03/26/25 - The News

Wednesday, March 26, 2025

Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett mocks Greg Abbott, who uses a wheelchair, as ‘Gov. Hot Wheels’

March 26, 2025 0

 

‘Gov. Hot Wheels’

Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett mocked her state’s governor during a weekend appearance, referring to Greg Abbott — who uses a wheelchair — as “Gov. Hot Wheels” while speaking at a banquet in Los Angeles.

“You all know we got Gov. Hot Wheels down there. Come on, now,” Crockett, a Dallas Democrat, said about Abbott, a Republican, while addressing the Human Rights Campaign event. “And the only thing hot about him is that he is a hot-ass mess, honey.”

Abbott was paralyzed in 1984 after a tree fell on him while he was running. The accident severely damaged Abbott’s spinal cord. Abbott, now 67, was elected in 2014.

Crockett, elected to the House in 2022, was roundly criticized by Republicans for the comments, an aside she made during her speech to the civil rights group event after she thanked Morgan Cox, a group board member and fellow Dallas resident, according to video of the event posted to Human Rights Campaign’s YouTube channel.

“Crockett’s comments are disgraceful,” Texas Sen. John Cornyn posted on the social media platform X. “Shameful.”

Crockett suggested Tuesday that she was not referring to Abbott’s condition. Instead, she posted on X that she was referring to Abbott’s policy of sending thousands of immigrants who were in Texas illegally to cities where local policy limits cooperation with federal immigration authorities, such as New York and Philadelphia.

“I was thinking about the planes, trains, and automobiles he used to transfer migrants into communities led by Black mayors, deliberately stoking tension and fear among the most vulnerable,” the post stated.

Abbott’s office did not immediately replied to requests for comment.

Crockett has faced criticism from Republicans for suggesting last week that tech billionaire Elon Musk, heading the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency, “be taken down.”

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Malcolm in the Middle's brother recast for revival

March 26, 2025 0

 Culture reporter

Getty Images Erik Per Sullivan (left) and Frankie Muniz pictured together in 2002 at the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards in Santa Monica, California
Getty Images
Erik Per Sullivan (left) played Frankie Muniz's on-screen brother for seven series from 2000 to 2006

Popular US sitcom Malcolm in the Middle is set to return for a four-episode special on Disney+ - but with one notable absentee.

Erik Per Sullivan, who played Malcolm's younger brother Dewey, will not return because he is no longer an actor.

The much-loved character will now be played by Fargo actor Caleb Ellsworth-Clark instead, according to US publication Variety.

Frankie Muniz will reprise the titular role, alongside his on-screen parents, Lois and Hal, played by Jane Kaczmarek and Breaking Bad star Bryan Cranston.

'Wasn't interested in acting'

Speaking to fan site Malcolm France about Sullivan last year, his former co-star and on-screen mum Kaczmarek confirmed he is "very, very well".

"He did Malcolm for seven years, he started at seven, he ended at 14," she said.

"He wasn't interested in acting, at all."

Kaczmarek added that Sullivan, now 33, had gone to "a very prestigious American university", studying Victorian literature including Charles Dickens.

"I admire it because so many people think being in show business is the greatest thing in the world. It's not for everyone."

Fox Malcolm in the Middle characters from left to right: Reese (Justin Berfield), Malcolm (Frankie Muniz), Dewey (Erik Per Sullivan), mum Lois (Jane Kaczmarek), dad Hal (Bryan Cranston) and Francis (Christopher Masterson)
Fox
Malcolm (second left) and his dysfunctional family won seven Emmy Awards

The Emmy Award-winning Fox TV show premiered in 2000 and ended in 2006, after seven seasons.

The single-camera comedy series followed the dysfunctional working-class family of child prodigy Malcolm, who was often seen making asides to the camera to comment on their failures.

The musically-gifted Dewey often fell victim to his brothers' pranks and developed a high tolerance for pain, often scheming to get one up on his brothers and parents.

Due to a misunderstanding at school, Dewey was placed in a class well below his intelligence and, as a result, served as its self-appointed teacher.

After the birth of their youngest brother Jamie, Dewey became the first to break the cycle of tormenting the baby of the family.

The sitcom, often listed as a modern classic of the genre, is set to begin production once more in Vancouver, Canada, in the coming weeks.

Malcolm now has a teenage daughter - portrayed by Keeley Karsten - and the synopsis for episode one says the pair will get "drawn into the family's chaos when Hal and Lois demand his presence for their 40th wedding anniversary party".

Christopher Masterson, who played Malcolm's oldest brother Francis, and Justin Berfield, who played Reese, will also both return for the reboot, according to Variety, while Kiana Madeira will join the show afresh as the eponymous star's girlfriend.

Also, Riverdale actor Anthony Timpano will play Jamie while Vaughan Murrae will feature as their youngest sibling, Kelly.

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