Look!

What will Kristin do with them?

This has been 500 Days of Kristin.

[Photo via Getty]

Here you will find a good explanation of the devastating humanitarian consequences of the 2009 coup in Honduras that was essentially supported by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Contact the author at Hamilton@Gawker.com.

A one-day jeans sale, a cheap GPS fitness watch, and a great deal on luxury grooming goods kick off Thursday’s best deals. Bookmark Kinja Deals and follow us on Twitter to never miss a deal. Commerce Content is independent of Editorial and Advertising, and if you buy something through our posts, we may get a small share of the sale. Click here to learn more, and don’t forget to sign up for our email newsletter.

http://deals.kinja.com/todays-best-ap...

Top Deals

If your personal denim collection is looking a little dated, Amazon’s running a huge one-day sale on jeans for men, women, and kids, with prices starting under $20.

Inside, you’ll find options from the likes of Lucky, Lee, Levi’s, and even some brands that don’t start with the letter L. Just be sure to make your selections soon; these prices are only available today, and the most popular options could sell out early. [Amazon One-Day Jeans Sale]

No matter how beautiful your lawn is, you won’t spend much time out there if there’s nowhere to sit or eat a meal. If you’re tight on space (not to mention cash), this Lifetime convertible bench can convert in seconds from a park-style bench into half of a picnic table, and today’s $150 price tag is within a few bucks of Amazon’s all-time low. [Lifetime Convertible Bench/Table, $150]

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...

Update 2: Back again for $20.50!

Update: Sold out, as expected, but head over to our main post for the rest of today’s best deals.

http://deals.kinja.com/todays-best-de...

We’ve all heard that watching TV in the dark can be pretty tough on the eyes, but an ambient bias lighting setup can make the experience much more palatable, and improve your TV’s perceived contrast levels to boot. So it makes sense that this basic USB-powered kit from Antec is one of the most popular items we’ve ever listed, and you can get your own for $20 right now, if you hurry.

http://bestsellers.kinja.com/bestsellers-an...

All you have to do is plug the LED strip into the USB port on the back of your TV (or any other USB charger, as you just need it for power), stick it to the back of your set with the built-in adhesive, and then bask in its glow. The power cord includes a small switch, but a lot of TVs will cut power to their USB port automatically when turned off, which saves you from having to flick it off manually.

This is one of the most elusive deals we post. It dips to $20 or below every once in awhile, but sells out within minutes basically every time we post it. Even if you already got one for yourself, this would make a great gift. [Antec Bias Lighting Kit, $20]

http://www.amazon.com/Antec-HDTV-51-...

Fitness trackers can help you ward off winter weight gain, but if you don’t want to commit to wearing a bracelet every day, the clip-on Fitbit One is is a great alternative.

http://gizmodo.com/5954563/fitbit...

In addition to steps, the Fitbit One will monitor calories burned, stairs climbed, and distance traveled, and you can even configure it as a silent, vibrating alarm clock so you don’t have to disturb your sleeping partner. If that sounds like an appealing package, you can grab one on eBay today for $55, one of the best deals we’ve ever seen. [Fitbit One, $55]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2318268364...

The humble and inexpensive cast iron skillet is one of most important pieces of cooking gear you can own, and Lodge’s highly-rated 10” model is back down to $15 again on Amazon. If you don’t own one, you should have no hesitation. [Lodge LCS3 Pre-Seasoned 10-inch Cast-Iron Chef’s Skillet, $15]

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00008GKDJ/...

http://bestsellers.kinja.com/bestsellers-lo...

While you’re there, pick up some cast iron scrapers or a chainmail scrubber for cleaning, and a silicone handle cover to protect your hands.

http://www.amazon.com/Lodge-SCRAPERP...

http://www.amazon.com/Lodge-ASHH41-S...

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...

If USB battery packs have a shortcoming, it’s that you have to carry a USB wall charger to juice them back up at the end of the day. Not so with this model from RAVPower, which recharges by plugging directly into a wall, while simultaneously acting as an AC charger for your phone. It even comes with a built-in microUSB cable, in addition to a standard USB port, making this a truly self-contained device. [RAVPOwer 9,000mAh Portable Charger With AC Connector, $24 with code 6QLBJT9O]

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NWEB49W

This Energizer inverter only supplies 100W of continuous power, which is enough to charge your laptop, and not much else. If that’s all you need from your inverter though, $15 is a great price, and this thing is small enough to tuck into your glove box. [Energizer EN100 Ultra Compact DC to AC 100W Direct Plug-in Power Inverter, $15 with code 6H7W6BET]

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/AS...

Apple device owners know that you can never own too many Lightning cables, and $8 for a 2-pack is about as good a deal as we ever see on them. [2-Pack RAVPower Lightning Cables, $8 with code NM3K582E]

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ZZFT6EQ?...

While it doesn’t have the brand recognition of Nest’s learning Thermostat, the Ecobee3 Smart Thermostat one-ups its most popular competitor by including a wireless remote sensor that you can place elsewhere in your house, giving the thermostat a more accurate picture of your home’s overall temperature. Plus, it’ll work with Siri via HomeKit, and your Amazon Echo too. [Ecobee3 WiFi Smart Thermostat with Remote Sensor, $190]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/3115584868...

This isn’t just the best deal we’ve seen on the simple-but-capable Garmin Forerunner 15; it’s one of the best prices we’ve ever seen on any GPS-equipped fitness tracker, period.

$90 gets you a fitness-focused wearable that can track all of your activity, and even precisely measure the distance of your runs with GPS. And if you decide to get really serious, it’ll even pair with an optional heart rate monitor and Foot Pod for more advanced measurements.

http://www.amazon.com/Garmin-Foot-Po...

http://www.amazon.com/Garmin-Premium...

Just note that this is a Gold Box deal, meaning this price is only available today, or until sold out. [Garmin Forerunner 15, $90]

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...

For a limited time, Amazon will give you a $25 account credit when you spend $50 on eligible “luxury” beauty and grooming supplies. Included items run the spectrum from shaving gear to lotions to makeup, and that’s just for starters, so chances are, you won’t have any trouble filling your cart. Just be sure to use promo code LUX25BACK at checkout to get the account credit. [$25 Amazon account credit with $50 luxury grooming purchase]

It can’t teleport you around the world or summon a horse, but this ceramic Ocarina really can make music, and it even comes with a textbook to help you learn the notes. [TOTMC Ocarina, $14 with code C32HVNYR]

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MUFJXTM

DJI’s Phantom 4 looks pretty incredible, but if you don’t have $1400 to spare, the previous high-end Phantom 3 Professional is marked down to $800 right now, an all-time low by $200. You won’t get automatic obstacle avoidance or tap-to-fly, but you will get DJI’s excellent LightBridge connectivity and a fantastic 4K camera. [DJI Phantom 3 Professional, $800]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/4009238667...

http://gizmodo.com/dji-phantom-3-...

If you like to shop at Newegg, this deal is an absolute no-brainer. Groupon will sell you a 6 month Newegg Premier membership plus a $50 gift card for just $45, or a 12 month membership with a $100 gift card for $90. So you’re basically getting a discounted gift card, with Newegg Premiere tossed in for free. There’s really no downside here.

Newegg Premier is Newegg’s answer to Amazon Prime, and includes free three-day shipping, free returns, exclusive deals, and more. But even if you never use it, this deal is worth it for the discounted gift cards alone.

• Newegg 6-Month Premier Membership and $50 Credit ($45) | Groupon | Use code NEWEGG10
• Newegg 12-Month Premier Membership and $100 Credit ($90) | Groupon | Use code NEWEGG10

We see great deals on Bluetooth headphones almost every day, but even I did a double take when I saw this pair of Aukeys for $11. [Aukey Wireless Stereo Sport Bluetooth Headphones, $11 with code UROULTJN. Green and blue only.]

http://www.amazon.com/Aukey-Bluetoot...

Today only, Logitech’s excellent Anywhere Mouse is down to just $30, within a few bucks of the best price we’ve ever seen. This thing will work on any surface, including glass, so if you’re rolling with a crappy mouse, don’t miss this impulse-priced deal. [Logitech - Anywhere Mouse MX, $30]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Logitech-A...

You know those fruit-infused water dispensers you see in hotel lobbies and frozen yogurt places? Now, you can carry one with you anywhere. [Gonex Fruit Infuser Water Bottle 32OZ, $10 with code HAG39JXY]

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B016EVM8JY

Whether you’re already a Philips Hue devotee, or you’re looking to start your collection, this 2-pack of Wi-Fi connected color-changing light strips is marked down to $100 today at Best Buy, an all-time low. The kit also comes with a Bridge, but just note that it’s the old model, so it won’t work with Siri. [Philips Friends of hue 120 Lumen, 12W LightStrip Luminaire Starter Kit, $100]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Philips-Fr...

If you missed out on yesterday’s coveted Audio-Technica ATH-M50x deal on Woot, or just didn’t care for an open box model, Amazon’s come back today with a price that’s only $13 higher. [Audio-Technica M50x Headphones, $118]

http://co-op.kinja.com/the-best-headp...

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...

I can’t for the life of me figure out why this USB hub/card reader is designed to look like a tiny keyboard, but its USB connector can transform from a full-sized plug for your PC into a microUSB connector for your Android devices, which is a pretty neat trick for a $7 gadget. [6-in-1 Micro USB/USB OTG Cable SD(HC)/TF Card Reader, $7]

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0144B8MB4/...

Vega plant-based supplements are some of the best things you can put in your body, and Amazon’s taking an extra 20% off their protein powders, bars, and more today.

http://gear.kinja.com/vega-a-better-...

The 20% coupon is valid on dozens of different Vega items, and will stack with any existing discounts you see on the product pages. Just add your selections to your cart, and you’ll see the final price at checkout. [20% off Vega Protein Products]

Vega has a great calorie-to-protein ratio, but the best thing about their shakes is that they aren’t just about protein. Vega’s shakes typically contain six grams of fiber, 3 servings of vegetables, and good amounts of Omega-3, probiotics, vitamins, and illusive potassium. It’s like a protein shake, a multivitamin, and a bunch of bonuses all in one convenient package.

Update: If you prefer EAS supplements, they have a 20% coupon today as well.

If you want to stop paying your cable company $100/month for channels you don’t watch, it might be time to cut the cord. Between services like Netflix, Hulu+, Sling TV, and HBO Now, it’s easier than ever to declare cable independence, but a good antenna is still a critical piece of equipment for picking up your local broadcast stations.

http://lifehacker.com/how-to-choose-...

Today on Amazon, the refurbished amplified Mohu Leaf 50 is down to $30, an all-time low. Lifehacker readers voted the Leaf as their favorite antenna, praising its unobtrusive design and great performance, and the upgraded Leaf 50 is basically the same product, but with a USB-powered amplifier for extended range. [Refurb Mohu Leaf 50 Indoor HDTV Antenna, $30]

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DHKKI16/...

http://lifehacker.com/five-best-indo...

Great espresso requires significant investments of time, money, and effort, as well as the willingness to buy fresh beans and the scheduling to use them quickly. We’ll have a guide on that soon, but if you know it’s not gonna happen for you, keep reading.

http://gear.kinja.com/buying-guide-n...

The Nespresso Pixie has the smallest footprint of the Nespresso line, and is arguably the most attractive. It uses 19 bars of pressure to push water through the coffee (15 is the standard minimum for great espresso), it all happens with the press of one button, and requires essentially no cleanup. Nespresso has a growing selection of coffee varieties to choose from, and third-party coffee roasters have gotten into the mix as well. Today’s $140 deal is one of the best prices we’ve seen, and a great excuse to join the Nespresso ecosystem. [Nespresso Pixie, $140]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Nespresso-...

Today only, if you buy a Best Buy gift card from eBay for face value, you can get a 10% bonus back in the form of an eBay gift card. It’s tough to argue with that.

$100 Best Buy Gift Card + $10 eBay Gift Card, $100

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2522989573...

$150 Best Buy Gift Card + $15 eBay Gift Card, $150

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2819451342...

UE’s new Roll Bluetooth speaker is the company’s smallest offering, and early reviews indicate that it lives up to its UE Boom predecessors. If you’ve been waiting for a discount to pick one up, Amazon’s taking $30 off every color they offer right now. That’s a match for the best price we’ve ever seen. [UE Roll Waterproof Bluetooth Speaker, $70]

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...

http://gizmodo.com/this-waterproo...

Want a cheaper alternative? [Omaker M4 Water Resistant Bluetooth 4.0 Speaker, $19 with code GIF8OLWT]

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00RBIC1IS/...

Anker’s PowerCore line of external battery packs is a newly-minted Co-Op winner, and you can save $10 on one of the largest capacities today. While this model probably won’t fit in your pocket, it’s perfect for sharing on long flights, during conferences, or any other extended period where power outlets aren’t readily available. [Anker PowerCore 20100 Power Bank, $30 with code HAVKXACP. Also available in white.]

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00X5RV14Y/

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00X5SP0HC

http://co-op.kinja.com/your-favorite-...

Electric lawnmowers are quieter and greener than gas-powered alternatives, and if you’re sick of pulling on that starter rope in vain, this corded 21" GreenWorks alternative might be just what you need.

The fact that you’ll need an extension cord is a bit of a bummer, but $140 is an all-time low, and you’d be looking at around $200 more for a similarly sized, battery-operated alternative. [GreenWorks 21" Electric Lawnmower, $140]

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0076SOAGO

If your wiper blades are starting to streak, Amazon’s offering a pair of Bosch Insight Blades for just $22 today. All you have to do is pick the two you want and add them to your cart, then you should see the discount at checkout. This deal even allows you to mix and match sizes, so you can almost certainly find a combination that will work for your car. [Two Bosch Insight Wiper Blades, $22]

Note: The discount will only work on blades shipped and sold by Amazon directly. No third party sellers.

Tech

Storage

• Sony 32GB Class 10 UHS-1 SDHC up to 70MB/s Memory Card ($6) | Rakuten
• 6-in-1 Micro USB/USB OTG Cable SD(HC)/TF Card Reader ($7) | Amazon

Power

• Anker PowerCore 20100 Ultra High Capacity Power Bank ($30) | Amazon | Use code HAVKXACP
• BC Master Quick Charge QC 2.0 30W 2-Port USB Car Charger ($6) | Amazon | Use code PVTD94Y6

Audio

• Audio-Technica ATH-M50x Professional Studio Monitor Headphones ($117) | Amazon
• JBL J22A High Performance in-ear Headphones with Mic ($14) | eBay
• Sennheiser CX 475 Premium In-Ear Noise Blocking Headphones ($20) | Adorama
• IPX5 Waterproof Bluetooth Speaker V4.0 ($10) | Amazon
• MPOW Wired Earphone with Remote and Mic Volume Control ($10) | Amazon | Use code H3M8LSKJ
• Omaker W4 Powerful Pocket Size Bluetooth Speaker ($16) | Amazon | Use code 5U7V34UI
• Aukey Wireless Stereo Sport Bluetooth Headphones ($11) | Amazon | Use code UROULTJN. Green and blue only.

Home Theater

• $150 Best Buy Card + $15 eBay Bonus Card ($150) | eBay
• Changhong 49-Inch 4K Ultra HD LED TV ($299) | eBay
• Seiki SE42UM 42-Inch 4K Ultra HD 60Hz LED TV ($250) | Amazon
• Toshiba - 49-Inch LED 1080p HDTV ($280) | eBay
• Pyle Mini LED Gaming Projector ($45) | Woot
• Samsung HW-JM25/ZA Home Theater Soundbar with Bluetooth ($70) | Walmart
• BOHM 60W Bluetooth Sound Bar Speaker System with Enhanced Bass Technology ($90) | eBay
• Polk Audio MagniFi One 240W Dialogue-Enhancing Sound Bar with Subwoofer ($200) | Adorama | Use code 3MARCHSVNG
• Telmu TV Wall Mount TV Bracket Stand with Shelf for 26-55" Flat Screens TV ($14) | Amazon | Use code TELMU004
• Telmu TV Wall Mount Bracket Stand Full Motion with Shelf for 32-70" Flat Screens/LED LCD Plasma TV ($25) | Amazon | Use code TELMU005

Computers & Accessories

• Dell Inspiron 15, 15.6", 500 GB, Intel, 4 GB, Windows 10 ($200) | Staples
• Logitech - Anywhere Mouse MX ($30) | eBay
• CHOETECH USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter with 4K HDMI and Power Delivery ($38) | Amazon | Use code KYE7DZ3W

PC Parts

• Newegg 6-Month Premier Membership and $50 Credit ($45) | Groupon | Use code NEWEGG10
• Newegg 12-Month Premier Membership and $100 Credit ($90) | Groupon | Use code NEWEGG10

Mobile Devices

• Samsung Galaxy Note 4 ($320) | eBay
• Apple Watch LUNATIK EPIK Case and Band ($80) | eBay
• Inateck Kindle Paperwhite Cover Case ($9) | Amazon | Use code JL6QGZIS

Photography

• DJI Phantom 3 Professional 4K Drone ($800) | eBay
• Mpow 3 in 1 Clip-On Lens Kits ($10) | Amazon | Use code H7X7TEL8

Home

• PLEMO Classic Black Automatic Folding Travel Rain Umbrella ($10) | Amazon | Use code UY27SGYB
• Panasonic 720p Day/Night Box Camera with 3.6mm Fixed Lens ($30) | B&H
• Essential Oil Diffuser, Arespark 100ml Portablee ($15) | Amazon | Use code FPWKUWJX
• Songmics 10 Tier Shoe Rack with Dustproof Cover ($20) | Amazon
• Philips 60W Equivalent Soft White A19 LED Light Bulb (6-Pack) ($15) | Home Depot
• Philips Friends of hue 120-Lumen, 12W LightStrip Luminaire Starter Kit ($100) | Best Buy
• 4-Piece Set: Hotel Comfort 1800 Series Organic Bamboo Bed Sheets ($14) | eBay
• Innoo Tech Baby Safety Locks Magnetic Safety Cabinet Locks Set, 4 Lock 1 Key, No Screws or Drilling Needed ($12) | Amazon | Use code 9ADLY8JA
• Select Tables, Chairs and Other Home Furnishings are On Sale Today | Home Depot
• OxyLED Waterproof Color Changing RGB LED Strip Light Kit,300 LEDs, 16.4ft ($19) | Amazon | Use code UGV6AGRO

Beauty & Grooming

• HSI Professional Digital Ceramic Tourmaline Ionic Flat Iron Hair Straightener with Glove, Pouch and Argan Oil Treatment ($46) | Amazon | Clip Digital Coupon
• Conair - Sonic Facial Brush ($40) | eBay

Kitchen

• Gonex Water Bottle with Fruit Infuser Camping Water Bottle Tritan Plastic & BPA Free 32OZ ($10) | Amazon | Use code HAG39JXY
• Farberware 6-Piece Resin Knife Set ($18) | Rakuten
• Fit & Fresh Cool Coolers Slim Lunch Ice Packs, Multicolored - Set of 4 ($5) | Amazon
• Spinning Carousel Organizer for Keurig K-Cups - 35 Pod Capacity ($17) | amazon | Use code ILI8IPVU

Fitness

• Garmin Forerunner 15 ($90) | Amazon
• Garmin Vivosmart Fitness Band ($60) | eBay
• Etekcity Ultra Wide Digital Body Weight Bathroom Scale, 440lb /200kg ($20) | Amazon

Apparel

• Madewell 25% Off Current Faves with Code WANTLIST
• 50% or More Off Select Jeans | Amazon
• Vera Bradley Trimmed Vera Tote Bag ($28) | eBay
• Vito Rossi Men’s Casual Lace Up Oxford Dress Shoes Leather ($25) | eBay

Camping & Outdoors

• Osprey Rev 18 Hydration Pack - 85 fl. oz. ($60) | REI
• Sumsonic 34 dB Safety Ear Muffs ($15) | Amazon | Use code 7WFRGIIL

Tools & Auto

• $100 off $400+ at Discount Tire Direct via eBay | Use code CTIRES316
• Fast Orange Micro Gel Pumice Hand Cleaner, 15 oz ($2) | Walmart
• Dual USB Quick Charge 2.0 Car Charger ($8) | Amazon | Use code 262SLBUL
• 41-Inch 11-Drawer Premium Black Tool Cart ($550) | Sears
• Craftsman XSP 12 Gallon 5.5 Peak HP Wet/Dry Vac ($80) | Sears
• GreenWorks 25112 13 Amp 21-Inch Lawn Mower ($140) | Amazon Prime
• Keedox Fm Radio Transmitter Car Radio Transmitter Car kit with 3.5mm Aux Audio Input ($8) | Amazon | Use code YXQSWYSD

Media

Movies & TV

• FREE Bling | Google Play
• Preorder Peanuts Movie ($20) | Amazon
• Ted 2 ($14) | Amazon
• Revenge Of The Nerds ($6) | Amazon
• Gattaca ($6) | Amazon
• Ghost In The Shell 2.0 ($9) | Amazon
• The Wind Rises ($18) | Amazon
• How to Train Your Dragon ($10) | Amazon
• How To Train Your Dragon 2 ($10) | Amazon
• Speed ($6) | Amazon
• The King’s Speech ($5) | Target

Books & Magazines

• Blueberry Muffin Murder ($2) | Amazon
• Flat Spin Audiobook ($4) | Audible

Gaming

• $150 Best Buy Card + $15 eBay Bonus Card ($150) | eBay

Peripherals

PC

• Starcraft II: Legacy of the Void - Collector’s Edition ($60) | Amazon
• Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel ($13) | Amazon
• TIS-100 ($3) | Steam
• Balrum ($13) | Steam

PlayStation 4

• Preorder No Man’s Sky ($48) | Amazon | Prime only. Discount shown at checkout.
• Life Is Strange + $10 Gift Card ($29) | Amazon
• Life Is Strange Limited Edition+ $10 Gift Card ($40) | Amazon
• Preorder Valkyria Chronicles Remastered w/ Meta Quad 7 Armored Case ($24) | Amazon Prime
• Project CARS ($20) | Amazon
• ArcaniA - The Complete Tale ($13) | Amazon
• Little Big Planet 3 ($20) | Amazon

Xbox One

• Dead Rising 3: Apocalypse Edition ($15) | Amazon
• Life Is Strange + $10 Gift Card ($28) | Amazon
• Life Is Strange Limited Edition+ $10 Gift Card ($40) | Amazon
• Rock Band 4 Wireless Guitar Bundle ($80) | Amazon

Wii U

• Wii Fit U + Fit Meter + Wii Balance Board ($25) | eBay
• PDP Wired Fight Pad for Wii U - Link ($15) | Amazon
• PDP Wired Fight Pad for Wii U - Metal Mario ($15) | Amazon
• Kirby & The Rainbow Curse ($30) | Amazon
• LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham ($12) | Best Buy

Toys

• LEGO Friends 41106 Pop Star Tour Bus Building Kit ($46) | Amazon
• Franklin Sports Quikset Basketball Rebound Pro Set ($37) | Amazon
• Star Wars The Black Series 6-Inch First Order Flametrooper ($20) | Amazon
• Funko Batman: Arkham Knight - Batman POP! ($9) | Amazon

Commerce Content is independent of Editorial and Advertising, and if you buy something through our posts, we may get a small share of the sale. Click here to learn more, and don’t forget to sign up for our email newsletter. We want your feedback.

Send deal submissions to Deals@Gawker and all other inquiries to Shane@Gawker

The Huffington Post has a story (currently their big, screaming, front page top story, in fact) on an upcoming Sony Pictures film that opens later this month. The film is a comedy, and it features, they say, a rude joke about Donald Trump. An exceptionally rude joke, that is also so, so funny, according to everyone who has seen the picture. Boy, it’s a good joke, you’d love it.

But top film executives do not love it, the Huffington Post tells us. They are panicked, apparently, about this joke, according to “industry sources.” They’re so panicked that they’re refusing even to market this film! (I have seen dozens of advertisements for this film, and its star was an Oscars presenter last weekend.)

These executives “are nervous about angering the famously vengeful and litigious Trump, compounded by the possibility of getting on the wrong side of the possible next president.” They have tried to silence the filmmakers, even, by asking them to cut the joke.

It’s such a good joke, though. “The Daily Telegraph reported that the Trump moment was met with ‘loud cheering.’ The Metro newspaper called it a ‘massive cheer.’” This joke, the Huffington Post tells us, “is proving cathartic to overseas audiences terrified by Trump’s rise.”

Another (unnamed) source has a slightly different take on what is happening:

One industry source said conversely that the claims of a trembling studio are a “stunt” to gin up more publicity.

According to some sources, Sony is worried that their upcoming film, which happens to feature a mean joke about an avowed enemy of the Huffington Post, might be too funny, and too mean to that person you hate. Other sources say Sony is currently promoting this film.

Who’s right? We may never know.

Contact the author at alex.pareene@gawker.com.

A fun fact about earning capacity, according to the Center for American Progress: 30-year-olds today make about as much, on average, as 30-year-olds did in 1984, “despite the facts that they are 50 percent more likely to have finished college and that they work in an economy that is 70 percent more productive.”

The Center for American Progress lays out the way the economic downturn, slow recovery and student debt have cancelled out today’s record workforce productivity and levels of higher education. Wages rose slightly in the mid-2000s, but have dipped again: the median overall hourly wage for a 30-year-old in 1984 was $18.99, in 2004 was $20.63 and in 2014 was $19.32.

This stagnation is due to a perpetually “loose” market, in which supply has been higher than demand for a long time, and the fact that there are few non-public unions to protect the people who are working. The study notes that employers raise wages only when they are required to; the last few decades show that they do not raise wages simply out of generosity. The Center for American Progress notes that the playing field between employees and employers will have to be leveled—by keeping interest rates low, as to not dampen the effects of wage growth, and by making it easier for employees to unionize in the private sector.

The Atlantic spoke to Brendan Duke, the author of the study and the Center for American Progress’s associate director for economic policy, who noted that this generation is reportedly the “least likely… to belong to a union, and union membership on the whole has been on the decline,” but that it’s in their best interest to break that cycle. Via the Atlantic:

There are other changes that might also improve Millennials’ lot. “Paid leave really represents an opportunity to do better,” Duke says. The report suggests that if successful, the current push for more robust leave policies could help Millennial women bridge the gender-wage disparity, which is expected to start growing as more of the generation takes time off for birth, childcare, and caring for ailing relatives. On top of that, more generous leave policies would mean that women could not only take time away from the office without fear of a wage or promotion penalty, but also that men could do the same, creating a more equitable division of labor both at home and and work.

The lingering problem, of course, is student debt. Duke tells the Atlantic: “I think people are kind of stuck in a catch-22 where they feel they need to get these skills in order to compete in the 21st century economy, but on the other hand they have to pay more tuition and take on more debt in order to do that.”

Contact the author at Hillary@jezebel.com.

Image via Getty.

Donald Trump spent his afternoon attempting to flay Mitt Romney in the only way he knows how: by belittling Romney’s political might, masculinity, business acumen and even his wealth. He said Romney would have gotten down on his knees for money in 2012, that Romney ran a horrible presidential campaign, that he’s a “choke artist” who should have beaten Barack Obama, that he was intimidated out of running in 2016 by Jeb Bush, and that Trump owns a single store worth more money than Mitt Romney.

http://gawker.com/heres-just-fiv...

There was also a long roundabout bit about Romney being responsible for ruined carpet in his apartment. Fact check on any of this: untrue to, at best, undetermined. But this is the world we live in. You might as well drink it in.

Contact the author at jordan@gawker.com.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un has ordered his country’s nuclear arsenal to be ready for pre-emptive use “at any time,” Agence France-Presse reports. Tensions are high after the U.N. Security Council approved stringent new sanctions on Pyongyang last week, and South Korea passed new human rights legislation.

“We must always be ready to fire our nuclear warheads at any time,” the North’s official KCNA news agency quoted Kim saying Friday. A day earlier, the Associated Press reports, North Korea fired six short-range projectiles—possibly missiles, possibly artillery, possibly rockets—into the sea off its east coast.

From the AP:

Thursday’s firings were seen as a “low-level” response to the U.N. sanctions, with North Korea unlikely to launch any major provocation until its landmark ruling Workers’ Party convention in May, according to Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul.

North Korea has not issued an official reaction to the new U.N. sanctions. But citizens in its capital, Pyongyang, interviewed by The Associated Press said Thursday they believe their country can fight off any sanctions.

“No kind of sanctions will ever work on us, because we’ve lived under U.S. sanctions for more than half a century,” said Pyongyang resident Song Hyo Il. “And in the future, we’re going to build a powerful and prosperous country here, relying on our own development.”

“At an extreme time when the Americans...are urging war and disaster on other countries and people, the only way to defend our sovereignty and right to live is to bolster our nuclear capability,” Kim said, according to KCNA. AFP described this kind of rhetoric as “routine.”

On Monday, the UVA student imprisoned in North Korea since the beginning of the year, Otto Warmbier, begged to be released back to the United States.

Contact the author at brendan.oconnor@gawker.com.

Go to any of the 2016 presidential candidates’ websites and look for their space policy. Actually, don’t bother, because you would be wasting your time. None of them have one. It is a sad symptom of just how far space exploration has plummeted off the list of national priorities, and just another reminder of how modest our human spaceflight hopes have become.

Sure, if you dig deep enough, you can usually find some offbeat comment on the space program from most of the people who want to be the leader of the free world, some of which are pretty wild, but this is a far cry from having an actual, publicly-listed policy position on the matter.

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What’s even worse is that there has been no real questioning of the candidates on the national stage regarding their views on space and NASA. There have been close to 20 debates so far in the election cycle, and not one question has been asked about America’s future out among the stars.

It’s quite a change from elections past. Even as recently as the 2012 election, space was a fairly recurring topic. Newt Gingrich even made it a central platform during his rise in the national polls. In 2008, the fate of the Space Shuttle and Bush’s Constellation program was a very hot topic.

This year is very different. Space isn’t much of an issue to any candidate; perhaps the only one with any real interest is Sen. Ted Cruz, who as chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Space, Science, and Competitiveness, has advocated for NASA to focus on exploration, though at the expense of scientific research. This is par for the course when you are a Texas Senator, seeing as NASA and its vendors have deep roots in Houston and Texas as a whole. But even for Cruz, space seems to be a backseat issue compared to other domestic and national security concerns.

Then again, the fact that the candidates don’t treat the space issue as if it really matters makes some sense, as there appears to be a huge gap between the electorate’s perception of the idea of space exploration and what is actually happening in that realm.

Does Space Matter To The Public?

If you ask most Americans, they’d probably say they’re at least interested in in space exploration. When the issue was polled in 2013, 75 percent of those asked supported a manned mission to Mars, and an increase of the NASA budget to one percent of the total federal budget to see it happen. No matter how old you are, whether you saw it live or read about in the history books, NASA’s 1960s glory days of the moon landing loom large in the public imagination. The success of modern science-heavy space oriented films The Martian, Gravity and Interstellar at least show people remain excited about the topic and are willing to prove it with their wallets.

Yet this interest in space travel in the fictional world has not converted well into excitement for what’s actually happen in the real world. The fact that America largely spent the last decade shuttering a high-exposure but stunted space vehicle program, the Space Shuttle, and turned to Russia and the private sector for its low-earth orbit access needs, has not helped. Watching companies struggle for years on what looks like the same capabilities NASA painstakingly pioneered in the 1950s and 1960s is only exciting for the geekiest among us.

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There have been some exciting accomplishments that may become of high value, like returning the first stage of a rocket back to earth via vertical landing, and Commander Scott Kelly’s year long stint on the International Space Station, but these types of things are just a quick news blip to most people. Not everyone worships Elon Musk, or loves to read stories comparing him to Tony Stark. Space is now a background issue.

Private spaceflight companies are not to be blamed for this situation. They should be applauded for trying to answer NASA’s original “commercial crew and cargo” challenge. The fact is that NASA itself has chosen a diminished role in near-term spaceflight—as has the Obama administration—and after a decade of development a human being has still not flown on a commercial crew vehicle.

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In fact, it’s critical to remember even the current administration hasn’t been a leader when it comes to space. Here’s former NASA Administrator Mike Griffin in a congressional hearing just last month:

“To quote my friend and colleague Jim Albaugh, the now-retired CEO of Boeing Commercial Aircraft, the current administration’s view of our nation’s future in space offers ‘no dream, no vision, no plan, no budget, and no remorse,’” Griffin said during a hearing of the House Science Committee. “We must remedy this matter with all deliberate speed.”

So the idea that the U.S. should just turn over more of its space portfolio to the private sector is laughable.

While NASA’s human spaceflight division is not entirely outsourced now as many in the public likely believe, the future’s heavy lifting will still supposedly be done by big government. This will come in the form of the Space Launch System (SLS), a largely unremarkable hodgepodge on 1970s era propulsion technology left over from the shuttle program. This does not mean the SLS will be an incapable system, if it even actually launches in its full-power configuration. What it does mean is that billions will be spent on it without really advancing rocket technology in large and meaningful ways. With this in mind, the SLS may be a practical approach, but it is not a highly innovative one.

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The biggest issue with the SLS program is not that it lacks trailblazing new technologies, it’s that it lacks is a clear and near-term mission. Multiple Presidential administrations will have to continue to fund the SLS for the concept to pay off in the coming decades. As such, it’s far from a proposition like John F. Kennedy’s “get to the moon before the decade is out” was half a century ago and far out of the public’s collective consciousness.

Currently the SLS development and mission timeline has multiple years not months between launches. It’s theoretical plan spans nearly two decades from today, with no real set end-game firmly scheduled that will take us to Mars, or even back to the moon for that matter.

Yawn.

In fact, beyond a 2022 test flight there is no real mission for the giant rocket at all, just conjecture about trips to an asteroid and a hollow mandate for a trip to Mars in the 2030s. All of these require robust support from Congress, the White House and especially the public.

No bucks, no Buck Rogers.

NASA Can’t Sell The Space Dream

As much as NASA Administrator Charles Bolden or those in the private spaceflight community would love to tell you how exciting America’s space program is today, it’s not. NASA has a major marketing problem, and it’s not about PR or making better viral videos, it is about their ability to sell space and big ideas within relevant timelines.

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Commercial crew initiatives and the seemingly never ending tests on NASA’s own the Orion capsule are not sexy, they don’t capture the public’s attention. In fact, they seem alarmingly dated. Turning Kennedy Space Center into a pay-to-play commercial industrial park may sound innovative, but it guts NASA’s soul in the process.

The space issue is not just about exploration and science; it’s about America’s competitive edge in the world, our national security and about who we are as a people. And above all else, it can be about money. The Apollo program gave us many of the key innovations that leapfrogged America into the spot as the world’s technological leader for decades to come. The integrated circuit, CAT and MRI scanners, complex software development, fly-by-wire, Photovoltaics, massive communications innovations, cordless tools, advanced insulating materials, vacuum sealing, advanced water purification—all things and so many more were created out of Apollo.

We are still living off of this trove of innovation today. The actual return on the investment into the moonshot was massive and game-changing for the United States. It set us up not just for economic success in the decades that followed, ones in which companies like Apple flourished, but it gave us the economic vitality and technological prowess to win the Cold War.

Speaking of the Cold War, that’s part of the problem. The Space Race was inexorably tied to competition with the Soviet Union. It wasn’t just altruism or a desire to further humanity, it was a need to beat the Russians to the stars. Without that driving force, space exploration has lagged.

But a new cause is glaringly apparent. When our own leaders are pushing for a green revolution, with climate change being a clear and present danger to our way of life, why isn’t a big space initiative a serious priority? If we want to really revolutionize solar, atomic, battery and fuel-cell based energy systems, and pioneer new ways for humans to survive and thrive with far less resources at their disposal, America needs to get serious and lock a few astronauts in a tin can for six months, land them on Mars, and return them to Earth alive.

Such an act not only has the potential to help solve some of Earth’s most pressing issues, but it also will give America a massive injection of new technologies that have the potential to create massive wealth for decades on end. It will also cement America’s leading position in space, something that is degrading as America’s number one economic competitor China makes large gains via ambitious spaceflight projects.

NASA does many great things in aeronautics and unmanned space exploration, but it has learned to think small and low-risk on the manned exploration front. Without exciting goals that have timelines measured in years, not decades, the iconic institution’s legacy will fade. Plans that are currently set in motion that are of small incremental nature, and over huge time spans are likely to be swept away long before they get a chance to blossom. It is the nature of our political system as much as anything else. Somehow NASA is in denial of this fact and I am not the only one who thinks this, far from it in fact.

I know what you are thinking: “This is also Congress’s fault.” This is largely true, but relying on Congress to set their own exciting course for something like America’s space program is a loosing proposition. An independent NASA administrator may go a long way to solving this problem, but as the system sits today, they are just lap dogs of the sitting Presidential Administration as that is who nominates them into office. In reality, the leadership that dictates NASA’s future comes from the very top.

Where A Pro-Space President Comes In

Still, it takes someone in power somewhere to sell the idea that a big manned spaceflight goal in the near term is not just a cool scientific challenge, but it is culturally needed—and above all else, it will be the best return on investment the country can make and America has Apollo’s legacy to prove it.

What a pro-space president, or at least a talented appointee, can do is sell it, like Kennedy did. Someone who can make the case for space as if they were prosecuting a murder trial of a loved one and can really sell the economic case for a big spaceflight goal. Someone who will make America’s leadership go on the record and say why space is not important as they turn around and also bemoan the lack of interest in STEM education. Someone who has the charisma to get others in leadership to follow them because it makes dollars and sense.

Sadly, a candidate with those credentials—or at the very least someone who cares enough about the issue to find the right person to do the job—is not to be found in this election cycle. To them, space exploration is quite clearly not even important enough to be included in even a paragraph on their campaign websites.

As things stand now, America seems to have no shot at doing anything truly exciting when it comes manned exploration of space, nor do we have a leader from either party even remotely interested in getting us there.

Contact the author at Tyler@jalopnik.com.

Illustration credit: Sam Woolley

The founder of BET has spoken out in defense of Zoe Saldana’s ill-advised Nina Simone biopic and confirmed that his production company will, in fact, release the film on April 22.

Robert L. Johnson is the also founder of RLJ Entertainment, which bought the distribution rights to Nina in September. Following the release of the trailer—wherein Zoe Saldana wears dark brown makeup, a prosthetic nose, and an afro wig for no good reason—and the subsequent dragging of the film by the internet, Johnson released a rather trite statement in defense of Zoe Saldana’s performance.

Via IndieWire:

“Zoe Saldana delivers an exceptional and mesmerizing tribute to Nina Simone. She gave her heart and soul to the role and displayed her extraordinary talent. The most important thing is that creativity or quality of performance should never be judged on the basis of color, or ethnicity, or physical likeness. Quality entertainment should be measured by the sheer force of creativity and the commitment that an actor or actress brings to the performance. We are proud to distribute the film headlined by Zoe Saldana and David Oyelowo on April 22, 2016.”

Johnson ignores the fact that physical likeness is obviously much more important in a biopic than when Zoe Saldana is playing a fictional blue or green alien. Further, the continued promotion of David Oyelowo’s involvement in this project isn’t helping anyone.

In a world in which Hamilton is the phenomenon of the year, much of the problem here lies in the fact that the filmmakers didn’t have to heavily distort her appearance in the first place. If, as Johnson says, we shouldn’t judge a performance on physical likeness, then why couldn’t Saldana have embodied Nina Simone without the cartoonish makeup? If she’s capable of giving a performance that so embodies the spirit of Nina Simone, then the size of her nose really shouldn’t matter.

This argument is a silly oversimplification of the real issues of colorism, representation and diversity that plague Nina. It mostly rings of Johnson trying to protect his investment in a film that will almost certainly flop at the box office this spring.

Contact the author at kara.brown@jezebel.com .

Image via Getty.

The Mexican secretary of finance, Luis Videgaray, said today that Mexico will absolutely not pay for the construction of a wall along the border with the United States: “Let me say this emphatically and categorically: under no circumstances is Mexico going to pay for the wall that Mr Trump is proposing.”

Speaking to TV network Milenia, Videgaray said, “Building a wall between Mexico and the United States is a terrible idea, based on ignorance, and has no basis in the reality of North American integration.”

“We have enormous needs and much more important uses for the public budget” than building a border wall, the finance secretary said. According to Agence France-Press, The Mexico-U.S. border sees one million legal crossing daily and $1 million a minute in trade.

Contact the author at brendan.oconnor@gawker.com.

Michael Bloomberg reportedly has an awful lot of feelings about Donald Trump: “Michael thinks Trump is a bloviating, bald-faced liar who can’t be trusted on any deals. He’ll tell you dozens of stories about Trump saying things he knows are patently false.”

Contact the author at brendan.oconnor@gawker.com.

In about an hour, Donald Trump will step onto the debate stage in Detroit to loud applause and howling cheers. He will be the clear frontrunner and presumed nominee among the four Republicans onstage. He will also be admitting a mistake, even if tacitly so.

The debate—which, given Trump’s smooth Super Tuesday, may be the most important one in either party between now and the general election—is being televised by Fox News. The last time Fox hosted a debate, on Jan. 28 in Des Moines, Trump was missing from his now standard position at center stage, having decided to skip the event altogether over his childish feud with Megyn Kelly, Fox host and debate moderator. A few days later, Trump’s candidacy was momentarily deflated when Ted Cruz defeated him in the Iowa primary, leaving Trump chastened and morose.

Did skipping the debate ultimately sink Trump in Iowa? It’s impossible to know, and anyway at this point it doesn’t matter. But with the party’s nomination dangling just in front of his face, Trump isn’t taking any chances. Last week at a rally in Oklahoma he openly mused about blowing off tonight’s debate but his spokespeople were quick to confirm on the record that Trump would indeed be at the Fox Theatre (no relation) in Detroit.

Trump showing up on Fox’s air on Fox’s terms is a quiet concession to his party’s official bullhorn, but if you imagine the candidate and the network in an embrace, it wouldn’t be Trump clutching the hardest and promising to never let go. No, that would be Fox, where it has become obvious in recent days that Trump is no longer a foil, but instead a champion.

After his Super Tuesday triumph, Trump gave an uncharacteristically subdued press conference that would have been entirely forgettable had Chris Christie not been standing behind him gazing blankly into the distance like someone being slowly crushed by his eventual mortality. Nonetheless, Fox immediately praised the performance. Brett Baier, who was anchoring the network’s Super Tuesday coverage next to Kelly, said of the scene: “Frankly, it kind of looked presidential.” Kelly followed up: “Very smart,” she said. “I think it was interesting when he said I’m a unifier.” She finished her thought by saying “that is the one thing the Republican party wants to hear.”

Is Trump really a unifier? And does the Republican party, which is still pushing back against his candidacy, really want to hear that? No matter, this is what Fox is going to tell them regardless. Just take it from the bossman himself:

Fox is ready to bring the frontrunner together with his party, even if that embrace is more like a child holding his breath and hugging his grandmother at his mother’s insistence. The talent, certainly, has heard Rupe loud and clear. Sean Hannity, who never stopped waving the Trump flag in the first place, quite hilariously followed several dozen pro-Trump Twitter accounts yesterday, as if he had saved up his Trumpgasm up and let it all go in one big spurt.

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Consequently, the heat has been turned up on Marco Rubio, the establishment’s last hope who, per Fox watchdog Gabriel Sherman, has fallen out of favor with network consigliere Roger Ailes. Reports Sherman:

According to three Fox sources, Fox chief Roger Ailes has told people he’s lost confidence in Rubio’s ability to win. “We’re finished with Rubio,” Ailes recently told a Fox host. “We can’t do the Rubio thing anymore.”

For Trump and Fox, tonight figures to be a glorious, collegial affair. The candidate will blow through Detroit a winner, and the network will be happy to hitch its wagon to his side. November, after all, feels a long ways away.

Contact the author at jordan@gawker.com / image via Getty

Greetings from Conservative Political Action Conference, the nation’s premiere conservative meeting place for politicians hawking books and young Republicans looking to have a good time. What better place could there be from which to cover tonight’s GOP debate, live from Detroit? Ostensibly Detroit, but that’s a lot further away and frankly I doubt we’d get credentials anyway.

Instead I’m here at the home of the convention, Maryland’s Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center, where I’m joined by Jezebel reporter Anna Merlan. Together, we’re liveblogging the GOP debate from a banquet table deep inside a convention center ballroom filled with Republicans. What could go wrong?

Contact the author at gabrielle@gawker.com.

“Look at those hands—are they small hands? And, he referred to my hands, ‘If they’re small, something else must be small.’ I guarantee you, there’s no problem... I guarantee you.”

Nice.

Contact the author at gabrielle@gawker.com.

Earlier this week, about 30 black college students were removed from a Donald Trump rally in Georgia, apparently at behest of the campaign. On Thursday, local law enforcement corroborated the students’ claims that they had been ejected at the campaign’s request.

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Campaign representatives have repeatedly denied that the Valdosta State University students’ removal was initiated at the candidate or the campaign’s request, and on Tuesday, Trump himself said, “I had nothing to do with it!” (That is not exactly the same thing.)

Speaking to MSNBC’s Chris Hayes on Thursday, however, both the county sheriff and the city police chief maintained that the Trump campaign had asked them to remove the students.

“A member of the [Trump] event staff approached a member of our agency and requested that the group be asked to leave,” Captain Stryde Jones, Lowndes County sheriff, said.

Likewise, Chief Brian Childress, of the Valdosta Police Department, said, “I spoke to a Trump staffer, whose name I do not have, she told us that they needed to leave.”

“Not only did I talk to a Trump staffer, so did the University police, and we were told over the radio by the Sheriff’s office that Trump staff wanted them out.”

In a statement, campaign spokeswoman Hope Hicks continued to deny responsibility: “The campaign had no knowledge of the incident until after reading these false reports.”

Contact the author at brendan.oconnor@gawker.com.

Donald Trump amended his harsh immigration policy in real time during the GOP debate Thursday, telling Megyn Kelly he now believes it’s okay for immigrants to stay in the country—specifically, immigrants who attended an Ivy League university.

“I’m changing. I’m changing. We need highly-skilled people in this country, and if we can’t do it, we’ll get ‘em,” Trump said. “One of the biggest problems we have is people go to the best colleges—they’ll go to Harvard, they’ll go to Stanford, they’ll go to Wharton, as soon as they’re finished they get shoved out. They want to stay in this country. They want to stay here desperately. They’re not able to stay here. For that purpose, we absolutely have to be able to keep the brainpower in this country.”

“So you are abandoning the position on your website?” Kelly asked.

“I’m changing it and I’m softening the position, because we have to have talented people in this country,” Trump said.

“Which will have some asking whether on your immigration policies, you are really just playing to people’s fantasies, which is a tactic you praised in The Art of the Deal,” Kelly pointed out.

“I’m not playing to anybody’s fantasies,” Trump said in reply—which isn’t exactly true.

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Contact the author at gabrielle@gawker.com.

If there is one thing that really gets under Donald Trump’s mealy skin, it’s when Marco Rubio—anyone really, but especially Marco Rubio—brings up the failed and allegedly fraudulent “Trump University.”

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Right now, Trump is facing two multimillion dollar lawsuits stemming from what New York state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman described as Trump’s real estate “bait and switch” beginning with a free, 90-minute seminar. As I wrote for The Awl today:

The ninety-minute seminar, it turned out, was actually just an upsell for another seminar, this one three days long, which cost $1,495, and which would supposedly constitute “the last real estate education you will ever need for the rest of your life.” That is excepting, of course, the three “Trump Elite Packages” that followed: the $9,995 Bronze Elite program; the $19,495 Silver Elite program; and the $34,995 Gold Elite program. If prospective students expressed concern about being able to afford the more expensive programs, the attorney general alleges, they were encouraged to call their banks to request an increase of their credit cards’ borrowing limits. Instructors, some of whom were presented as “Donald Trump’s personal real estate coaches,” frequently insinuated that Trump himself was likely to make an appearance during the three-day seminar. Instead, students got the chance to take a photograph with a life-size cutout photo of the billionaire developer. Students were also told that the “university” was a philanthropic endeavor, but according to the AG, Trump made about $5 million from Trump University.

During Thursday’s debate, Trump tried to invoke the approval of the Better Business Bureau, which at one point did give Trump University an A rating, before downgrading it to a D-minus. That was the last publicly available grade for the operation, which in 2010 changed its name to the Trump Entrepreneur Initiative. There is no publicly available rating for the Trump Entrepreneur Initiative.

Trump also tried to invoke the ninety-eight percent approval rating from students, but that number comes from a survey administered by none other than Trump University itself. Megyn Kelly swiftly quashes that line of argument with a line from an appeals court decision comparing students of Trump University to victims of Bernie Madoff’s Ponzi scheme: “Victims of con artists often sing the praises of their victimizers until the moment they realize they’ve been fleeced.”

Contact the author at brendan.oconnor@gawker.com.

Mitt Romney’s former aide just accused Donald Trump of openly pandering to “rightwing crazies” during the 2012 election, implying he might have a tape recording of Trump suggesting it as a campaign tactic.

Garrett Jackson, who previously acted as Romney’s body man and best friend forever and ever (the Times once described them as being “stuck together like the peanut butter and honey sandwiches they both love”), tweeted the accusation Thursday evening.

Trump, who has overcome his myriad of inconsistencies this primary so far by denying saying all of the things he’s said, has been having some trouble with the technique of late. This week, BuzzFeed accused Trump of indicating his immigration views were less extreme than his rhetoric suggests during an off-the-record discussion with the New York Times editorial board.

In fact, Trump—who has so far refused calls to authorize the Times to release the tape—actually changed his immigration policy in real time Thursday night during the GOP debate in Detroit.

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Trump’s new platform deems Ivy League-educated immigrants eligible for visas (but not Mexicans crossing the border.)

It has not been a good day for Donald Trump.

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Image via AP. Contact the author at gabrielle@gawker.com.

I feel ill.

Contact the author at gabrielle@gawker.com.

Asked in tonight’s debate to elaborate on his earlier declaration that the United States should murder the families of terrorists, Donald Trump pivoted to a discourse on the events of 9/11. As with most of Trump’s remarks about the events of 2001 and beyond, it was a collage of the unorthodox, the insane, and the awful but not untrue.

He began by talking about “when a family flies into the World Trade Center,” then amended that to talking about a man flying into the World Trade Center, a man whose “family gets sent back to where they were going.”

“By the way,” Trump said, “it wasn’t Iraq, but they went back to a certain territory, they knew what was happening. The wife knew exactly what was happening.”

By “certain territory,” Trump is referring to Saudi Arabia. The majority of the 9/11 hijackers were, in fact, Saudis, but they were not known to be married, and certainly not married to anyone who was living in the United States near the time of the attacks.

Trump continued: “They left two days early with respect to the World Trade Center, and they went back to where they went and they watched their husband on television flying into the World Trade Center, flying into the Pentagon, and probably trying to fly into the White House.”

Something weird happened to the plurals as Trump was talking—one family watched one husband flying planes at three separate targets? What started as a story about one hijacker mutated into a story about all of the hijackers at once, or perhaps a story about the people behind the hijackers. Somewhere in there appear to be the bones of the old false rumor that the extended bin Laden family was secretly evacuated from the United States immediately after the attacks, while airspace was closed to everyone else.

This is all crackpot conspiracy stuff. Except for the impolite truth that the 9/11 attacks were perpetrated by a Saudi mastermind using Saudi personnel, after which the United States opened multifront retaliatory war against anyone but Saudi Arabia.