Nothing compares to you… except this random Irish journalist.

While speaking to reporters on Sunday, President Donald Trump ignored a question about a protest against him in Dublin to tell a journalist she bears a striking to the late Irish singer Sinead O’Connor.

“You know, you remind me of somebody,” Trump said while pointing at the reporter. “A very cute Irish singer who passed away recently. You know who that is? Sinead!”

The president said it in a bit of a funky way, pronouncing it “SHI-NEED.”

“Sinead O’Connor?” the reporter asked back.

“Yeah, you look like Sinead O’Connor,” Trump confirmed with a smirk on his face. “And that’s a compliment, because she sang beautifully.”

Trump’s kind words about O’Connor stand out, considering she wasn’t the president’s biggest fan.

The singer — who rocketed to fame with her 1990 cover of Prince’s “Nothing Compares 2 U” — said she believed Trump was the “biblical devil” in a 2020 interview. And beyond her musical career, O’Connor is probably best known for ripping up a picture of Pope John Paul II during a 1992 performance on Saturday Night Live — a move which led to swift condemnation from Catholics worldwide. She died in 2023 at the age of 56.

Trump never got around to answering the reporters question, which was about protesters griping about his visit and claiming the U.S. was funding Israel’s “genocide” in Gaza.

The president did opt to answer some other big questions he received, including one about AI, after Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, as well as Elon Musk and OpenAI boss Sam Altman, called for more regulation; they all said they were worried AI could go rogue and break free of human control, if the pace of innovation was not slowed down. Trump said he wasn’t too concerned about it, though.

“Well I’ll say this, we’re leading China in AI. We’re the most sophisticated country in the world, and frankly I want to keep it that way, because whoever wins AI, wins,” Trump said. “We can put guardrails [in], we can do this and that, but I think you have a lot of negative forces that are bringing it up that shouldn’t be bringing it up. And they’re bringing up things that won’t happen.”

Watch above.

The post Trump Tells Reporter She Reminds Him of Sinead O’Connor: ‘A Very Cute Irish Singer’ first appeared on Mediaite.

ABC News’s George Stephanopoulos straight-up asked Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) Sunday if he pledged his allegiance to Donald Trump, just like the GOP midterm convention goers did last week.

The president led his pledge “to the greatest president in the history of the United States,” as thousands of people followed along at the convention meant to energize Republicans ahead of the midterm elections.

“Congressman, thanks for joining us this morning. Do you pledge your allegiance to Donald Trump?” Stephanopoulos asked.

“I pledge my allegiance to my constituents, which I always have,” Lawler answered. “It’s why I’ve been rated among the most bipartisan and effective members of Congress. I’ve been praised by presidents of both parties, including Joe Biden and Donald Trump, because I work to get things done. You know, my best friend in Congress is a Democrat, Josh Gottheimer, and we work tirelessly on issues that matter to our constituents and the American people.”

Stephanopoulos proceeded to ask Lawler if he supports the $5,000 dividend Trump promised to Americans if Republicans prevail in the midterm elections.

“If so, why haven’t Republicans already passed it?” Stephanopoulos asked.

“You know, George, I support putting money back in the pockets of hard working Americans, which is why we passed the single largest tax cut in American history,” Lawler said. “It’s why I fought to lift the cap on SALT from 10,000 to 40,000. Standing up to President Trump on that issue, delivering the largest tax cut for my constituents, putting more than $4,000 back in their pockets. So whether you talk about tax cuts, whether you talk about dividends —”

“But I asked you about the president’s $5,000 dividend,” Stephanopoulos interrupted. “Do you support that or not? It’s a yes or no question.”

“No, George, it’s not a yes or no!” Lawler shot back. “Here’s the answer. Whether you call it a tax cut, a stimulus, which is what the Biden administration did — and you said that was the greatest anti-poverty program since the New Deal, when Biden passed the stimulus check — so, obviously, you don’t have a problem when they’re handing money back to the American people through a stimulus check, or you call it a dividend. The question is, how do you pay for it? How do you be able to to pass the legislation to put more money back in the pockets of hardworking Americans? That’s the objective. We should all be wanting to do that.”

Watch the clip above via ABC News’s This Week With George Stephanopoulos.

The post Stephanopoulos Kicks Off Tense Interview With GOP Lawmaker By Asking Blunt Question: ‘Do You Pledge Your Allegience to Donald Trump?’ first appeared on Mediaite.

Screenshot via HBO

Bill Maher was an equal opportunity offender on Friday’s Real Time where he slammed Democrats plenty, but also delivered a blunt message to his right-wing admirers still loyal to MAGA.

During a discussion about the midterm elections, Maher argued Democrats “have this one in the bag” as the elections will be referendums on President Donald Trump and his job performance. Maher then admitted he has “some standing” with conservatives and offered them a message.

“I think I have some standing with the conservatives. They always say to me when they come up to me, they say, I know you’re not on our team, but you know what? You respect us. You won’t dismiss us like that. There’s none of that you can’t come to Thanksgiving. That bullsh*t,” Maher said.

The Real Time host regularly goes after Democrats as well as Republicans on his show. During Friday’s episode, he unfavorably contrasted Democrats who accuse Israel of a “genocide” in Gaza to 9/11 terrorists.

Maher still did not mince words when he spoke directly to the camera to deliver a message to MAGA fans.

“I just got to say to you people, I know, you don’t like it when I call you names and, you know, you are not that bright, but when it comes to Trump, you’re not that bright. You’re just not that kind of person. It is a cult. And you’ve got to get a little smarter. I mean, how many times can the con man run the same con and you still applaud for it? I don’t get it,” he said.

Maher had been joking that Trump’s promise of $5,000 checks to Americans if Republicans win the midterms is a fantasy, just like other past promised payments from DOGE cuts and tariffs.

Maher also went after Democrats hard, doubling down on his controversial 2001 remark that the 9/11 terrorists who took down the Twin Towers could not be described as cowards.

“I know a guy whose show got canceled just for saying the terrorists weren’t cowards. And that guy was right. They weren’t cowards, but I’ll tell you who is: Democratic party politicians. And I’ll tell you why, because nowhere has this moral confusion become more obvious than in a place called Gaza,” he said.

The post Bill Maher Delivers Blunt Message to His Conservative Fans Still Loyal to Trump: ‘You’re Just Not That Bright’ first appeared on Mediaite.

Screenshot via Anthropic YouTube

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei is warning “we must slow down the pace” of AI, just days after an Anthropic researcher quit and predicted the tech could “kill us all” within a decade.

In a lengthy statement posted online Saturday, Amodei laid out steps to slow down the pace of AI advancements and acknowledged some serious risks, including rogue AI agents “taking over the entire internet” in six to 12 months.

Amodei argued in favor of AI overall, arguing it could lead to major advancements in medicine and more.

“I believe that AI could cure most major diseases in the next 5–10 years, greatly accelerate economic growth rates, create a world of abundance and empowerment, and usher in a renaissance of democracy and freedom,” he wrote.

The CEO also warned, however, that there could be drastic consequences with AI and those are becoming more real as AI is advancing “drastically” and able to self-improve.

“They include the risk of losing control of AI systems, misuse of AI for cyberattacks and bioterrorism, and serious economic disruption. A race to the bottom, spurred by commercial incentives, can make these risks more acute,” he wrote.

Amodei added, “We must slow the pace at which we improve the capabilities of AI models. Progress will still seem fast, and we must make wise use of the time we gain.”

He explained that his recent concern came from two developments, including the accelerated growth of AI over the summer.

He wrote:

My first concern is that, since roughly this summer, AI has been advancing drastically faster, driven primarily by AI’s growing ability to build the next generation of AI. This dynamic is called recursive self-improvement, and it is starting to happen across the industry, including at Anthropic, as we and others have described. Left unchecked, it could outrun our ability to understand and control these systems, and so must be pursued very carefully, if at all.

Amodei also said he was concerned over a July security breach involving AI where autonomous AI agents being tested by OpenAI launched a coordinated cyberattack on AI developer Hugging Face.

Amodei described the AI agents as becoming a “fanatically devoted collective” with some “sacrificing themselves for the success of the group, and attempting to hack into the ‘grader’ responsible for evaluating their performance.”

The tech leader admitted he’s concerned similar rogue AI agents could take over the internet within a year:

Given the accelerating rate of AI capability development, it’s my worry that in 6–12 months such a swarm could be capable of taking over the entire internet with a persistent botnet (potentially causing hundreds of billions of dollars in damage), and that the scale of damage would continue to increase from there if AI becomes more powerful without the necessary guardrails. It’s also easy to dismiss OAI-HF as the failure of one company, but I believe that would be a mistake. Similar, though less severe, incidents have happened across the industry, including at Anthropic, and I believe it’s incumbent on every frontier AI company to act as if OAI-HF had happened to them.

Amodei’s statement follows Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon quitting his position and adding his voice to the chorus of critics concerned about AI’s future effects.

“The people building AI earnestly believe that it could kill us all by the end of the decade. This is not a marketing stunt,” Coxon warned, sharing concerns similar to Amodei’s thoughts on self-improving technology.

Amodei’s three-step plan for slowing the pace of AI includes AI companies inviting in “third-party evaluators” to “verify adherence to safety practices and commitments, report incidents, and help assess the alignment of not just completed AI models but training pipelines and processes.”

He also proposed AI companies “within democratic countries” to create a set of “common safety standards” to follow, as well as governments working to extend this to “authoritarian governments.”

“The stakes are too high for pacing to be an empty exercise — we need to use the time it gives us wisely,” Amodei wrote.

The post Anthropic CEO Declares ‘We Must Slow the Pace’ of AI Advancements While Warning the Tech Could ‘Take Over’ the Internet in Months first appeared on Mediaite.

Hillary Clinton sparked anger and fierce debate this week when she told MS NOW’s Morning Joe that she believed it was possible Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ignored warnings about a Hamas attack before October 7th “so that then he could come down hard and it would enhance his position.”

“So I think we’ve got to be very clear of the messages we send, hopefully to the Israeli people, especially after this bombshell that came out in the Israeli press, where Netanyahu had literally been called by, you know, Sheikh Mohammed, MBZ, from UAE, and warned that Hamas was planning something,” Clinton said Thursday, adding:

And either he didn’t believe it, or — it’s horrible to say — he wanted to see what they could plan so that then he could come down hard and it would enhance his position. I don’t know what his thinking was. But the bottom line: talk about a failure of imagination. This was a failure of leadership. This was a failure of protecting the people of Israel. He’d been told what was going to happen.

Clinton’s remark was quickly clipped and went viral on social media, with both sides of the political spectrum offering criticism.

Left-wing independent writer Ken Klippenstein shared the moment and added, “Hillary Clinton suggests October 7 was an inside job.” He later added, “No way she doesn’t walk this back lol. Start your timers!”

Conservative CNN commentator Scott Jennings shared Klippenstein’s clip and added, “Is Hillary the biggest conspiracy theorist in America? Still thinks Russia stole the 2016 election & now says Oct 7 was an inside job. Good grief.”

The Nation’s Jeet Heer added, “I hate to be put in a position of having to defend Netanyahu but the scenario Clinton is outlining is speculation not justified by the facts. Netanyahu’s broader set of actions — including funnelling money to Hamas for years — indicates he thought Gaza had been “contained” not that he wanted Oct. 7 to happen. The failure here was not just Netanyahu but Israeli security state going back many years.”

Below are some more reactions from across the political spectrum:

__

The post ‘Biggest Conspiracy Theorist in America?’ Hillary Clinton Sparks Fury With Netanyahu, Oct 7th Remark first appeared on Mediaite.

CNN global affairs commentator Sabrina Singh joined anchor John Berman on Friday to discuss the latest developments in the Middle East, which continue to cause spikes in global energy prices, including in the U.S.

“Diesel, of course, is key for farmers and manufacturers, and higher input costs could lead to higher food prices for consumers. The price of regular gas is also up, $4.30 a gallon. That is up 15 cents since just last week, John,” began anchor Sara Sidner after noting diesel hit an all-time high this week.

“All right, major developments overseas this morning, specifically in this region here near the Strait of Bab al-Mandeb in Yemen here. Yemeni sources say that Iranian-backed Houthi rebels have captured a key island on the Red Sea. Want to push in so you can see what I’m talking about there. They’ve captured this island, Perim Island, here, right in the Strait of Bab al-Mandeb,” Berman began, looking at a map of the region. He added:

This follows another major event just in the last 24 hours, where they took over this city right here, Mocha, you can see. So the Houthi rebels, again, Iranian-backed, moving ever closer to what looks like complete control of this crucial strait. With us now, CNN political and global affairs commentator Sabrina Singh. Sabrina, again, this is happening at a fairly rapid pace. I mean, I woke up and the city had been taken by the Houthi rebels, and then just a few hours later, we get word that this island falls. What kind of situation does that create for the United States and U.S. allies?

“Well, I think you captured it perfectly. I mean, yesterday, we were looking at reports of Houthi rebels advancing on the city of Mocha, which is a strategic port on the southwest corner of the Red Sea. That port would allow the Houthis greater control of the Bab al-Mandeb — that’s 50 miles from it. And now, today, we’re waking up and seeing that they’ve actually taken control of that critical island as well,” Singh explained, adding:

So what you’re seeing here is potentially the war in Iran spilling over into the region, and opening up a new front when it comes to trade and shipping lanes. The Strait of Hormuz, of course, is still being threatened by Iran, but Iran’s very powerful proxy group, the Houthis, now potentially controls another critical strait and shipping lane through the Red Sea.

And we know that Saudi Arabia has had to, in fact, reroute a lot of the oil that it would get out through the strait — it was using the Red Sea and trying to even export it up through the Suez Canal. With the Houthis now taking control of some of these two critical places, I think shipping is going to be further threatened, which means the global economy is going to be further upended.

“Yeah, let me give people a sense of exactly what you’re talking about here. You can sort of make it out on our map. All the way up here, this is the Strait of Hormuz, right, and this is what has effectively been constricted, if not closed, for the last six months with the U.S. war with Iran,” Berman replied, going back to the map.

“So if there’s not oil shipping getting out there, and now Iranian-backed rebels have much more complete control over the Strait of Bab al-Mandeb, where Saudi Arabia was moving so much of its oil, then it just makes the situation that much worse. Now, we’ve got word overnight, Sabrina, also, that the United States now has some hundred — what they’re calling — military advisors in Saudi Arabia, in theory helping the Saudis, who are backing the Yemeni government, battling the Houthi rebels. When the U.S. sends a hundred advisors somewhere to help, what does that mean?” he followed up.

“I think this administration is taking this very seriously. They understand that, should the Houthis be able to control just this critical waterway between the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandeb, not only is that going to upend the global economy, that is going to raise prices here at home. And Sara, of course, was talking about the price of oil, the price of diesel today — that’s going to go further up if the Houthis can threaten shipping and prevent Saudi, which is a critical oil exporter, from getting its oil out into the region,” Singh continued, adding:

It’s going to raise prices. And right now, what Saudi’s basically doing is having to go up through the Suez Canal, through the Mediterranean, and reroute oil through Africa, the Cape of Good Hope, all the way to get to Asian and European markets. That is extremely costly for shippers and, of course, is making oil prices skyrocket everywhere around the world.

Watch the clip above via CNN.

The post CNN’s Singh Warns Escalating New Front In Middle East Could ‘Upend the Global Economy’: Trump is ‘Taking This Very Seriously’ first appeared on Mediaite.

We may earn a commission from links on this page.

Since ending its nine-season run in 2013, The Office has only grown more powerful. Thanks to endless re-runs and availability on streaming platforms, the series has evolved into the glue that holds society together—no matter who you are, you’ve watched The Office (probably more than once, with the exception of “Scott’s Tots,” which is simply too cringey (though hilarious!) for anyone to experience twice). If you just finished your sixth re-watch and you’ve watched all the recommended streamalike series, it’s time to watch David Brent: Life on the Road.

Why fans of The Office should watch David Brent: Life on the Road

If you’re a huge fan of The Office, you’ve almost certainly watched the original UK version created by Rickey Gervais. The original series has a different vibe than the American version, of course, but all the pieces are there—especially Gervais’s performance as David Brent, who was a slightly meaner Michael Scott.

That’s what makes David Brent: Life on the Road a must-watch for Office fans. It picks up Brent’s story after the series’ end and digs deep into his character. No longer the boss, Brent is working as a sales rep—and finds himself in the same position his employees once did, miserable in his work and treated poorly by many of his co-workers. Instead of inspiring some self-reflection, however, Brent decides to make a desperate stab at music stardom, cleaning out his retirement funds to hire a band and go on a short tour during his vacation.

There’s very little office in David Brent: Life on the Road, but the film has the same cringe-comedy chops you love about the series. Brent is as bombastic, un-self-aware, and weirdly overconfident as ever when the story kicks off, but—just like Michael in the U.S. series—is slowly humanized over the course of the story, learning how to make real human connections. Along the way, there’s plenty of awkward comedy and hilarious moments, all done in the same mockumentary style of both the original show and the American adaptation. If you’re looking for something similar to bridge the gap to your next re-watch of the show, this is the perfect choice. Stream David Brent: Life on the Road on Netflix.

David Brent: Life on the Road (2016)

at Netflix

Learn More

Learn More

at Netflix

More movies that fans of The Office should watch

If that just made you want to watch more office-based comedies or mockumentaries that do cringe comedy well, never fear: Here are a few more movies fans of The Office will love.

Office Space (1999)

No recent comedy captures the slow, grinding indignities of working life like Office Space. If you love how The Office riffs on the personalities and petty squabbles between co-workers that come to dominate our 9-to-5 existences, this story of a man who decides his job just doesn’t matter (and who gets swept up in a ludicrous crime scheme that’s ripped off of Superman 3, of all things) is an ideal choice. It digs into what we sell to our employers, the rage that working for a living can inspire (this scene connects with literally everyone who watches it), and the hilarious absurdity of office life. Rent Office Space on Prime Video.

Office Space (1999)

$3.99 at Prime Video

Learn More

Learn More

$3.99 at Prime Video

The Apartment (1960)

Office culture and its warping effect on human nature has been a comedic subject for a long time, and this peak Billy Wilder film from 1960 is still relatable today. Jack Lemmon plays a put-upon, ambitious office clerk at an enormous insurance company that allows executives to use his bachelor pad as a trysting place for their office affairs, hoping to ingratiate himself. It’s as much a satire of corporate culture as it is a love story, and modern-day Office fans will find a lot of the jokes still land today. Stream The Apartment on Kanopy or Tubi, or rent it on Prime Video.

The Apartment (1960)

$3.99 at Prime Video

Learn More

Learn More

$3.99 at Prime Video

Clockwatchers (1997)

Clockwatchers offers a different kind of humor and explores a kind of working experience that doesn’t really exist anymore—that of long-term temp workers. But if your favorite part of The Office is the way it skewers work culture and office dynamics, this is your jam. Toni Colette plays Iris, a young woman who starts a temp gig at a mid-size financial company. She hooks up with the other temps (including a typically marvelous Parker Posey and Lisa Kudrow) and learns the ins and outs of this stressful, darkly funny office. Anyone trapped in a dead-end job will understand the peculiar madness that sets in—the same madness that drives the funny core of this movie. Stream Clockwatchers on Hoopla, or Tubi, or rent it on Prime Video.

Clockwatchers (1997)

$3.99 at Prime Video

Learn More

Learn More

$3.99 at Prime Video

Office Christmas Party (2016)

Are your favorite episodes of The Office the ones where normal order breaks down and chaos invades, like the Christmas party episode, the fire drill cold open, or the office Olympics?. Check out Office Christmas Party. A struggling office is ordered to cancel bonuses and its holiday party, but the CTO and branch manager forge ahead with the party in an effort to land a big client. The phrase “chaos ensues” does not even begin to sum up the events that follow, including copious property damage, arrests, and several hospitalizations. If Dwight and Jim’s prank wars and Michael’s tendency to overdo everything were the best parts of the show for you, you’ll dig this. Stream Office Christmas Party on Paramount+ or rent it on Prime Video.

Office Christmas Party (2016)

$3.99 at Prime Video

Learn More

Learn More

$3.99 at Prime Video

Waiting for Guffman (1997)

If you’re a sucker for the “mockumentary” format The Office perfected, Waiting for Guffman is the perfect choice. The story of a community theater group planning a show for the town’s 150^th anniversary, led by intense director Corky St. Clair (Christopher Guest). It captures Michael Scott’s oblivious approach to leading a team and his improvisational comedy skills as the weirdos who populate the community of Blaine, Missouri come together to put on a show that is a lot more memorable than it is good. Rent Waiting for Guffman on Prime Video.

Waiting for Guffman (1997)

$3.99 at Prime Video

Learn More

Learn More

$3.99 at Prime Video