I saw the new liberal 'Superman' movie and it gave me the woke mind virus
I listened to warnings about the new 'Superman' movie from my friends at Fox News and others in the conservative fear-o-sphere. They told me libs had turned the Man of Steel woke. They warned the movie might propagandize me into thinking immigrants are not entirely evil.
But because I'm brave and believe in doing my own research, I decided to venture out of my Marxism-proof bunker and drive – in a gas-powered car, as God intended – to the local theater to see what the Democrats had done to my favorite superhero.
I had reason to worry. Jesse Watters of Fox News said this version of Superman 'fights for truth, justice, and your preferred pronouns,' joking that he has 'MS-13' on his cape, which is a really funny joke if you don't understand how jokes work, which I don't.
Does Superman represent basic human kindness? Classic liberal talk.
Director James Gunn sparked the sensible Republican super-outrage by telling the Times of London, 'I mean, Superman is the story of America. An immigrant that came from other places and populated the country. But for me, it is mostly a story that says basic human kindness is a value and is something we have lost.'
Easy there, Mr. Lefty Movie Director. Human kindness? That sounds like soft, liberal talk, not the kind of toughness I want to see in a fictional character who, as long as I ignore everything about Superman laid out in decades of comic-book and film lore, stands for being an America-first, take-no-prisoners badass.
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In my MAGA-centric world, under the great leadership of President Donald Trump, a proper superhero would be flying around America rounding up migrants while wearing a mask that hides his identity and bravely violating the rules of due process. Because … you know … USA!
How dare they make a superhero movie that makes me question my values
Conservative commentator Clay Travis responded to Gunn's soyboy blah-blah, posting: 'I'm going to skip seeing Superman now. Director is an absolute moron to say this publicly the week before release. America is desperate for apolitical entertainment, and Hollywood is unable to deliver it.'
Travis is right. The last thing I want to do is go to the movie theater and hear something that doesn't precisely conform to my worldview, even if it involves a Superhero who, when he first appeared in a comic book in 1938 written by two men who were the sons of Jewish immigrants, was described as: 'Superman! Champion of the oppressed. The physical marvel who had sworn to devote his existence to helping those in need!'
Everyone who wears a MAGA hat knows that we – the REAL AMERICANS who support President Trump – are the oppressed. We're the ones who need a champion, an invincible hero who will make us feel good about espousing Christian beliefs while wanting to lock immigrants up in camps with names like 'Alligator Alcatraz.' We're the ones who need to believe we're the good guys!
The new Superman movie tried to make me less hateful. Nice try!
Is Superman technically an 'alien' from another planet who was welcomed to Earth by an adoptive family in middle America? Sure. Is his arch-nemesis a billionaire with a thirst for power, a fact that makes me a little uncomfortable, as if there's some kind of hypocrisy at play in my belief system? Yes. But I can easily ignore both those facts to avoid the mental anguish of recognizing my own broken logic.
Which brings me to the despicable woke messages I witnessed on opening night of 'Superman.'
For starters, there was way too much caring. This Superman cared about innocent people who don't look exactly like me, including people in a foreign country. He cared about people believing he was a good person. At one point, he even saved an alien baby and reunited it with its parent, when he should have been taking that alien baby AWAY from its parent and putting them both behind bars surrounded by alligators.
Stupid, Hollyweird.
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'I'm as human as anyone' is classic Woke Superman claptrap
At one point, Superman's clearly woke adoptive father tries to defend his son's alien-ness, referring to him by his given first name and saying: 'Your choices, Clark, your actions. That's what makes you who you are.'
WRONG! It's where you're from and how well you align with MAGA ideology that makes you who you are, pops. I can't believe they let kids get exposed to this kind of aggressive humanity.
Late in the movie, Lex Luthor, who should be viewed by Trump supporters as a billionaire hero, screams 'ALIEN!' at Superman. To which the super-lib responds: 'I'm as human as anyone. I love, I get scared. I wake up every morning and despite not knowing what to do, I put one foot in front of the other and I try to make the best choices I can. I screw up all the time, but that's being human. And that's my greatest strength. And someday, I hope, for the sake of the world, you understand that it's yours too.'
BARF! That's a transparent suggestion that I should look at other human beings and recognize we're all fundamentally the same, worthy of love, kindness and a fair shake. As if I should wish the best for my fellow humans, even if I don't like or agree with them.
Superman needs to keep his left-wing morals to himself
Well, if I were to believe that, then everything about President Trump and his administration's actions against immigrants and espousal of casual cruelty would seem … I dunno … kinda bad, I guess.
So forget it, Woke Superman. Acknowledging hypocrisy is my Kryptonite. You keep that stuff away from me.
Follow USA TODAY columnist Rex Huppke on Bluesky at @rexhuppke.bsky.social and on Facebook at facebook.com/RexIsAJerk
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Trump announces new details on trade pact with Indonesia President Trump and his team released new details of a pact announced last week with Indonesia, confirming plans for a 19% tariff on the country and adding a 40% rate on any 'transhipped' goods. The more complete framework of the deal is further confirmation of an agreement with America's 23rd largest trading partner that will avert 32% tariffs that Trump threatened previously. It also stipulates that 'Indonesia is going to drop its tariffs to 0% on over 99% of its trade,' a senior White House official said Tuesday. The official added that the deal includes the elimination of non-tariff barriers that Trump's team say hinders American companies, including in areas like pre-shipment inspection requirements, motor vehicle safety standards, and restrictions around US medical devices and pharmaceuticals. The exact definition of how Trump defines transshipped goods has been a matter of some debate in recent weeks. The deal with Indonesia includes goods not just re-labeled but made with a significant portion of components from a third country and then assembled in Indonesia. It's a provision also included in a recent deal with Vietnam and is clearly aimed at China. Indonesian negotiators previously confirmed that a deal had been struck but not all details, with the country president's spokesperson telling Reuters the negotiations had been 'an extraordinary struggle.' President Trump and his team released new details of a pact announced last week with Indonesia, confirming plans for a 19% tariff on the country and adding a 40% rate on any 'transhipped' goods. The more complete framework of the deal is further confirmation of an agreement with America's 23rd largest trading partner that will avert 32% tariffs that Trump threatened previously. It also stipulates that 'Indonesia is going to drop its tariffs to 0% on over 99% of its trade,' a senior White House official said Tuesday. The official added that the deal includes the elimination of non-tariff barriers that Trump's team say hinders American companies, including in areas like pre-shipment inspection requirements, motor vehicle safety standards, and restrictions around US medical devices and pharmaceuticals. The exact definition of how Trump defines transshipped goods has been a matter of some debate in recent weeks. The deal with Indonesia includes goods not just re-labeled but made with a significant portion of components from a third country and then assembled in Indonesia. It's a provision also included in a recent deal with Vietnam and is clearly aimed at China. Indonesian negotiators previously confirmed that a deal had been struck but not all details, with the country president's spokesperson telling Reuters the negotiations had been 'an extraordinary struggle.' 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Reuters reports: Read more here. Tariffs have started to hit US automaker General Motors (GM), who reported a fall in second quarter core profit of 32% to $3 billion on Tuesday. The automaker said tariffs have sapped $1.1 billion from results as it continues to grapple with President Trump's challenging trade war. Reuters reports: Read more here. Canadian boycott of US spirits hurts broader alcohol sales: Trade group American imports to Canada have dropped sharply due to Canadian provinces' boycott of US spirits amid the ongoing trade war with the United States, according to a Canadian liquor trade group. Reuters reports: Read more here. American imports to Canada have dropped sharply due to Canadian provinces' boycott of US spirits amid the ongoing trade war with the United States, according to a Canadian liquor trade group. Reuters reports: Read more here. 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8 minutes ago
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Coke's New Cane-Sweetened Soda Risks Upending Sugar Supplies
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While the company will still be using corn syrup for original Coke, the addition of a domestic cane-based soda could help growers in Louisiana and Florida at a time when demand has been slow. However, a sustained bump in demand — especially if other companies follow Coca-Cola's lead — risks outstripping homegrown availability. US cane only makes up about 30% of overall domestic sugar supplies, according to the US Department of Agriculture. The rest comes from imports, which were about 2.2 million metric tons for the 2025-26 season, and American-grown sugar beets that perform better in colder climates. 'We have ways of trying to assist in new product launches, but mass usage — it would be very difficult for our industry to absorb that,' said Craig Ruffolo, a vice president at McKeany-Flavell, a broker of ingredients including sugar. A sugar supply shortfall would likely mean more cane imports from Mexico and Brazil, exposing American companies and consumers to higher prices just as they are facing market upheaval from Trump's tariffs. Cane sugar is more expensive than high-fructose corn syrup. On top of that, long-standing import tariffs mean US raw cane sugar futures are already more than double what the rest of the world pays. That price gap widened to a record on Tuesday. Foreign shipments can be costly, as decades-old US government policies limit how much sweetener can be cheaply shipped from other countries. That has long kept US sugar prices above that of the global market, even when lower-taxed imports under the US's limits and preferential shipments from Mexico were enough to keep the country amply supplied. In recent years though, the US has become even more reliant on record amounts of high-taxed imports after droughts impacted Mexican supplies. Trump's threat of a 50% tariff on Brazil also risks raising prices. If cane-sweetened Cokes are a success, higher demand would add to the pressure. Refined cane sugar cost more than 52 cents a pound in June, about 12% more than the high-fructose corn syrup used in Coke and nearly 50% more than beet sugar, according to the USDA. US refiners have some spare capacity to process more raw cane, but that will depend on imports and is still 'not going to be able to go on the scale of a mass distribution like a classic Coke,' said Ruffolo. Expansions to cane acreage are also limited. Louisiana's growth could be capped at 10%, while Florida doesn't have much more land for cane, he added. Coke has been working with cane sugar suppliers, and believes they will be able to bring enough supply to market if there is demand from consumers, Chief Executive Officer James Quincey said on Fox Business. RFK Jr.'s Push The new Coke product comes as Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has railed against the prevalence of ultra-processed foods, which are generally more likely to use high-fructose corn syrup. The company's move, while an incremental shift away from corn, could open the door for other companies to follow suit. PepsiCo Inc. Chief Executive Officer Ramon Laguarta said last week that it would follow consumer preferences on sugar and other natural ingredients. Coca-Cola uses cane in other US products like lemonades and teas, and is looking to use 'the whole toolkit of available sweetening options to some extent where there are consumer preferences,' Quincey said on a Tuesday earnings call. The new Coke with US cane sugar is expected to be 'an enduring option for consumers,' he added. It is still unclear how much sugar these new products will require, said Claudiu Covrig, the lead analyst at Covrig Analytics. It could end up being a tiny segment with 'more publicity than real volume,' he said. But if US beverage companies shift significantly toward cane instead of high-fructose corn syrup, additional imports could range from 300,000 to 800,000 metric tons. (Adds analyst quote beginning in fifth paragraph.) Elon Musk's Empire Is Creaking Under the Strain of Elon Musk Burning Man Is Burning Through Cash A Rebel Army Is Building a Rare-Earth Empire on China's Border What the Tough Job Market for New College Grads Says About the Economy How Starbucks' CEO Plans to Tame the Rush-Hour Free-for-All ©2025 Bloomberg L.P. Sign in to access your portfolio
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- New York Post
FCC Chair rips Stephen Colbert after his show's abruptly canceled: He ‘clearly doesn't have it anymore'
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr ripped comedian Stephen Colbert after his late-night show was abruptly canceled, claiming that the veteran TV host 'clearly doesn't have 'it' anymore.' The head of the Federal Communications Commission is currently weighing a long-awaited deal between Skydance and CBS owner Paramount, which axed 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' and blamed it on purely 'financial reasons.' Oliver Darcy, the reporter behind the Status newsletter, said he texted Carr about rumors that he will approve the merger this Friday and received a late response from the chairman: 'Sorry. Missed your message. I was too emotional over the whole Colbert thing.' FCC Chairman Brendan Carr testifying before Congress. Getty Images When asked whether Colbert telling President Trump to 'go f–k yourself' during his show threatened the future of the deal, Carr reportedly replied: 'lol, no.' 'I think it's just sad. Colbert clearly doesn't have 'it' anymore – if he ever did. I don't know if it's from TDS (Trump Derangement Syndrome) or something else,' Carr told Darcy. 'He's paid millions of dollars to be funny and entertaining, and he's just not able to make it work. He's gotta feel bad about how the end is playing out.' CBS nodded to 'a challenging backdrop in late night,' but there's been speculation that the end of Colbert's 'Late Show' was part of the network's recent $16 million settlement with Trump over a heavily-edited '60 Minutes' interview with Kamala Harris. There had been concerns that not settling Trump's lawsuit could halt the Skydance merger. Trump said Tuesday that he expects to receive a total of $36 million, including an additional $20 million from Skydance once it takes control of Paramount, confirming an exclusive report by The Post. Skydance did not immediately respond to requests seeking confirmation of this figure. Stephen Colbert on CBS' 'The Late Show.' CBS via Getty Images Celebrities and late-night hosts, including Jon Stewart, were quick to accuse CBS executives of capitulating to political pressure from Trump. 'The partisan left's ritualist wailing and gnashing of teeth over Colbert is quite revealing,' Carr wrote in a post on X Tuesday. 'They're acting like they're losing a loyal DNC spokesperson that was entitled to an exemption from the laws of economics.' Paramount and CBS News did not immediately respond to The Post's requests for comment. News of the cancellation seems to have boosted Colbert's appeal for the time being, as last Thursday's episode drew 3.08 million viewers – making it the show's most-watched so far this year, according to LateNighter, a news site covering late-night television.
