George Clooney criticizes Hollywood culture — now that he lives in France



Actor George Clooney says his children have a much better life growing up in France than they would have in Hollywood.

Clooney moved his family to France in 2024, taking root in Cotignac, a village in the southeast.

'I felt like they were never going to get a fair shake at life.'

After years of activism in the United States and abroad, Clooney revealed in an interview with Esquire that he did not want to raise his kids immersed in Hollywood culture, with their heads buried in technology and trying to avoid paparazzi.

"Yeah, we're very lucky," he told the outlet. "You know, we live on a farm in France. A good portion of my life growing up was on a farm, and as a kid I hated the whole idea of it. But now, for them, it's like — they're not on their iPads, you know? They have dinner with grown-ups and have to take their dishes in."

The interview with Clooney was painted as a majestic refuge for a star looking for a simple life, living on a farm with hundreds of acres of sprawling grapevines and olive trees, driving his kids around on a tractor.

"They have a much better life," Clooney continued. "I was worried about raising our kids in L.A., in the culture of Hollywood. I felt like they were never going to get a fair shake at life. France — they kind of don't give a s**t about fame. I don't want them to be walking around worried about paparazzi. I don't want them being compared to somebody else's famous kids."

Clooney's exodus from L.A. begs the question: Where in the world is a more progressive, Democrat-led landscape than California? The actor's history of activism would suggest he should feel right at home under Gov. Gavin Newsom (D).

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VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty Images

The tip of the iceberg is Clooney's endorsement, and then retraction of support, for President Biden in 2024. Perhaps a condemnation from former first son Hunter Biden was enough for Clooney to want to permanently check out, but that was not exactly his first rodeo in politics.

Clooney was pictured sitting with then-Vice President Biden in 2009 before claiming that electing him as president in 2020 would be a "return to civility."

In 2012, Clooney and his father were arrested and released at a Washington, D.C., protest against alleged human rights abuses in Sudan by its government.

In 2020, Clooney and his and wife, Amal, donated $500,000 to the Equal Justice Initiative following George Floyd's death during the infamous "Summer of Love." The organization claimed at the time that the "United States did not commit to racial equality, [and] slavery did not end in 1865."

In their statements regarding policing in America, the group urged the country to "reimagine public safety and community health, reallocate funds from traditional policing to services that promote public safety and more effectively address the conditions that create poverty, inequality, and community distress."

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Photo by ANNE-CHRISTINE POUJOULAT/AFP/Getty Images

Citing his father's insistence that it was his "civic duty" to stand up to bullies and racists, Clooney told People in 2020 that he felt he was in the same situation with his kids.

"I'm in the same situation as most fathers of 3-year-olds: I don't want my children when they're 15 years old to turn around and say, 'There was a time when they were putting kids in cages? ... And what did you do about that?'" Clooney boldly claimed.

"And if the answer is 'nothing,' then I would be ashamed," he said.

In 2019, Clooney continued his activism on behalf of Sudan, connecting it to a need for action against climate change.

"Global warming is making the desert larger; violence is moving people off the land — and they are moving by the millions,” he told CNN. "You care not just because it is the right thing to do, which it is, but because at one point or another, it is something that we will be dealing with," he claimed.

While the Clooneys call France their current home, they still own a villa in Italy, a home outside London, and residences in L.A. and New York City, according to Yahoo.

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Catholic defiance of Democrat law pays off, sparing priests from the choice of jail or excommunication



Bob Ferguson, the Democrat governor of Washington state, signed a bill in May that would have compelled Catholic priests to break the seal of confession or face up to 364 days in jail and a $5,000 fine.

Catholic bishops in the Evergreen State fought back — and came out victorious on Friday with the reinforcement of the Trump Justice Department.

Background

Senate Bill 5375, as ratified by the self-identifying Catholic governor and scores of other Democrats in the legislature, required any person operating in an official supervisory capacity with a nonprofit or a for-profit organization who has "reasonable cause to believe that a child has suffered abuse or neglect" to notify law enforcement or the Department of Children, Youth, and Families.

'Priests should never be forced to make the impossible choice of betraying their sacred vows or going to jail.'

The law mandated, however, that no one except for members of the clergy had to report abuse when that information was obtained solely as a result of a privileged communication.

"SB 5375 modifies existing law solely to make members of the clergy mandatory reporters with respect to child abuse or neglect," U.S. District Judge David Estudillo noted in his July ruling. "However, other groups of adults who may learn about child abuse are not required to report. Parents and caregivers, for example, are not mandatory reporters."

Estudillo noted further that a parallel piece of legislation that went into effect on July 27 also exempted university attorneys from divulging child abuse information if it has something to do with their clients.

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Washington State Gov. Bob Ferguson (D). Photo by JASON REDMOND/AFP via Getty Images

"A law is not neutral if the government 'proceeds in a manner intolerant of religious beliefs or restricts practices because of their religious nature,'" Estudillo noted. "Here, clergy were explicitly singled out."

Not only was the law discriminatory, it would have both invited the government into the confessional and put priests at risk of automatic excommunication.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church maintains that "every priest who hears confessions is bound under very severe penalties to keep absolute secrecy regarding the sins that his penitents have confessed to him" and "can make no use of knowledge that confession gives him about penitents' lives."

The Code of Canon Law — cited in the May 18 complaint filed by Archbishop Paul Etienne of the Archdiocese of Seattle, Bishop Joseph Tyson of the Diocese of Yakima, and Bishop Thomas Daly of the Diocese of Spokane — similarly underscores the inviolability of the sacramental seal, noting further that a "confessor who directly violates the sacramental seal incurs a latae sententiae — automatic — excommunication reserved to the Apostolic See."

A month after the bishops filed suit, the Trump DOJ intervened in the case, stressing that SB 5375 "deprives Catholic priests of their fundamental right to freely exercise their religious beliefs, as guaranteed under the First Amendment."

Victory

On Friday, the state of Washington settled the case, agreeing to make permanent a Biden judge's July injunction blocking the law.

The federal court handling the case further recognized that the Democrat law had infringed upon the Catholic bishops' free exercise of religion in violation of the First Amendment and may also have infringed upon their rights under the U.S. Constitution's Establishment Clause and the Church Autonomy Doctrine.

Mark Rienzi, president and CEO of the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, which served as co-counsel in the case, said in statement obtained by Blaze News, "Washington was wise to walk away from this draconian law and allow Catholic clergy to continue ministering to the faithful. This is a victory for religious freedom and for common sense."

"Priests should never be forced to make the impossible choice of betraying their sacred vows or going to jail," added Rienzi.

"Preventing abuse and upholding the sacred seal of confession are not mutually exclusive — we can and must do both," stated Jean Hill, executive director of the Washington State Catholic Conference. "That’s why the Church supported the law’s goal from the beginning and only asked for a narrow exemption to protect the sacrament."

The WSCC added that "priests have been imprisoned, tortured, and even killed for upholding the seal of confession. Penitents today need the same assurance that their participation in a holy sacrament will remain free from government interference."

Blaze News has reached out to Ferguson's office for comment.

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Katie Porter is running to become California governor — but her nastiness might catch up with her



Former Democratic Rep. Katie Porter (D-Calif.) failed spectacularly in her bid last year to secure a U.S. Senate nomination, placing a distant third in a Democratic primary that she suggested was rigged. Evidently keen to reacquire power, the leftist law professor is in the running to become the next governor of California.

While recent polling suggests that she leads other Democrats as well as Republican candidates Steve Hilton and Chad Bianco, Porter's sizable edge in the gubernatorial race appears threatened by mounting evidence both of her nastiness and unwillingness to answer reasonable questions.

'Is this a disaster? Yes.'

This week, Porter threatened to walk out of an interview with CBS News California after reporter Julie Watts asked, "What do you say to the 40% of California voters — who you'll need in order to win — who voted for Trump?"

"How would I need them in order to win, ma'am?" Porter said before laughing at the notion of appealing to the millions of Republicans living in California. "If it is me versus a Republican, I think that I will win the people who did not vote for Trump."

When Watts dared to ask follow-up questions, Porter said, "I feel like this is unnecessarily argumentative."

After Watts noted that she was posing the same questions to Porter that she had posed to other candidates, Porter became visibly agitated, looked to someone off camera, and stated, "I don't want to keep doing this. I want to call it."

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Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

When asked whether she was going to continue the interview, Porter said, "Not like this, I'm not. Not with seven follow-up questions to every question you ask."

"I don't want to have an unhappy experience with you," continued Porter. "And I don't want this all on camera."

Gale Kaufman, a Sacramento-based Democratic strategist, told Politico, "Is this a disaster? Yes."

"And the reason it's a disaster is because it amplifies what her reputation already is."

Three other California Democrats jockeying for the governor's mansion — former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, and former California state controller Betty Yee — were among those who made hay out of Porter's interview.

Villaraigosa said, "We need a leader who will solve hard problems and answer simple questions."

Becerra, apparently referencing Porter's scoffing at the prospect of courting Republican voters, stated, "I'm not interested in excluding any vote."

"Katie Porter is a weak, self-destructive candidate unfit to lead California," tweeted Yee. "It's time for her to drop out of this race."

Yee added, "After watching the interview, it’s clear — Katie Porter doesn't have the temperament to be Governor."

Blaze News has reached out to Porter's campaign for comment.

Critics have far more than just the CBS News interview to cite as evidence of Porter's cantankerous disposition.

Footage obtained by Politico on Wednesday has gone viral showing Porter viciously berate a staffer who interrupted her July 2021 meeting with then-Biden Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm.

In the video, which was taped for the Biden administration, Porter, occupying much of the foreground, spotted a staffer in the background, then screamed, "Get out of my f**king shot!"

The staffer apparently wanted to correct something Porter had said about electric vehicles. After the chastised staffer volunteered the correction, Porter said, "You also were in my shot before that. Stay out of my shot."

The final, edited version of the video published by the Biden administration omitted the unhappy experience.

"It’s no secret I hold myself and my staff to a high standard, and that was especially true as a member of Congress," Porter told Politico in a statement. "I have sought to be more intentional in showing gratitude to my staff for their important work."

The problem of Porter's temper has not only been raised by former staffers — one of whom was apparently scolded after contracting COVID — and by the former congresswoman's ex-boyfriend Julian Willis, who called her a "monster," but by Porter's ex-husband, Matthew Hoffman, who alleged in court filings that Porter was abusive, prone to "extreme anger," and had in a 2006 incident apparently dumped a bowl of steaming hot mashed potatoes onto his head, burning his scalp.

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Bill Maher attempts risky intervention on Trump-deranged pal Rob Reiner: 'You have to talk to people'



A casual conversation turned into a deprogramming session when Bill Maher recently hosted the notoriously Trump-hating director Rob Reiner on his "Club Random" podcast.

Maher urged the MAGA-mad mogul to see the importance of keeping communication open with his political opponents, citing Barack Obama's skill at dealing with Republicans during his presidency.

'Every fiber of your being wants to be like, "I got to get this person to not see it that way."'

"Politics is about making deals. It's about bargains," Maher said, lamenting that liberals like Reiner are not willing to work with the current administration.

Tokin' moderate

Reiner, meanwhile, countered that today's GOP is beyond reasonable discussion.

Maher, noting that the Democrats do not have "any power," said that the idea of purposely not having conversations with conservatives is a pointless endeavor.

"The idea of, 'We don't talk to you when we don't even have the power?' Of course, you have to talk to people," Maher explained.

But Reiner interjected.

"Before you have an exchange, you have to agree on certain facts," Reiner said.

Return to condescender

Maher's tone switched, the way it often does when he himself is speaking to someone he completely disagrees with.

"No, you don't. You can't. Once you start down that road ... you just have to talk to people," the host said.

The portly producer then offered up an example that showed he does not see much worth in talking to someone who is on a different page.

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“No, no, you talk to people," Reiner asserted. "But if somebody says, 'Two plus two is four,' and the other guy says, 'No, it's not,' how do you begin the discussion?” he asked.

"Because, Rob, that’s a slippery slope," Maher replied, already sounding defeated.

"If you start down that road of, 'I can't talk to you if you believe this crazy thing,' you just can't," he continued.

Reiner, 78, legitimately seeming like he wanted to hear Maher's advice, asked, "What do you do?"

A player's prayer

The "Real Time with Bill Maher" host admitted that while he has never been married, his experience in long-term relationships has led him to be able to accept the fact that he doesn't have to agree with everything someone says.

"It's very like a relationship. ... And I know there are moments where the person is believing something, and you just — every fiber of your being wants to be like, 'I got to get this person not to see it that way, 'cause I just think it's f**king nuts.'"

But if that person wants that relationship to last, Maher continued, they will have to learn "three little words that are most important to any relationship."

"They're not, 'I love you.' They're, 'Let it go,'" he revealed. "Sometimes you just have to let it go."

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Photo by Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images

Over the moon

Maher gave examples of speaking with someone who does not believe the lunar landing of 1969 happened, or even Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whom he disagrees with on many topics.

The reason Democrats need to reach across the aisle is because there were a lot of places where "the Democrats did f**k up," Maher said.

On his list of DNC gaffes was the U.S.-Mexico border, DEI initiatives in colleges, and "elite universities, where the kids are raised to be these anarchist, America-hating anti-Semites, and there is zero diversity of opinion."

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