The News: March 2025

Tuesday, March 4, 2025

Democratic Rep. Al Green removed after disrupting Trump's speech

Movies Club March 04, 2025 0

March 5, 2025, 7:37 AM GMT+5 / Updated March 5, 2025, 8:00 AM GMT+5

By Henry J. Gomez, Frank Thorp V and Scott Wong

Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, was removed from the House chamber Tuesday night after he disrupted President Donald Trump's joint address to Congress.

Green, who has long pushed to impeach Trump dating to his previous term in office, stood and shook his cane toward the president in the opening minutes of his speech.

Other lawmakers cheered and booed Green, causing further chaos on the House floor as Trump paused. The uproar prompted House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., to read aloud from House rules.

“Members are directed to uphold and maintain decorum in the House and to cease any further disruptions,” Johnson said, an admonishment aimed at Green.

After Green refused to sit and allow Trump to continue, Johnson called for the House sergeant at arms to remove him from the chamber.

“Nah nah nah nah, goodbye,” Republicans chanted as Green was escorted from the room.

Outside the chamber, Green told NBC News that as "a person of conscience," he believes Trump "has done things that I think we cannot allow to continue."

"This whole budget that he has is one that is going to cause Medicaid to be cut, and when he said he had a mandate, it triggered something. It really did. Because he doesn’t have a mandate, and he doesn’t have a mandate to cut health care from poor people," Green said.

The chamber was filled with other signs of protest and pushback.

Recommendedut of the chamber during Trump's joint address to Congress.Members of the Democratic Women’s Caucus wore pink to protest Trump’s policies on women and families. Other Democrats wore blue and yellow ties in support of Ukraine, days after Trump and Vice President JD Vance tangled with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in an unexpectedly hostile Oval Office meeting.

Also visible on some Democratic members: stickers accusing Elon Musk of “stealing Social Security.” Musk, a billionaire whose government efficiency initiative is scrutinizing Social Security finances, has called the program a “Ponzi scheme.”

Some Democrats also held black paddles that read “SAVE MEDICAID,” “PROTECT VETERANS” and “MUSK STEALS.” Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., held a white board that read “THAT’S A LIE.”

0 seconds of 6 minutes, 47 secondsVolume 90%

Trump highlights accomplishments, mocks Democrats in address to Congress

06:48

A group of House Democrats also took off their jackets and revealed black shirts with writing on the back. Reps. Jasmine Crockett of Texas and Andrea Salinas of Oregon had shirts reading "Resist," and Rep. Maxwell Frost of Florida had one saying, "No more kings."

Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove, D-Calif., posted on X that she walked out of the speech because she found the president's remarks "shameful."

"There’s only so much bulls--- a person can tolerate," she wrote.

House Democratic leaders had urged members during a closed-door party meeting earlier Tuesday to show proper decorum ahead of Trump’s joint address, according to three House Democrats who attended the meeting.

Minority Whip Katherine Clark, D-Mass., specifically asked members not to use “props” to protest the speech, while House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., encouraged members to stay on message and keep the spotlight focused on the people affected by Trump’s policies — not make the story about themselves

Kieran Culkin wins best supporting actor at the Oscars, completing his sweep

Movies Club March 04, 2025 0

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Kieran Culkin won the Oscar for best supporting actor Sunday at the 97th Academy Awards, completing a sweep of the category that followed his dominance in television awards last season.

The award, for portraying the chaotic but endearing Benji in Jesse Eisenberg’s “A Real Pain,” marked his first win and nomination.

Culkin thanked his manager, his mom, Eisenberg and his wife, Jazz Charton — taking the moment to remind his wife that he wants more kids.

“About a year ago, I was on a stage like this, and I very stupidly, publicly, said that I want a third kid from her because she said if I won the award, I would, she would give me the kid,” he said, recalling his speech at the Emmys last January. After the show, “She goes, ‘Oh, God, I did say that. I guess I owe you a third kid.’ And I turned to her and I said, ‘Really? I want four“She said, ‘I will give you four when you win an Oscar,’” Culkin, who has two kids with Charton, said to a chorus of laughs from the audience. “Jazz, love of my life, ye of little faith. No pressure. I love you.”

Culkin triumphed over nominees Guy Pearce for “The Brutalist,” Edward Norton for “A Complete Unknown,” Yura Borisov for “Anora” and his fellow “Succession” alum Jeremy Strong for “The Apprentice.” The category was one of few with a clear favorite ahead of this year’s ceremony, after Culkin picked up the Golden Globe, BAFTA, Independent Spirit Award, SAG Award and a slew of critics awards earlier this month.Written and directed by Eisenberg, “A Real Pain” follows cousins — played by Culkin and Eisenberg — on a trip through Poland for a Holocaust tour to honor their late grandmother. Culkin’s Benji is introduced as unfiltered but quick to connect. Eisenberg’s David is his rule-following, guarded foil. Oscillating between serious reflections on Jewish identity, generational trauma and mourning and the inherent comedy of mismatched relatives, Eisenberg’s script deftly navigates heavy themes with humor that lands because of Culkin’s ability to deliver it earnestly.

“Jesse Eisenberg, thank you for this movie. You’re a genius,” Culkin said on stage. “I would never say that to your face. I’m never saying it again. So soak it up.”

Kieran Culkin accepts the award for best performance by an actor in a supporting role for "A Real Pain" during the Oscars on Sunday, March 2, 2025, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. Robert Downey Jr. looks on from right.(AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

49ers given a better grade than Washington after trading their former All-Pro wideout

Movies Club March 03, 2025 0

NBA OFFICIAL HIGHLIGHTS

Kyle Posey is the Senior Producer at Niners Nation and has covered the 49ers since 2019. Kyle was an FCS wide receiver in college and has coached high school football for 8+ years. He's written for several sites and appeared on numerous podcasts. His extensive football history, paired with an accounting background, helps Kyle take an analytical and statistical approach to breaking down and covering the Niners.

You never know a player's worth until the terms of a trade are agreed upon. When the San Francisco 49ers traded wide receiver Deebo Samuel to the Washington Commanders and received only a fifth-round pick in return, the initial reaction was that the Niners had been fleeced.

However, after it was announced that Washington would pay Deebo’s $17.55 million salary, the trade made sense for both teams. At the NFL Combine, 49ers general manager John Lynch discussed the need to get younger, which is another way of saying the team needs to get cheaper.

Mission accomplished if you’re the Niners, who had invested a first-round pick in a wide receiver in the 2024 NFL Draft. It would’ve taken a 2021-like season from Samuel for him to warrant sticking around for another season. Salary, age, not having played an entire season in his career, and the plausible reality that Deebo’s best days are behind him were critical factors in Samuel getting dealt to Washington.

ESPN’s Seth Walder is grading every trade in the NFL this offseason. He gave San Francisco’s trade a B+:

49ers grade: B+
Samuel is a unique player. At his peak, his after-the-catch skills were unparalleled. Over the past four seasons, Samuel has posted a league-high 87 YAC score — 21 points higher than every other receiver in ESPN’s receiver scores (Ja’Marr Chase is next best at 66). His exceptional yards-after-catch skills have masked his subpar abilities in other traditional receiver facets. (His open and catch scores have been below average in each of the past four seasons and declined in that span.)
Samuel’s production has declined in recent years. And after posting an absurd 1,405 receiving yards on 3.1 yards per route run (along with 365 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns) in 2021, he hasn’t approached those numbers. He’s coming off a poor 2024 in which he recorded only 670 receiving yards on 1.8 yards per route run. It’s not unreasonable to wonder if we will see Samuel, 29, come close to his peak again.
On the other hand, if the Commanders enter the season with Samuel as their No. 2 wide receiver, that will be a weakness — and I will think less of this deal.
From San Francisco’s perspective, the team has invested heavily in Brandon Aiyuk and Ricky Pearsall (and maybe could spend more on Jauan Jennings). The 49ers got a nice return for Samuel, whom — absent a trade partner — they might have released.

There are too many teams who benefited from the recent spike in the salary cap that would leave you to believe Samuel was ever getting released. The night before the trade, the Washington Commanders and Houston Texans emerged as serious suitors. The rumor mill would’ve grown stronger the closer we got to the NFL Draft.

The pick the 49ers received in their trade not only gives them a fifth-rounder — they had initially forfeited their 5th-round pick in 2025 — it’s ninth overall in that round. That’s more ammo to either hit on another prospect or package that pick to move up a few spots in the draft if a player falls into their range in one of the early rounds.

There are salary ramifications that we’ll go over later today. Offloading Deebo’s contract in the short term will be worth the long-term dead money. We can debate whether the 49ers waited a year or two too late to move on from Samuel, but they’re one year removed from a Super Bowl. Brandon Aiyuk, Pearsall, and Jauan Jennings hardly put the 49ers wide receiver group behind the 8-ball.

If the 49ers can replace Samuel’s production in the offense at a fraction of the cost moving forward, a B+ is warranted.