Open Thread - Dudes With Boomerangs

During the seven years I spent portraying President Josiah “Jed” Bartlet on The West Wing, I developed deep respect for the presidency and the monumental challenges its real-life officeholders confront every day. Recent news about President Biden’s exercise of his clemency power has drawn my memory to one of the most difficult “decisions” I made as President Bartlet—one that has stayed in my mind over the ensuing years—to deny clemency to a federal prisoner and allow his execution to proceed. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] Both my fictional White House staff and the viewing public recognized at the time that this was not President Bartlet’s finest hour.

I’m listening intently as Rose Matafeo asks our server at London’s Soho Hotel for her recommendations on red wine, discussing which of the options are light and which are more full-bodied. Is Matafeo a wine connoisseur in the making? “God, no. I think you just have to be confident,” she says once she’s made her decision.

While Christmastime celebrations may seem to offer temporary respite from the divisive politics that have roiled American life for the past decades, Christmas traditions have long been political fodder. Indeed, “Lost Cause” accounts of enslaved Christmas experiences still have political consequences today—including for the MAGA movement and Donald Trump’s presidency. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] The “Lost Cause” was a political project waged by white Southerners after the Civil War to venerate Confederate generals and the bravery of Confederate soldiers, while downplaying their treasonous effort to preserve and expand slavery in America by destroying the Union.

Over the last five years, Larimer County in northern Colorado has seen what appears to be a steady, sustained drop in its suicide rate — a potentially significant breakthrough in a state that consistently ranks in the top 10 nationally for its high rate. How the county got there was a decade-long affair in which local officials, nonprofits, private businesses and law enforcement rallied around suicide prevention, Larimer County advocates said.

Warning: This story contains spoilers for Virgin River season 6 In its sixth season, Virgin River built up to a moment that fans have been waiting for since the series began in 2019: Mel (Alexandra Breckenridge) and Jack (Martin Henderson) finally tied the knot in the tenth episode. Their storybook wedding went off with very little drama, aside from Mel’s father Everett (John Allen Nelson) missing the ceremony because he was in the hospital.

Perhaps even more than usual, many of the biggest movies of the next year will be remakes, reboots, sequels, and adaptations. But as in any year, there’s a wealth of promising new projects, from the indies to the IP fare and potential blockbusters. Here are the most anticipated movies coming up in 2025. Back in Action (Jan.