Tuesday, December 09, 2025 |
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Texas Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett announced yesterday that she's launching a campaign for the U.S. Senate. If she wins, she'll be the first Democrat to win statewide office there in more than 30 years. I spoke to Crockett just last month, for our Meaning of Life issue, and it was clear from our conversation why she's a rising star in her caucus. Since she arrived in the House in 2023, Crockett has been among the most strident critics of the Trump administration in the Congress. "Hey, listen, if they punch me, we punch back," she told me. And there was something I'll be thinking about as I follow her campaign: Her first electoral loss, she said, taught her how to win. Have a look below, and watch for more What I've Learned interviews from the issue. They're inspiring to read. —John Kenney, managing editor Plus: |
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The 44 year old Democrat has represented Texas's 30th Congressional District since 2023. |
During her time in the House, Jasmine Crockett has gained a reputation as one of the most fiercely outspoken critics of the Trump administration in Congress. In early December, she announced her campaign for the Senate, in a bid to become the first Democrat to win statewide office in Texas in more than three decades. This interview took place on October 16. "My parents were big on fighting for what you believe in." "My life would look a lot different if I wasn't in Congress. It'd be a lot calmer, a lot more lucrative, and probably a lot more fun." "I tend to be partial to my seniors and kiddos. I don't have kids of my own, so I'm not tapped in that way—but I do this because of them. And the seniors, so many of them marched, were subjected to water hoses and batons. They fought believing that there could be a me, that there should be a me. And that's a privilege." |
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Suffice to say, Paramount-Skydance CEO David Ellison was not pleased that Warner Bros. defected from their negotiations to strike a deal with Netflix instead. In his effort to continue talks, Ellison announced a new offer yesterday that he took directly to the company's shareholders that dwarfs Netflix's deal by about $20 million. Paramount's offer is also for the whole company—including Discovery and the linear cable channels—not just Warner Bros.Still, many industry skeptics are not sure that Paramount has the roughly $108 billion cash offer put together just yet. As Variety reports, Ellison has $40 billion in capital from his father, Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison. His family wealth and ties to the Trump administration were both key components in his pricey yet swift merger of Paramount and Skydance earlier this year. The rest? Well, Ellison reportedly acquired funding from various Middle Eastern partners. According to an SEC filing, he has agreements from the sovereign wealth funds of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Abu Dhabi as well as an investment company created by Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner. While some critics believe that Paramount's relationship to the White House may help the deal pass antitrust regulators, I can't say that the deal is any better for Hollywood. |
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More than two decades after his record-breaking debut album, Get Rich or Die Tryin', Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson is something of a hip-hop elder statesman—and as relevant as ever. He's made headlines by savagely roasting Diddy on social media—and got a shout-out on Taylor Swift's most recent record. He was interviewed for Esquire on October 16. "Your mother or your grandmother nurtured you before you knew how to sin. They see all good in you because they saw you when there was no bad. And later, when you get in trouble and you're in prison, she'll say, Look what they did to my baby." "Quincy Jones would go, Get me that guy from Chicago, that bass player. That boy was bad. And get me the piano player from when we was in that other town. He would bring the right people together. It was that experience that made hit music." "We evolve. If you stay the same, then you just falling behind." |
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