Latest news with #FoxTV
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Hegseth didn't tell Trump about Ukraine arms pause, report says
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reportedly didn't tell President Trump or seek his permission before ordering a pause in shipments of arms to embattled Ukraine last week. Trump was unhappy and frustrated to find out about the Pentagon chief's controversial decision, which the president quickly reversed after a high-stakes meeting with Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy, according to CNN, which cited five administration officials. The pause in critical weapons deliveries to Ukraine blindsided Trump at an awkward moment as he appears to be pivoting to a more critical stance towards Russia after months of playing nice with strongman Vladimir Putin. Trump said Tuesday at a cabinet meeting that he didn't know who decided to temporarily halt arms shipments to Kyiv. Hegseth, a former Fox TV host who has stumbled through several controversies during his six months in his post, sat silently next to Trump without volunteering any information about the decision that apparently came on his watch. A Pentagon spokesperson downplayed the snafu. 'Hegseth provided a framework for the President to evaluate military aid shipments and assess existing stockpiles. This effort was coordinated across government,' press secretary Kingsley Wilson said in a statement. The pause is the second time the Pentagon has cut off supplies to Kyiv without the expressed permission of Trump after a similar incident in February, CNN reported. The latest pause came at a tough moment for Ukraine which is battling a Russian summer offensive on the front lines in eastern Ukraine and increasing campaign of missile and drone attacks on civilian targets. It affected shipments of Patriot missiles, precision-guided GMLRS, Hellfire missiles, Howitzer rounds and more. The incident comes as Trump appears to be shifting his stance towards Putin and has sounded increasingly exasperated with the Russian leader in recent days. The two leaders spoke by phone last week. But Trump conceded they made no progress toward a peace deal or even a ceasefire, which Trump has been demanding in vain for months. Trump has threatened, but held off on, imposing new sanctions against Russia to prod Putin into peace talks. Meanwhile, Trump has sounded more satisfied with his interactions with Zelenskyy, who was in his dog house after a stormy White House meeting last winter. The White House has said Trump still has confidence in Hegseth. The defense chief survived a March scandal over his disclosure of sensitive military operational details of a strike on Houthi rebels in Yemen on an unsecure chat group on the Signal messaging app that included a reporter. ______
Straits Times
18-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Straits Times
No political jokes in Springfield, says Simpsons creator Matt Groening
(From left) The Simpsons' creator Matt Groening, writer-producer Matt Selman and producer-director David Silverman at the Annecy International Film Festival on June 11. PHOTO: AFP Annecy, France – Like many American families struggling for unity in the polarised United States, The Simpsons have decided to avoid political jokes, said the creator of the series Matt Groening. Despite the potential for storylines and humour, Groening ruled out venturing into America's toxic politics for laughs. 'We don't do political humour because it is very limited. It dates very quickly,' he said during an interview at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in the French Alps. The week-long festival, which ended on June 14, celebrated the best in animation around the world. A season of The Simpsons (1989 to present) takes at least six to nine months to produce, raising the risk of gags turning stale, Groening added. The show – broadcast on US network Fox TV and on Disney+ , which now owns the series – has sometimes appeared to predict real events, such as US President Donald Trump's election, which was first referenced in an episode in 2000. It has also featured parodies of a host of politicians , from former US presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush to actor and former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Writer-producer Matt Selman said: 'We just have to stay true to our characters, their spirit and their relationships. And when they face the sadness of the world, people feel briefly connected to them.' Despite The Simpsons – comprising parents Homer and Marge and their children, Bart, Lisa and Maggie – remaining frozen in time since their debut in 1989, the writers have ensured the storylines move with the times. A recent episode parodied artificial intelligence (AI) when a chatbot was asked to write the finale. 'In the plot of that episode, AI was given the job of writing the perfect finale. And, of course, it just regurgitated and spat out all the other finales from all the other shows in very unoriginal and silly ways that of course would be terrible,' said Selman. 'It was our attempt to push back at AI, push back at ever ending the show.' The natural environment remains a rich source of inspiration, including in The Simpsons Movie (2007), which featured a disaster caused by Homer that leads to Springfield – where the series is set – being sealed under a giant dome. 'The environment's not going to get cleaned up any time soon,' Groening added. The Simpsons Movie grossed US$536.4 million worldwide, but the creators ruled out making a sequel – for the moment. 'We are still recovering from the first movie,' joked Groening. 'And the sad truth is we don't have enough time to do both the show and the movie unless we decide we want to work really, really hard.' The Simpsons has been translated into 26 languages and broadcast in around 100 countries. The 800th episode is set to air in early 2026. AFP The Simpsons is streaming on Disney+. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Kuwait Times
18-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Kuwait Times
No political jokes in Springfield, says Simpsons creator Groening
US cartoonist and creator of the TV series "The Simpsons" Matt Groening (left), US screenwriter Matt Selman (center) and US producer and director David Silverman (right) pose during a photo session on the sidelines of the 49th Annecy International Film Festival in Annecy.--AFP Like many American families struggling for unity in the polarised United States, The Simpsons have decided to avoid political jokes, the creator of the series Matt Groening told AFP. Despite the potential for storylines and humour, Groening ruled out venturing into America's toxic politics for laughs. "We don't do political humour because political humour is very limited. It dates very quickly," he said during an interview at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in the French Alps. A Simpsons season takes at least six to nine months to produce, raising the risk of gags turning stale, Groening explained. The show –- broadcast on US network Fox TV and on Disney Plus, which now owns the series –- has sometimes appeared to predict real events, such as Donald Trump's election, which was first referenced in an episode in 2000. It has also featured parodies in the past of a host of politicians from Bill Clinton to Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Arnold Schwarzenegger. "We just have to stay true to our characters, their spirit and their relationships. And when they face the sadness of the world, people feel briefly connected to them," writer-producer Matt Selman told AFP. Despite Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie remaining frozen in time since their debut in 1989, the writers have ensured the story lines move with the times. A recent episode parodied artificial intelligence when a chatbot was asked to write the finale. "In the plot of that episode, AI was given the job of writing the perfect finale. And of course, it just regurgitated and spat out all the other finales from all the other shows in very unoriginal and silly ways that of course would be terrible," said Selman. "It was our attempt to push back at AI, push back at ever ending the show." The natural environment remains a rich source of inspiration, including in "The Simpsons Movie" in 2007 which featured a disaster caused by Homer that leads to Springfield being sealed under a giant dome. "The environment's not going to get cleaned up anytime soon," Groening added. The Simpsons Movie grossed $536.4 million worldwide, but the creators ruled out making a sequel -- for the moment. "We are still recovering from the first movie," joked Groening. "And the sad truth is we don't have enough time to do both the show and the movie unless we decide we want to work really, really hard." The Simpsons has been translated into 26 languages and broadcast in around 100 countries. The 800th episode is set to air in early 2026.--AFP
Express Tribune
15-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
'The Simpsons' has no time for toxic politics
The Simpsons' 800th episode is set to air in early 2026. Photo: File Like many American families struggling for unity in the polarised United States, The Simpsons have decided to avoid political jokes, the creator of the series Matt Groening told AFP. Despite the potential for storylines and humour, Groening ruled out venturing into America's toxic politics for laughs. "We don't do political humour because political humour is very limited. It dates very quickly," he said during an interview at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in the French Alps. A Simpsons season takes at least six to nine months to produce, raising the risk of gags turning stale, Groening explained. The show – broadcast on US network Fox TV and on Disney Plus, which now owns the series – has sometimes appeared to predict real events, such as Donald Trump's election, which was first referenced in an episode in 2000. It has also featured parodies in the past of a host of politicians from Bill Clinton to Barack Obama, George W Bush and Arnold Schwarzenegger. "We just have to stay true to our characters, their spirit and their relationships. And when they face the sadness of the world, people feel briefly connected to them," writer-producer Matt Selman told AFP. Despite Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie remaining frozen in time since their debut in 1989, the writers have ensured the story lines move with the times. A recent episode parodied artificial intelligence when a chatbot was asked to write the finale. "In the plot of that episode, AI was given the job of writing the perfect finale. And of course, it just regurgitated and spat out all the other finales from all the other shows in very unoriginal and silly ways that, of course, would be terrible," said Selman. "It was our attempt to push back at AI, push back at ever ending the show." The natural environment remains a rich source of inspiration, including in The Simpsons Movie in 2007, which featured a disaster caused by Homer that leads to Springfield being sealed under a giant dome. "The environment's not going to get cleaned up anytime soon," Groening added. The Simpsons Movie grossed $536.4 million worldwide, but the creators ruled out making a sequel - for the moment. "We are still recovering from the first movie," joked Groening. "And the sad truth is we don't have enough time to do both the show and the movie unless we decide we want to work really, really hard." The Simpsons has been translated into 26 languages and broadcast in around 100 countries. The 800th episode is set to air in early 2026.
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
No political jokes in Springfield, says Simpsons creator Groening
Like many American families struggling for unity in the polarised United States, The Simpsons have decided to avoid political jokes, the creator of the series Matt Groening told AFP. Despite the potential for storylines and humour, Groening ruled out venturing into America's toxic politics for laughs. "We don't do political humour because political humour is very limited. It dates very quickly," he said during an interview at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in the French Alps. A Simpsons season takes at least six to nine months to produce, raising the risk of gags turning stale, Groening explained. The show –- broadcast on US network Fox TV and on Disney Plus, which now owns the series –- has sometimes appeared to predict real events, such as Donald Trump's election, which was first referenced in an episode in 2000. It has also featured parodies in the past of a host of politicians from Bill Clinton to Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Arnold Schwarzenegger. "We just have to stay true to our characters, their spirit and their relationships. And when they face the sadness of the world, people feel briefly connected to them," writer-producer Matt Selman told AFP. Despite Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie remaining frozen in time since their debut in 1989, the writers have ensured the story lines move with the times. A recent episode parodied artificial intelligence when a chatbot was asked to write the finale. "In the plot of that episode, AI was given the job of writing the perfect finale. And of course, it just regurgitated and spat out all the other finales from all the other shows in very unoriginal and silly ways that of course would be terrible," said Selman. "It was our attempt to push back at AI, push back at ever ending the show." The natural environment remains a rich source of inspiration, including in "The Simpsons Movie" in 2007 which featured a disaster caused by Homer that leads to Springfield being sealed under a giant dome. "The environment's not going to get cleaned up anytime soon," Groening added. The Simpsons Movie grossed $536.4 million worldwide, but the creators ruled out making a sequel -- for the moment. "We are still recovering from the first movie," joked Groening. "And the sad truth is we don't have enough time to do both the show and the movie unless we decide we want to work really, really hard." The Simpsons has been translated into 26 languages and broadcast in around 100 countries. The 800th episode is set to air in early 2026. mli-adp/giv
