Since 9/11, Jon Stewart has made it a personal mission to help the first responders be adequately compensated for their sacrifice on that terrible day … and those terrible, toxic-filled weeks and months that followed. He advocated for it on The Daily Show when he was host, and since retiring from the series, he has continued to find platforms and ways to fight for these men and women to receive from our government the assistance and healthcare they don’t just deserve but have earned.
It’s obscene that it isn’t just a given that these heroes aren’t being taken care of, but thanks to our gross partisan politics, here we are. Almost a decade after the attacks on September 11, we established the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund which would cover illnesses related to the attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and Shanksville, PA. The fund initially set aside $7.4 billion, and first responders could apply for benefits from this pool of money.
Where the politics come in is that when the fund was established in 2010, Republicans balked at the price because enough time had passed between the shock of the tragedy and 2010 that instead of this being about taking care of American heroes, to some it became about New Yorkers wanting a handout and the Democrats, looking for a compromise, agreed to authorize the fund for only five years. As if illness has a timestamp. This set up a fight that happens every five years, in which the sick and dying first responders have to beg Congress, hat in hand, to take care of them.
As of today, of that $7.4 billion, $5 billion has been awarded to roughly 19,000 of some 40,000 claims that have been filed. Some 21,000 claims are pending. You do the math. Or allow the Justice Department to do it for you: In February, the Justice Department announced that the funds are being depleted and benefits will be cut by 70 percent. Worse, there is plenty of evidence that some first responders who may not be ill now, could still become ill down the road.
Hence, Jon Stewart’s rage and emotion.
Please watch the entire clip — you can give ten minutes of your time for these heroic men and women. And then reach out to your congressman or congresswoman and your senators to let them know that not taking care of these heroes is bullshit, unAmerican and shameful.
Meanwhile, on Fox News, Shep Smith continues to be the only voice of reason, urging viewers to read the damn Mueller Report for their damn selves.
Sounds like there might be some sort of “U.S.S. Callister” project in the works from the Black Mirror folks. Not that they can confirm it.
This is kind of amazing: Sophie Turner’s parents didn’t even know she had auditioned for Game of Thrones until she was one of the final seven actresses in contention for Sansa. Meanwhile, Richard Madden is happy he was killed off in season three because it wasn’t a huge betrayal to the character and the story and fans don’t have a lingering bad taste in their mouth about his character’s fate.
Following the success of Chernobyl, people are flocking to Pripyat and the Zone of Exclusion to take Instagram selfies, including one dumbass who apparently posed in her underwear because we are a shit species.
Oh, Swamp Thing … what could have been …
A reminder that Meghan McCain is the fucking worst.
Hulu and FX are teaming up to take over the rights to Lionsgate films. Disney is devouring everything in its path.
MSNBC and The New York Times have been talking about having Times reporters on their opinion shows, but it doesn’t look like The Times is budging on this one.
Lee Daniels opened up about the Jussie Smollett situation, saying that he is “beyond embarrassed,” for rushing to defend him, but explained that he still has some doubt that the actor would stage the attack.
I reject any Top 10 General Hospital character list that does not include Tracy or Carly. REJECT. Frisco my ass.
Linda Fairstein continues to have a shitty week. Hey, Linda? Can I make a recommendation? Maybe consider hiring a crisis P.R. expert and shut the fuck up.
Sex Monster News
Ho boy, the Max Landis (writer, director, son of John) accusations are firing up again. A recent ex-girlfriend posted a statement accusing him of some sort of abuse and gaslighting and other women are responding on Twitter. How does this guy continue having a career in Hollywood when it’s such an open secret that he’s a shitbag?
Cuba Gooding Jr. has been accused of groping a woman at a bar in New York. Just keep your hands to yourselves, guys. It’s not that hard.
Georgia isn’t the only state imposing draconian abortion laws while also wanting some of that sweet sweet Hollywood money. Louisiana productions are considering what to do if their own abortion ban goes into effect, including NCIS: New Orleans and Filthy Rich.
Meanwhile, Ariana Grande is donating the proceeds from her Atlanta concert to Planned Parenthood. Yes, queen.
Roman Polanski is still expelled from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and he is SO MAD.
Hannah Gadsby has some nuanced thoughts about Louis C.K. On the one hand, she calls him a joke for believing that somehow he’s the victim and thinks that he needed to spend some more time being quiet and listening, but on the other, she doesn’t believe in censorship and recognizes the complicated relationship between art and the artist:
“Censorship is useless because it leaves a gap where we learned a lesson,” Gadsby said. “Let’s say Picasso. I’m not a fan. But I am a fan. I’m not a fan of the gap that was left in his story, that he was a toxic, hostile individual and that his behavior was enabled by the community around him. But if you were to wipe him from our collective memory, we not only lose what he did well, we lose what he did badly. And we can learn from both.”
I love Hannah Gadsby and you should go watch Nanette on Netflix if you haven’t already.
Renewals
- Russian Doll has been renewed for a second season. HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABEEEEE TO ME.
- Dogs has been renewed for a second season on Netflix.
In Development
- An adaptation of Agatha Christie’s The Pale Horse is being developed by BBC One and Amazon (among others).
- American Runestone, a documentary series about the Vikings exploration of North America, is going to star and be directed by Peter Stormare. It doesn’t have an American home yet, but I could see this either going to History or some streaming service.
Casting News
- Jude Law is going to star in The Third Day on HBO.
- Michael Rooker is going to co-star in The Dark Tower at Amazon.
- Julissa Bermudez, Becky Ann Baker, Josh Mostel, Miles G. Jackson, and Jonno Davies are joining the cast of The Hunt on Amazon.
- Collin Chou will join The Half of It on Netflix.
WATCH THIS
The Real Housewives of New York: Bethanny has a panic attack, but what else is new. 8 p.m., Bravo
Oprah Winfrey Presents When They See Us Now: Oprah interviews the Central Park Five in the wake of the Netflix miniseries. 9 p.m., OWN and Netflix
Queen Sugar: Season premiere. 8 p.m., OWN
First Responders Live: A new documentary series that follows firefighters, police officers, and first responders. Series premiere. 8 p.m., Fox
Card Sharks: Joel McHale hosts the revival of the 80s game show. Series premiere. 8 p.m., ABC
Match Game: Jason Alexander, Sheryl Underwood, Gabriel Iglesias, Constance Zimmer, Michael Che, and Bridget Everet are the panelists of the premiere episode. Season premiere. 9 p.m., ABC
Krypton: Seg-El’s is stranded far from home in the season premiere. 9 p.m., Syfy
Late Night:
- Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon: Chris Hemsworth, the Jonas Brothers
- Late Night with Seth Meyers: Andy Cohen, Ocean Vuong
- The Late Show with Stephen Colbert: Beto O’Rourke, Billy Porter
- The Late Late Show with James Corden: Tiffany Haddish, Don Cheadle, Keane
- The Daily Show: Tessa Thompson
- Conan: Louie Anderson, Matt Braunger
- Watch What Happens Live: Dorinda Medley, Sonja Morgan
| WEDS. | 7:00 | 7:30 | 8:00 | 8:30 | 9:00 | 9:30 |
| ABC | Press Your Luck (new) |
Card Sharks (new) |
Match Game (new) |
| CBS | The Amazing Race (new) |
NCIS: The Cases We Couldn’t Forget (new) |
S.W.A.T. (repeat) |
| CW | Penn & Teller: Fool Us (repeat) |
Jane the Virgin (new) |
Local |
| FOX | Masterchef (new) |
First Responders Live (new) |
News/Local |
| NBC | Stanley Cup Playoff (live) |