of largely peaceful demonstrations fueled by the killings of black people at the hands of police. A truck driver — apparently deliberately — drove into demonstrators in Minneapolis nearly a week after George Floyd died there after pleading for air as an officer pressed a knee into his neck.
Protests sprang up from Boston to San Francisco, with people stealing from stores in broad daylight in Philadelphia, cities across California and elsewhere. In Minneapolis, the tanker truck sped into a peaceful crowd of thousands on a closed highway, but no one appeared to have been hit, authorities said.
The Minnesota State Patrol tweeted that the driver was apparently trying to provoke protesters and was arrested. Protesters swarmed the truck and jumped on the hood, even as it kept moving. Police then came in force to clear the highway in the city where violence erupted after the death last week of Floyd, who was black. The protests quickly spread to dozens of cities large and small, and have lasted for days.Â
The officer who pressed his knee onto Floyd’s neck for several minutes has been charged with murder, but protesters demand the other three officers at the scene be prosecuted. All four were fired.
“We’re not done,†said Darnella Wade, organizer for Black Lives Matter in neighboring St. Paul, where thousands gathered peacefully in front of the state Capitol. “They sent us the military, and we only asked them for arrests.â€
Minnesota’s governor brought in thousands of National Guard soldiers to help quell violence that had damaged or destroyed hundreds of buildings in Minneapolis over days of protests. The immense deployment appeared to have worked Saturday night, when there was comparatively little destruction.
On Sunday, in a display of force, long lines of state patrolmen and National Guard soldiers were lined up in front of the Capitol, facing the demonstrators, with perhaps a dozen military-style armored vehicles behind them.
For a second day, the protests reached to the White House, where chants could be heard from around 1,000 demonstrators just across the street in Lafayette Park as they faced police in riot gear behind barricades. The scene was defiant but peaceful, though police used flash bangs to stop another group from reaching the park.
As the protests grew, President Donald Trump retweeted conservative commentator Buck Sexton who called for “overwhelming force.â€
Outside the White House, Gabrielle Labrosse-Ellis, 30, from Maryland, held a sign that said, “Humanize black lives.â€
“This is unacceptable. This is the last straw,†she said. “It has to be.â€
Labrosse-Ellis said she planned to leave before dark because she feared a repeat of the violence that occurred Saturday night.
Outside of the White House, protesters stand feet away from a police line chanting, “George Floyd. Say his name.†pic.twitter.com/clMAEeAuSh
Across America, demonstrators called again for an end to police violence and many joined police in pleading for an end to the looting Many also joined police in pleading for a stop to fires, vandalism and theft, saying it weakened calls for justice and reform.
“They keep killing our people,†said Mahira Louis, 15, who marched with her mother and several hundred others through downtown Boston. “I’m so sick and tired of it.â€
Disgust over generations of racism in a country founded by slaveholders combined with a string of recent racially charged killings to stoke the anger. Adding to that was angst from months of lockdowns brought on by the coronavirus pandemic, which has disproportionately hurt communities of color, not only in terms of infections but in job losses and economic stress.
“Maybe this country will get the memo that we are sick of police murdering unarmed black men,†said Lex Scott, founder of Black Lives Matter Utah. “Maybe the next time a white police officer decides to pull the trigger, he will picture cities burning.â€
The scale of the protests, sweeping from coast to coast and unfolding on a single night, rivaled the historic demonstrations of the civil rights and Vietnam War eras.
Curfews were imposed in major cities around the U.S., including Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle. About 5,000 National Guard soldiers and airmen were activated in 15 states and Washington, D.C.
But still trouble flared.
There was looting on both ends of California, with video in San Jose showing several people in hoods and masks fleeing a Macy’s department store with large bags, while people in Long Beach carried away armloads of clothing and other goods from the smashed windows of stores at a shopping mall after curfew. As police moved in to try to restore order, some protesters ran in to confront the thieves and condemn them for undercutting the message of the demonstration.
In tweets Sunday, Trump blamed anarchists and the media for fueling the violence. Attorney General William Barr pointed a finger at “far left extremist†groups. Police chiefs and politicians accused outsiders of coming in and causing the problems.
At the Minneapolis intersection where Floyd was killed, people gathered with brooms and flowers, saying it was important to protect what they called a “sacred space.†The intersection was blocked with the traffic cones while a ring of flowers was laid out.
Among those descending on Minneapolis was Michael Brown Sr., the father of Michael Brown, whose killing by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, set off unrest in 2014.
“I understand what this family is feeling. I understand what this community is feeling,†he said.
In Indianapolis, two people were reported dead in bursts of downtown violence, adding to deaths reported in Detroit and Minneapolis in recent days.
Buildings around the U.S. were defaced with spray-painted messages, from the facade of St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York to the historic Hay-Adams hotel near the White House. Some of Floyd’s gasped last words — “I can’t breathe†— were repeated, alongside anti-police messages.
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As civil unrest over the death of George Floyd and other Black victims of police brutality continued to rock cities across the U.S., lawmakers and leaders implored President Donald Trump on Sunday to cease his inflammatory commentary.
Democrats and some Republicans expressed concern over Trump’s rhetoric, with some saying his comments were fueling violence and exacerbating the tense situation.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) told ABC’s “This Week†that she is largely ignoring Trump’s statements, which she said serve as “bait†to divert from the root issues that prompted the protests.
“I think to take his bait time and time again is just a gift to him because he always wants to divert attention from what the cause of the response was,†she said.
“I’m not paying too much attention to what the president says,†Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Trump tweets.
“I think to take his bait time and time again is just a gift to him because he always wants to divert attention from what the cause of the response was.†https://t.co/sVerbxGgdMpic.twitter.com/i6302lt9Yd
Early Friday morning, as demonstrations in Minneapolis again boiled over into violent clashes with police after days of unrest, Trump tweeted calling protesters “THUGS.â€
“When the looting starts, the shooting starts,†the president wrote, invoking a racist phrase originally coined by an aggressive Miami police chief at the peak of the 1960s civil rights protests. Trump later attempted to walk back his use of the phrase.
And on Saturday morning, Trump threatened protesters who had rallied outside the White House with “vicious dogs†and “ominous weapons†if they were to breach the fence. He has also repeatedly lashed out at Democratic leaders as they attempt to control the violence in their cities.
Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms (D) drew comparisons between Trump’s rhetoric now and at the deadly white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017, where he claimed there were some “very fine people†on both sides. Those remarks drew bipartisan backlash. Bottoms said on CNN Sunday that Trump is “making it worse.â€
“This is not about using military force. This is about where we are in America. We are beyond a tipping point in this country, and his rhetoric only inflames that, and he should sometimes just stop talking,†she said.
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican, also said Trump’s message is intensifying the situation.
“That’s not helpful. It’s not lowering the temperature,†he said on CNN’s “State of the Union†when discussing Trump’s tweets. “It’s sort of continuing to escalate the rhetoric. I think it’s just the opposite of the message that should have been coming out of the White House.â€Â
Republican Governor Larry Hogan of Maryland says President Trump’s comments on the events of the week are “continuing to escalate the rhetoric.”
Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), too, spoke out against Trump’s tweets. “Those are not constructive tweets, without any question,†he said on “Fox News Sunday.â€
Scott said that he’d spoken with the president and advised him that it’s “helpful when you lead with compassion.â€
Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser, whom Trump targeted a day earlier, told MSNBC’s Chuck Todd on Sunday that Trump should start efforts to calm the nation by “not sending divisive tweets that are meant to hearken to the segregationist past of our country.â€
“And he can start by doing that right now, we certainly urge him to do that,†she said.
Citing top aides in the West Wing, ABC News and CNN reported that there’s a divide within the White House over whether Trump should formally address the nation to call for calm, given his so-far bumpy message and tendency for escalation.
Washington, D.C. mayor Muriel Bowser: “I think that the President has a responsibility to help calm the nation, and he can start by not sending divisive tweets that are meant to hearken to the segregationist past of our country.” pic.twitter.com/z5y40G0Wj1
On CNN’s “State of the Union,†Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), recalled Trump’s “inability to condemn Nazis†in the wake of the Charlottesville rally and other past racist comments, saying Trump “no longer has the capacity to break my heart.â€
Donald Trump is not a leader that anyone should be looking to in these troubled times. He is a divisive president who has failed our country. We must stay focused on the people—and on unraveling institutional racism with the urgency it deserves. pic.twitter.com/zdKaMmM97d
In response to Trump’s comments about the unrest unfolding in her city and around the country, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) said the president had “failed in really understanding the kind of pain and anguish many of his citizens are feeling.â€
“When you have a president who really is glorifying violence, was talking about the kind of vicious dogs and weapons that could be unleashed on citizens, it is quite appalling and disturbing,†she said.
During a speech Saturday afternoon, Trump offered a more composed tone, urging that “healing, not hatred, justice, not chaos are the mission at hand†and said “the memory of George Floyd is being dishonored by rioters, looters, and anarchists.â€
National security adviser Robert O’Brien defended Trump on “CNN’s “State of the Union,†saying the White House supports peaceful demonstrations. When asked about Trump’s inflammatory attacks on protesters and Democratic mayors and use of racist rhetoric, O’Brien insisted, “What he said about those tweets is he wants to deescalate violence and he doesn’t want looting.â€
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Here are a few of events happening this week and how to tune in (all times are Eastern).
Monday
Dr. Perri Klass, a professor of journalism and pediatrics at New York University and a contributor to The New York Times, will answer parents’ questions about daily life during the pandemic. She joinsTara Parker-Pope, the founding editor of The Times’s Well section, to talk about kids, coping, playtime and more.
Enjoy story time with your little one as the children’s author and illustrator Sam Wedelichreads her version of “Chicken Little.†Best for ages 4 to 8.
Gagosian galleries’ latest chapter in its new online series, “Broadcast: Alternate Meanings in Film and Video,†makes its debut. It examines work by the Pop artist Ed Ruscha, the media-art pioneer Nam June Paik, the painter and sculptor Rachel Feinstein and others.
Austin Scott, who starred in Broadway’s “Hamiltonâ€and “Girl From the North Country,†performs a duet with Alexa Cepeda, a singer-songwriter. The Broadway starLaura Osneswill interview the duo, after which they will sing “My Favorite Things,†from “The Sound of Music,†with Ms. Cepeda also on guitar.
Nuyorican Poets Cafe of the Lower East Side of Manhattan offers a virtual open mic night. Hosted by Caridad De la Luz, the poet and playwright, the night will have at least 25 performance slots for art of all types. Those who are brave enough can sign up to perform starting 24 hours before the event.
The Sazerac House in New Orleans hosts a free evening dedicated to its namesake cocktail. Mixologists will teach viewers the history of the drink as well as tips and tricks to perfect it. A list of the needed ingredients will be provided after registration (it’s a mix of absinthe, brandy and bitters, to start.) Registration required.
One of San Francisco’s best-known L.G.B.T.Q. bars, the Stud, hosts a drag show to kick off Pride Month.
When 9:30 p.m. Where Search “Drag Alive†at eventbrite.com, donation of $1 or more required.
Saturday
The doors at Marie’s Crisis may be closed, but the storied Greenwich Village piano bar’s show-tune singalongs continue each night. This evening’s entertainment will be kicked off by Franca Vercelloni, a longtime Marie’s performer who sees herself as “the dominatrix†of piano bar musicians. Don’t forget to contribute to the performers’ virtual tip jars via Venmo.
When 5 p.m. Where Marie’s Group Facebook Page(Note: This is a private group. Be sure to request to join at least a few hours before showtime.)
Sunday
As part of its Artist Series, the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center is streaming videos of concerts from its archives, followed by a live Q. and A. with a featured performer. This week, it’s the pianistGilbert Kalish with vocal soloists and other musicians.
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro rallied supporters protesting against the Supreme Court for investigating the right-wing leader, mingling with the crowd and riding a police horse, as one of the court’s justices compared the risks to Brazil’s democracy with Hitler’s Germany.
Sunday’s rally took place in defiance of the advisory on social distancing to help contain the spread of the coronavirus that has already killed more than 29,000 people in Brazil.Â
More:
Deepening a political crisis during one of the world’s worst novel coronavirus outbreaks, Bolsonaro has condemned the top court for investigating his interference in police affairs and opening an inquiry into alleged libel and intimidation campaigns run by his supporters on social media.
The former army captain and defender of Brazil’s 1964-1985 military government has denounced the investigations, suggesting “absurd orders” should not be followed and warning that the court may “plunge Brazil into a political crisis”.
Bolsonaro flew in a military helicopter over the rally in Brasilia where protesters held banners calling for shutting down Brazil’s Congress and top court, known as the STF.
One said: “Military Intervention – close Congress and the STF now.”
Supreme Court Justice Celso de Mello, who is responsible for investigating a former justice minister’s allegation that Bolsonaro tried to meddle with law enforcement for personal reasons, said the president’s supporters were seeking a military dictatorship.
Shaking hands with supporters
“We must resist the destruction of the democratic order to avoid what happened in the Weimar Republic when Hitler, after he was elected by popular vote … did not hesitate annulling the constitution and imposing a totalitarian system in 1933,” de Mello told other judges in a message seen by Reuters.
A person familiar with the matter confirmed the authenticity of the message, which was also reported in Brazilian newspapers. De Mello’s office said the message was “exclusively personal”.
Bolsonaro has said his aims are democratic and that his opponents are trampling the Constitution in their efforts to depose him.
Sunday’s rally was held in defiance of the advisory on social distancing to help contain the spread of the coronavirus that has already killed more than 29,000 people and infected more than 500,000 others [Ueslei Marcelino/Reuters]
After his helicopter ride, the president walked to the rally and shook hands with supporters, wearing no face mask despite its use being mandatory in the capital to fight the coronavirus outbreak.
He then mounted a police horse and trotted past the crowd.
On Saturday night, a group of masked backers of Bolsonaro marched to the court carrying torches to call for its closure.
During Sunday’s demonstrations in Sao Paulo, opponents of Bolsonaro took to a main avenue to protest against “fascism” and clashed with riot police who intervened to stop them getting close to a rally by supporters of the president.
Police used tear gas to push back a crowd of people hurling stones.
A tanker truck sped toward thousands of protesters in Minneapolis on Sunday in a shocking moment as demonstrations over the death of George Floyd continue to spread around the nation.
Local news outlets were broadcasting live from the protest on Minneapolis’ I-35 highway, the sixth day of demonstrations following the man’s death in police custody. In the footage, large crowds gathered on a bridge suddenly begin to part before a truck is seen barreling toward the group. It speeds through the crowd before coming to a stop on the highway.
The Minneapolis Star-Tribune reported demonstrators then swarmed the vehicle and apparently pulled the driver from the cab of the truck.
 The footage below may be disturbing to some readers.
A tanker truck drives into thousands of protesters marching on 35W north bound highway during a protest against the death in Minneapolis police custody of George Floyd, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. May 31, 2020. REUTERS/Eric Miller
The Minnesota Department of Public Safety said it was disturbed by the footage and said the driver, who has not been identified, was arrested and taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. The agency said it didn’t appear any protesters had been hit by the truck.
“Very disturbing actions by a truck driver on I-35W, inciting a crowd of peaceful demonstrators,†the department wrote on Twitter. “The truck driver was injured & taken to a hospital with non-life threatening injuries. He is under arrest. It doesn’t appear any protesters were hit by the truck.â€
Eric Miller / Reuters
Officials said no one appeared to be injured following the incident. REUTERS/Eric Miller
Officials said they were investigating how the truck was able to get on the highway, which is currently closed. It’s unclear what the driver’s motives were, although The New York Times notes local police said the person was “inciting†peaceful protestors.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said the footage was “horrifying†in a news briefing later Sunday, saying it was amazing many people hadn’t died during the incident.
“I don’t know the motives of the driver at this time, but at this point in time, to not have tragedy and many deaths is simply an amazing thing,†Walz said.
Authorities later urged demonstrators to clear the bridge, warning police may use tear gas to disperse those gathered if they don’t go home before curfews set in.
ATTENTION: Please clear the area near the I-35W bridge btwn. University & Washington avenues. People are being given the lawful order to clear the area. If that order is refused, police may use tear gas as a dispersal mechanism. #MACCMN
The protest was the city’s latest demonstration following Floyd’s death while in police custody. The man died after Officer Derek Chauvin arrested him and pressed his knee into Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes. A shocking video of Floyd’s arrest rocked the nation, leading to protests in cities around the U.S. and calls for dramatic police reform.
Chauvin has been charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter, and three other Minneapolis Police Department officers were fired for their roles in the incident.
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Some campaign advisers were pressing for a formal address to the nation as early as Sunday. But White House officials, recalling Mr. Trump’s error-filled Oval Office address in March about the spread of the coronavirus, cautioned that it was not necessary. Mr. Trump quizzed advisers throughout the day Sunday about whether he should give an Oval Office address.
Mr. Trump already tried to recalibrate by ripping up his speech at the Kennedy Space Center on Saturday after the launch of the new crewed SpaceX rocket and adding a long passage about Mr. Floyd. In the speech, Mr. Trump repeated his calls for law and order, but in more measured terms and leavened by expressions of sympathy for Mr. Floyd’s family, whom he had called to offer condolences.
Aides were disappointed that the remarks, delivered late Saturday afternoon as part of a speech otherwise celebrating the triumph of the space program, did not get wider attention, but they said they hoped they would break through. Several administration officials said Mr. Trump was genuinely horrified by the video of Mr. Floyd’s last minutes, mentioning it several times in private conversations over the last few days.
Mr. Trump and his team seemed taken off guard by the protests that materialized outside the White House on Friday night. Hundreds of people surged toward the White House as Secret Service and United States Park Police officers sought to block them. Bricks and bottles were thrown, and the police responded with pepper spray. At one point, an official said, a barricade near the Treasury Department next door to the White House was penetrated.
It was not clear what specifically prompted the Secret Service to whisk Mr. Trump to the Presidential Emergency Operations Center, as the underground bunker is known, but the agency has protocols for protecting the president when the building is threatened.
Judd Deere, a White House spokesman, said officials would not comment on whether Mr. Trump was taken to the underground bunker.
“The White House does not comment on security protocols and decisions,†Mr. Deere said.
Vice President Dick Cheney was brought to the bunker on Sept. 11, 2001, when the authorities feared one of the planes hijacked by Al Qaeda was heading toward the White House. President George W. Bush, who was out of town until that evening, was rushed there later after a false alarm of another plane threat.
Atlanta officials fired two police officers and placed three on desk duty pending review over the use of excessive force as protestors took to the streets Saturday to express their anger over the death of George Floyd.
Sunday Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said she saw a video, which she called “disturbing,” of five officers pulling two college students out of a car in downtown Atlanta. Bottoms and police Chief Erika Shields made the announcement at a press conference after reviewing body-camera footage.
“We understand that our officers are working very long hours under an enormous amount of stress but we also understand that the use of excessive force is never acceptable,” Bottom said.
The video shows a group of police officers in riot gear and gas masks pulling a woman out of the passenger seat and a man from the driver’s seat. Neither appear to not be fighting the police. Officers tased the man and zip-tie handcuffs on the woman on the ground
Shields said it was “shocking” to watch the officers “manhandling” the students in their car.
“These folks are going out everyday, they are getting pelted with rocks, knives thrown at them, ongoing gun shots, it really is an unpleasant space to be in. But that does not relieve us of our responsibilities. And we have a responsibility, when we handle any incident, not to escalate the incident and not to cause further harm or injury,” Shields said.
Bottoms said the woman was released without charges. The man was also released, and Bottoms has ordered to drop the charges against him. She did not specify what charges he faced.
TV station WTTG reports the two students were in the downtown area for the second night of protests in the aftermath of the death of Floyd, an unarmed black man whodied after a white Minneapolis police officer kneeled on his neck for nearly eight minutes. Â
The two are students of the historically black colleges Spelman College and Morehouse College. Bottoms said she spoke with leaders from both colleges, and the student’s representatives.
Shields offered an apology and acknowledged that the officer’s behavior was unacceptable.
“Sometimes the best thing, the only thing you can do as a police chief is come in and clean up the mess that’s before you,†Shields said.
Local reporters who witnessed the incidentsaid police flattened the car’s tires and broke the glass on the car.
The protest in Atlanta is one of many nationwide that started peacefully before turning violent. In Brooklyn, two New York Police Department cars drove into a crowd of protesters who pushed a barricade against one of them and pelted it with objects. Police officers in Minneapolis sprayed demonstrators with chemical irritant during protests. In Detroit a 21-year-old was killed as a car drove by protestors and sprayed shots.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
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Showtime’s Billions takes place in a reality all its own. Technically that’s true of pretty much every work of fiction, but it feels especially so for the show created by Brian Koppelman, David Levien and Andrew Ross Sorkin.
The whole series is a high-stakes pissing contest that’s dressed up like a prestige TV drama set in the world of New York finance. Really, though, Billions takes place in a different, even more heightened world—one where stock bros and members of the federal law enforcement are hyper-articulate and as fluent in sports and film references as they are in obscene insults.
Imagine a world where splashy cameos, extravagant dining and skullduggery are par for the course. Think of a place where people are constantly seduced by power, prone to operatic levels of pettiness and vulnerable to what the NBA’s Pat Riley has called “the Disease of More,” to throw in a Billions-esque shoutout. Picture a reality where Paul Giamatti is not only the Attorney General of New York, but also an out (and somewhat proud) member of the BDSM community. Consider the existence of a realm where John Malkovich is a Russian billionaire and speaks in the same thicker-than-whiteout-conditions accent that he had as Teddy KGB in the 1998 film Rounders—not a coincidence, since Koppelman and Levien wrote Rounders. Try to believe that Damian Lewis could somehow be from Yonkers. Once you’ve done all that, then you’ll have an idea of what goes on in the world of Billions.
And to celebrate the show’s compelling brand of absurdity, we’re keeping track of the most Billions-y things that happen on Billions this season. For highlights from the latest episode, brace yourselves and head below.
It looks like even Chuck Rhoades can’t believe how complicated the machinations get in this episode. Showtime/Jeff Neumann
Except Connerty doesn’t say a word when he appears onscreen. He simply walks into the visitation room after getting his handcuffs removed and flat-out decks Chuck in the face. Connerty then backs away, smirks and waits for the guards to come into the room, cuff him again and drag him back to his cell. It’s a very macho move—one that we are fully in support of. Who among us hasn’t wanted to take a swing at Chuck Rhoades at some point? And we’re willing to go on record here: Nobody this season is going to make better use of their screen time than Moore in this one scene. Hang tough, Connerty—we’ll be waiting outside the gates when you get out.
Frank Grillo Woos Wendy With Talk of Destruction
After this week’s episode, we now know that Frank Grillo’s Nico Tanner is really into two things: demolition, and Wendy Rhoades. And, lucky for him, he gets to combine these two interests in a scene midway through the hour. He takes Maggie Siff’s Wendy to a seemingly abandoned building that’s set to be demolished soon (he used to work on a demo crew, he explains, so he’s got a hookup for empty skyscrapers, apparently) and after some talk of entropy and destruction and trying to cling to what we think really matters, the two kiss, with the New York skyline glittering in the background.
And while we’re calling stuff—we’re predicting that Wendy and Tanner’s relationship becomes a sore spot for Axe later this season. That’ll lead to not only a rift between Axe and the artist that he’s hired on commission, but also to Axe and Wendy finally hooking up after all these years. You’ll see.
Chuck Sr. Is Officially in the Latter-Day-Vito-Corleone Phase of Life
Showtime hasn’t made shots of Chuck Sr. in this episode available to the press yet, so we’re running with this one of Chuck Jr. Look at that bruise from Connerty! Jeff Neumann/Showtime
Sunday’s episode manages a truly remarkable feat: It features what might be the most on-the-nose Godfather reference in all of Billions. (And this is just one week after Wendy pretty much sighed while invoking Lee Strasberg’s Hyman Roth and his iconic line reading of “bigger than U.S. Steel.”)
When the episode enters its final act, we see Chuck Sr. playing with his infant daughter in their extravagant apartment. They’re crawling around on all fours, toying with a stuffed giraffe—then he reaches for a bowl of oranges. A bowl of oranges! While playing with a young child! Virtually every single character on this show carries Godfather quotes and references around in their pockets, like so many nickels and dimes! How does he not know better? How did he not spot that bowl of oranges and then immediately toss it out the window, onto some passersby on Park Avenue? It’s beyond us.
Anyway, Chuck Sr. grabs an orange, puts it in his dang mouth and growls to entertain the kid, and whadda ya know? He starts to feel a little faint and falls over. Unlike Marlon Brando’s Vito Corleone, though, Chuck Sr. isn’t dead after his brush with the oranges. He’s taken to a hospital and told that he’s having renal failure, so he needs a new kidney. Problem is, considering his advanced age and intake of liquor and cigars, he’s not eligible for an organ donation. That means it’s gonna be up to Chuck to finagle something—or donate something—to save his father’s life in the next few episodes.
Axe Refuses to Let His Father Have Anything Nice
Does this look like a man who’s not going to make sure his enemies are left with nothing? No, it does not. Jeff Neumann/Showtime
As we’ve noted a few times in the past few weeks, family has loomed large over this season of Billions. Wags is trying to reconnect with his kids and wants to have a new one; Chuck has been neglecting his duties as a family man while his own father has been treasuring time with his newborn daughter; and now Axe is reckoning with memories of his father, who’s creeping back into the picture.
Axe is busy doing damage control from last week, because he skipped out on a promise to have dinner with the mother and son who currently live in his childhood home up in Yonkers. He doesn’t want word to get out, because that would obviously be bad PR and complicate things with the “Opportunity Zone” that he fought so hard for in the previous episode. And as he’s spending more time in Yonkers, Axe pays a visit to his mom, to ask for her help in keeping the broken dinner date a secret. More importantly, though, Axe finds out that his mom has recently seen his father. As far as we can recall, all we know about Axe’s dad is that he hasn’t been around for a long time and that he was abusive toward Axe’s mother. Axe is livid that she’s been in contact with the dirtbag, and that she gave him the Lexus that Axe bought for her as a gift.
So how does Axe handle all of this? Depends on your outlook! One might say he “goes overboard” by purchasing his childhood home to ensure that no one will ever live within its walls ever again. Or that he “overreaches” by also buying a brand new house in Scarsdale for the mother and son who were living in that run-down Yonkers house. Or that he “overdoes it” by spotting the Lexus that his estranged father is now driving around town and having it towed, crushed into a cube and dropped off back in its parking space, to send his dear ol’ dad a message. One could say that all of that is “a little much.”
Or, you could say that he reacts exactly how you’d think Bobby Axelrod would react.
A speeding tanker has driven at crowds of people protesting in Minneapolis, with police arresting the driver moments after the frightening incident.
A speeding tanker has driven at crowds of people protesting in Minneapolis. (WCCO)
As it speeds towards them, people can be seen leaping out of harm’s way before the truck comes to a stop.
Authorities have confirmed an investigation is underway to find out how the truck was able to get onto the bridge where the demonstrations were taking place today.
“Very disturbing actions by a truck driver on I-35W, inciting a crowd of peaceful demonstrators,” the Minnesota Department of Public Safety said in tweet.
“The truck driver was injured & taken to a hospital with non-life threatening injuries. He is under arrest. It doesn’t appear any protesters were hit by the truck.
The tanker drove at crowds on the I-35W bridge where hundreds of people had gathered in anger over the death of George Floyd. (WCCO)
“We are working with our partners at [the Minnesota Department of Transportation] to determine how the semi got onto I-35W.”
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