vox--2020-08-29--House Democrats launched contempt of Congress proceedings against Mike Pompeo

House Democrats have had enough with another member of President Donald Trump ’ s administration flouting oversight requests : On Friday , they launched contempt of Congress proceedings against Secretary of State Mike Pompeo .
House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Eliot Engel ( D-NY ) cited Pompeo ’ s noncooperation with President Donald Trump ’ s impeachment inquiry , his speech this week at the Republican National Convention , and his promotion of “ a Senate Republican-led smear against the president ’ s political rivals , ” which represented an “ alarming ” disregard for laws over his own conduct @ @ @ @ @ @ @ step in a process that could ultimately conclude with the House voting to hold Pompeo in contempt of Congress .
While that is serious , it essentially boils down to another , more strongly worded request , and would take future court action to get the executive branch to comply .
House Democrats have already voted to hold other administration officials in contempt in the past over the census citizenship question .
The final straw with Pompeo seemed to be a fight over impeachment-related documents given to two Senate committees .
Last month @ @ @ @ @ @ @ related to the Bidens and Ukrainian energy company Burisma Holdings that the State Department already provided to the Republican-controlled committees on finance and on homeland security , in addition to related communications .
The deadline for the request was August 7 , which the department missed .
“ The Secretary ’ s ongoing defiance of two duly authorized subpoenas on matters directly linked to American foreign policy toward Ukraine has left the Committee no further option but to begin drafting a resolution finding Secretary Pompeo in contempt of Congress , ” according to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who has continued to investigate the State Department after losing his primary to challenger Jamaal Bowman in June .
A State Department spokesperson told CNN Friday that the documents sought by the House were already given to ranking Senate Democrats , calling Engel ’ s statement “ political theatrics.
” “ The House Foreign Affairs Committee is seeking documents which the State Department has already produced to Senate Democrats .
We have previously offered to provide copies of these documents to Chairman Engel , with the only condition being that he send a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is investigating that requires these documents .
Once this letter is received , the Department will produce the documents .
This press release is political theatrics and is an unfortunate waste of taxpayer resources , ” the spokesperson told CNN .
At issue seems to be the phrasing — or intent — of the request .
In a letter to Engel earlier this week , the State Department ’ s Ryan Kaldahl , the acting assistant secretary for legislative affairs , said Senate Republicans ’ request for documents included a “ clear statement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ better understand what actions , if any , the Obama administration took to ensure that policy decisions relating to Ukraine and [ Ukrainian energy company ] Burisma were not improperly influenced by the employment and financial interests ” of Joe Biden ’ s family members .
Or , as Engel responded Friday : “ Pompeo will give the committee what we were seeking if we join a smear of the president ’ s political rival.
” House Democrats have pursued contempt charges against Trump administration officials before This is not the first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ against administration officials for refusing to comply with subpoena requests .
In July 2019 , the full House of Representatives voted 230-198 to hold Attorney General William Barr and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross in criminal contempt from the House Oversight Committee for failing to respond to a subpoena over the census citizenship question .
In the census question case , House Democrats were seeking to learn the reasoning behind the question ’ s inclusion .
In return , the administration claimed sweeping executive privilege to refuse records requests .
A Supreme Court ruling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ did not appear on the census , but House investigators have continued to be frustrated with the administration ’ s refusal to cooperate since Democrats took over the chamber in the 2018 mid-terms .
While the House passed the criminal referral in 2019 , it actually amounted to another , albeit more forceful , request for records .
As Vox ’ s Ella Nilsen explained , “ actually getting the executive branch to comply can be difficult , precisely because the executive branch is the one with the power to prosecute the individual @ @ @ @ @ @ @ subpoena request ” : In Barr and Ross ’ s case , it was still up to the executive branch whether to comply .
The same will also be true for Pompeo and the State Department .
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House Democrats have had enough with another member of President Donald Trump’s administration flouting oversight requests: On Friday, they launched contempt of Congress proceedings against Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Eliot Engel (D-NY) cited Pompeo’s noncooperation with Trump’s impeachment inquiry, his speech this week at the Republican National Convention, and his promotion of “a Senate Republican-led smear against the president’s political rivals,” which represented an “alarming” disregard for laws over his own conduct.
Drafting a resolution is the first step in a process that could ultimately conclude with the House voting to hold Pompeo in contempt of Congress. While that is serious, it essentially boils down to another, more strongly worded request, and would take future court action to get the executive branch to comply. House Democrats have already voted to hold other administration officials in contempt in the past over the census citizenship question.
The final straw with Pompeo seemed to be a fight over impeachment-related documents given to two Senate committees. Last month, Engel subpoenaed Pompeo for documents purportedly related to the Bidens and Ukrainian energy company Burisma Holdings that the State Department already provided to the Republican-controlled committees on finance and on homeland security, in addition to related communications. The deadline for the request was August 7, which the department missed.
“The Secretary’s ongoing defiance of two duly authorized subpoenas on matters directly linked to American foreign policy toward Ukraine has left the Committee no further option but to begin drafting a resolution finding Secretary Pompeo in contempt of Congress,” according to a statement released Friday by Engel, who has continued to investigate the State Department after losing his primary to challenger Jamaal Bowman in June.
A State Department spokesperson told CNN Friday that the documents sought by the House were already given to ranking Senate Democrats, calling Engel’s statement “political theatrics.”
“The House Foreign Affairs Committee is seeking documents which the State Department has already produced to Senate Democrats. We have previously offered to provide copies of these documents to Chairman Engel, with the only condition being that he send a letter explaining what foreign policy issue he is investigating that requires these documents. Once this letter is received, the Department will produce the documents. This press release is political theatrics and is an unfortunate waste of taxpayer resources,” the spokesperson told CNN.
At issue seems to be the phrasing — or intent — of the request. In a letter to Engel earlier this week, the State Department’s Ryan Kaldahl, the acting assistant secretary for legislative affairs, said Senate Republicans’ request for documents included a “clear statement of purpose.”
That purpose: to “better understand what actions, if any, the Obama administration took to ensure that policy decisions relating to Ukraine and [Ukrainian energy company] Burisma were not improperly influenced by the employment and financial interests” of Joe Biden’s family members. Or, as Engel responded Friday: “Pompeo will give the committee what we were seeking if we join a smear of the president’s political rival.”
House Democrats have pursued contempt charges against Trump administration officials before
This is not the first time House Democrats have launched contempt charges against administration officials for refusing to comply with subpoena requests. In July 2019, the full House of Representatives voted 230-198 to hold Attorney General William Barr and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross in criminal contempt from the House Oversight Committee for failing to respond to a subpoena over the census citizenship question.
In the census question case, House Democrats were seeking to learn the reasoning behind the question’s inclusion. In return, the administration claimed sweeping executive privilege to refuse records requests.
A Supreme Court ruling in June 2019 meant that the question did not appear on the census, but House investigators continue to be frustrated with the administration’s refusal to cooperate since Democrats took over the chamber in the 2018 midterms.
While the House passed the criminal referral in 2019, it actually amounted to another, albeit more forceful, request for records. As Vox’s Ella Nilsen explained, “actually getting the executive branch to comply can be difficult, precisely because the executive branch is the one with the power to prosecute the individual who isn’t complying with the subpoena request”:
A contempt vote is one way for Congress to get subpoenaed documents, by asking the US attorney for the District of Columbia or the Department of Justice to charge Barr with criminal contempt for not complying with a congressional subpoena. In theory, a charge of contempt could result in a fine or jail time for the attorney general (though in reality, that likely won’t happen).
In Barr and Ross’s case, it was still up to the executive branch whether to comply. The same will also be true for Pompeo and the State Department.


vox--2020-08-30--What we know about a deadly shooting in Portland, Oregon

A shooter killed one person in Portland , Oregon on Saturday night , according to a statement by the Portland Police Bureau .
Much is still unknown about the shooting , but the victim — a white man — appears to have had some connection to the far-right Patriot Prayer group ; according to Willamette Week reporter Aaron Mesh , the victim was wearing a hat and shirt with the group ’ s logo .
The shooting comes after supporters of President Donald Trump led a caravan of vehicles through the city Saturday and clashed with anti-police brutality protesters in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ journalist Cory Elia shows trucks flying Trump flags driving through people on a street and unleashing pepper spray as the vehicles forced their way through a crowd of protesters .
At least 10 arrests were made Saturday by Portland police on a variety of charges , including disorderly conduct and “ interfering with a peace officer , ” but none have been made in connection with the shooting .
The killing follows another instance of deadly street violence from just days ago : On Tuesday , a Trump supporter , 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the city of Kenosha , Wisconsin , and injured a third .
Kenosha has been the site of major protests since police shot Jacob Blake , a Black man , at least seven times in the back on Sunday , leaving him paralyzed below the waist .
Early Sunday , Trump issued a string of tweets and retweets , including one retweet and a tweet condemning Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler ’ s leadership of the city .
“ The National Guard is Ready , Willing and Able ” to deploy , Trump wrote @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Wheeler a “ fool.
” Trump has attempted to paint himself as the “ law and order ” candidate ahead of the general election in November , and all signs point to his campaign believing that more violence is good for the president ’ s reelection chances .
Specifically , senior adviser to the president Kellyanne Conway told Fox & Friends on Thursday that “ the more chaos and anarchy and vandalism and violence reigns , the better it is for the very clear choice on who ’ s best on public safety @ @ @ @ @ @ @ odd message given the violence is happening under the Trump administration , and Democratic nominee Joe Biden hasn ’ t held elected office since January 2017 .
Trump himself has argued that increasing unrest and recent violence is the result of Democratic leadership on the local level rather than the result of any of his policies or rhetoric .
Portland has been the site of continuous Black Lives Matter protests for approximately three months following the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis , Minnesota in May this year .
Federal agents were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ year , and armed far-right protesters have been a frequent presence as well .
The story is still developing .
Here ’ s what we know , and don ’ t know , so far .
What we know • The victim was shot in the chest at around 8:46 pm Pacific time , and died at the scene • The victim appears to have been a white man , and was reportedly wearing a shirt and hat with the logo of the far-right Patriot Prayer group • The shooting comes after Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and paintballs on protesters and journalists , and amid clashes between supporters of the president and protesters • Acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf told ABC Sunday morning that “ all options continue to be on the table ” in terms of federal action in Portland What we don ’ t know • The identity of the victim • The identity of the shooter .
Portland police say that “ no suspect information is being released at his time , ” and no arrests have been made • The weapon used by the shooter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to answer your most important questions and provide you , and our audience around the world , with information that has the power to save lives .
Our mission has never been more vital than it is in this moment : to empower you through understanding .
Vox ’ s work is reaching more people than ever , but our distinctive brand of explanatory journalism takes resources — particularly during a pandemic and an economic downturn .
Your financial contribution will not constitute a donation , but it will enable our staff to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and podcasts at the quality and volume that this moment requires .
Please consider making a contribution to Vox today .

A shooter killed one person in Portland, Oregon, on Saturday night, according to a statement by the Portland Police Bureau.
Details are still emerging, but the victim is believed to be Aaron Danielson, a supporter of the far-right Patriot Prayer group; according to Willamette Week reporter Aaron Mesh, the victim was wearing a hat and shirt with the group’s logo.
The shooting comes after supporters of President Donald Trump led a caravan of vehicles through the city Saturday and clashed with anti-police brutality protesters in Portland’s downtown; video from journalist Cory Elia shows trucks flying Trump flags driving through people on a street and unleashing pepper spray as the vehicles forced their way through a crowd of protesters.
At least 10 people were arrested Saturday by Portland police on a variety of charges, including disorderly conduct and “interfering with a peace officer,” but no arrests have been made in connection with the shooting.
The killing follows another instance of deadly street violence from just days ago: On Tuesday, a 17-year-old Trump supporter allegedly shot and killed two protesters in the city of Kenosha, Wisconsin, and injured a third. Kenosha has been the site of major protests since police shot Jacob Blake, a Black man, at least seven times in the back on Sunday, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down.
Early Sunday, Trump issued a string of tweets and retweets, including one retweet and a tweet condemning Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler’s leadership of the city. “The National Guard is Ready, Willing and Able” to deploy, Trump wrote in a quote tweet shortly after calling Wheeler a “fool.”
The National Guard is Ready, Willing and Able. All the Governor has to do is call! https://t.co/iRe5ExgRGO — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 30, 2020
Trump has attempted to paint himself as the “law and order” candidate ahead of the general election in November, and all signs point to his campaign believing that more violence is good for the president’s reelection chances.
Specifically, senior adviser to the president Kellyanne Conway told Fox & Friends on Thursday that “the more chaos and anarchy and vandalism and violence reigns, the better it is for the very clear choice on who’s best on public safety and law and order” — an odd message given the violence is happening under the Trump administration, and Democratic nominee Joe Biden hasn’t held elected office since January 2017. Trump himself has argued that increasing unrest and recent violence is the result of Democratic leadership at the local level rather than the result of any of his policies or rhetoric.
In a statement Sunday, Biden reacted to the shooting by saying he condemned the violence “unequivocally.”
“We must not become a country at war with ourselves,” Biden said. “But that is the America that President Trump wants us to be, the America he believes we are. As a country, we must condemn the incitement of hate and resentment that led to this deadly clash.”
Portland has been the site of continuous Black Lives Matter protests for approximately three months following the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in May. Federal agents were deployed to the city in July, and armed far-right protesters have been a frequent presence as well.
The story is still developing. Here’s what we know, and don’t know, so far.
What we know


vox--2020-08-30--Poll: Biden’s approval rating got a convention bounce. Trump’s didn’t.

The Republican National Convention may have ended with a literal bang — fireworks spelling out “ Trump 2020 ” — on Thursday last week , but according to a new post-convention ABC News-Ipsos poll , President Donald Trump isn ’ t getting much of a convention bounce — at least when it comes to his approval rating .
Historically , presidential candidates see notable , though frequently ephemeral , increases in their polling following their party ’ s conventions .
For instance , in 2016 , Gallup found Trump ’ s approval rating rose about 5 percentage points following the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the election .
However , this year , Ipsos pollsters found Trump ’ s overall approval rating to be essentially the same as it was ahead of the GOP ’ s convention , falling 1 percentage point from the previous week to 31 percent .
The poll , taken from August 28 to 29 , also found Americans were not won over by the convention ’ s message , with 59 percent of Americans disapproving of the content of the RNC ’ s four nights of programming , versus the 37 percent who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Americans reported that they watched , slightly less than the 50 percent who said they tuned in for the Democratic National Convention the week prior .
Throughout his presidency , Trump has not enjoyed particularly high favorability ratings ( although he has maintained strong Republican support ) .
His numbers , however , have been largely durable — and these most recent numbers , while a bit lower than the average tabulated by FiveThirtyEight , reflect that stability .
Setting aside Trump ’ s favorability rating — by no means a perfect cipher @ @ @ @ @ @ @ concern for the president is that his polling deficit against Democratic nominee Joe Biden has remained all but static in FiveThirtyEight ’ s national polling average in recent weeks .
From August 22 , the Saturday after the DNC , to August 29 , the Saturday after the RNC , Biden ’ s lead has barely changed , moving from from 8.8 percentage points to 8.6 percentage points .
Pollsters are still collecting data to determine whether the convention altered any voter preferences — but that gap is a reminder how beneficial a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ voters plan to cast their ballots for would be to his campaign .
As FiveThirtyEight ’ s Geoffrey Skelley pointed out as far back as early July this year , there are plenty of questions about whether the importance of the convention bounce is fading as the American electorate grows increasingly polarized .
This year ’ s virtual conventions — absent much of the usual pageantry seen in a normal presidential year — could also have dampened some of the factors behind past bounces .
But , with respect to approval , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t necessarily square with what the ABC News-Ipsos poll shows for Biden .
While Trump ’ s favorability is sliding , Biden ’ s has ticked steadily upward in August .
The former vice president now stands at 46 percent according to ABC News and Ipsos , with 40 percent disapproval .
Democratic vice presidential nominee Sen. Kamala Harris has fared ever better , vaulting from just 35 percent favorability when she was announced as Biden ’ s VP pick on August 11 to 43 percent in the most recent poll .
And @ @ @ @ @ @ @ increase in his favorability among Democrats , according to ABC ’ s Kendall Karson , Trump ’ s favorability with Republicans fell by 4 percentage points post-convention .
If a spree of Sunday-morning retweets are anything to go by , however , Trump is a believer in the bounce — and in the ABC/Ipsos results being an outlier .
The president boosted tweets and analysis from right-wing Twitter account @ PollWatch2020 more than twenty times , including polls from the Democracy Institute and the Trafalgar Group showing him winning nationally and in key @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of reason to be doubtful of those numbers , though : The Trafalgar Group gets a C- in FiveThirtyEight ’ s pollster ratings , and the Democracy Institute isn ’ t even listed .
Also of concern is the fact both groups ’ numbers fly in the face of just about everything else out there — in Michigan , for example , Biden ’ s average lead stands at 7.1 percentage points , and that includes the Trafalgar poll that shows Trump winning .
In fact , Trafalgar has the only FiveThirtyEight-recognized poll @ @ @ @ @ @ @ any margin in the state .
This isn ’ t the first time Trump has rejected reality as presented by reputable pollsters : In June , his campaign sent a cease and desist letter to CNN after the network published a poll showing Trump losing to Biden ; CNN brushed off the complaint as “ factually and legally baseless ” and “ yet another bad faith attempt by the campaign to threaten litigation to muzzle speech it does not want voters to read or hear.
” But trying to quash polls that don @ @ @ @ @ @ @ isn ’ t a great reelection strategy , especially when most of the polls are in consistent agreement .
In the key swing states of Arizona , Florida , Michigan , Pennsylvania , and Wisconsin , Biden still retains a lead , one mirrored in national polls .
Polls are , as Vox ’ s Li Zhou has noted , a portrait of a moment in time .
But with less than 70 days until the election , Trump has limited time to change public opinion if he wants to serve a second @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all Millions turn to Vox each month to understand what ’ s happening in the news , from the coronavirus crisis to a racial reckoning to what is , quite possibly , the most consequential presidential election of our lifetimes .
Our mission has never been more vital than it is in this moment : to empower you through understanding .
But our distinctive brand of explanatory journalism takes resources — particularly during a pandemic and an economic downturn .
Even when the economy and the news advertising market recovers , your support @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our resource-intensive work , and helping everyone make sense of an increasingly chaotic world .
Contribute today from as little as $ 3 .

The Republican National Convention may have ended with a literal bang — fireworks spelling out “Trump 2020” — on Thursday last week, but according to a new post-convention ABC News-Ipsos poll, President Donald Trump isn’t getting much of a convention bounce — at least when it comes to his approval rating.
Historically, presidential candidates see notable, though frequently ephemeral, increases in their polling following their party’s conventions. For instance, in 2016, Gallup found Trump’s approval rating rose about 5 percentage points following the GOP convention, before falling ahead of the election.
However, this year, Ipsos pollsters found Trump’s overall approval rating to be essentially the same as it was ahead of the GOP’s convention, falling 1 percentage point from the previous week to 31 percent.
The poll, taken from August 28 to 29, also found Americans were not won over by the convention’s message, with 59 percent of Americans disapproving of the content of the RNC’s four nights of programming, versus the 37 percent who approved. Overall, 48 percent of Americans reported that they watched, slightly less than the 50 percent who said they tuned in for the Democratic National Convention the week prior.
How do you get under water approval ratings for your convention? pic.twitter.com/I2gbgEfSyP — Sawyer Hackett (@SawyerHackett) August 30, 2020
Throughout his presidency, Trump has not enjoyed particularly high favorability ratings (although he has maintained strong Republican support). His numbers, however, have been largely durable — and these most recent numbers, while a bit lower than the average tabulated by FiveThirtyEight, reflect that stability. Setting aside Trump’s favorability rating — by no means a perfect cipher for actual support — of perhaps greater concern for the president is that his polling deficit against Democratic nominee Joe Biden has remained all but static in FiveThirtyEight’s national polling average in recent weeks.
From August 22, the Saturday after the DNC, to August 29, the Saturday after the RNC, Biden’s lead has barely changed, moving from from 8.8 percentage points to 8.6 percentage points. Pollsters are still collecting data to determine whether the convention altered any voter preferences — but that gap is a reminder how beneficial a post-convention polling bounce with respect to who voters plan to cast their ballots for would be to his campaign.
Can a virtual convention still provide a bounce?
As FiveThirtyEight’s Geoffrey Skelley pointed out as far back as early July this year, there are plenty of questions about whether the importance of the convention bounce is fading as the American electorate grows increasingly polarized. This year’s virtual conventions — absent much of the usual pageantry seen in a normal presidential year — could also have dampened some of the factors behind past bounces.
But, with respect to approval, the “no bounce” theory doesn’t necessarily square with what the ABC News-Ipsos poll shows for Biden. While Trump’s favorability is sliding, Biden’s has ticked steadily upward in August. The former vice president now stands at 46 percent according to ABC News and Ipsos, with 40 percent disapproval.
Democratic vice presidential nominee Sen. Kamala Harris has fared ever better, vaulting from just 35 percent favorability when she was announced as Biden’s VP pick on August 11 to 43 percent in the most recent poll.
And while Biden banked a 7 percentage point increase in his favorability among Democrats, according to ABC’s Kendall Karson, Trump’s favorability with Republicans fell by 4 percentage points post-convention.
Trump’s alternate-reality bounce
If a spree of Sunday-morning retweets are anything to go by, however, Trump is a believer in the bounce — and in the ABC/Ipsos results being an outlier. The president boosted tweets and analysis from right-wing Twitter account @PollWatch2020 more than twenty times, including polls from the Democracy Institute and the Trafalgar Group showing him winning nationally and in key swing states.
There’s plenty of reason to be doubtful of those numbers, though: The Trafalgar Group gets a C- in FiveThirtyEight’s pollster ratings, and the Democracy Institute isn’t even listed.
Also of concern is the fact both groups’ numbers fly in the face of just about everything else out there — in Michigan, for example, Biden’s average lead stands at 7.1 percentage points, and that includes the Trafalgar poll that shows Trump winning. In fact, Trafalgar has the only FiveThirtyEight-recognized poll this month to show Trump winning by any margin in the state.
This isn’t the first time Trump has rejected reality as presented by reputable pollsters: In June, his campaign sent a cease and desist letter to CNN after the network published a poll showing Trump losing to Biden; CNN brushed off the complaint as “factually and legally baseless” and “yet another bad faith attempt by the campaign to threaten litigation to muzzle speech it does not want voters to read or hear.”
But trying to quash polls that don’t look good for your campaign isn’t a great reelection strategy, especially when most of the polls are in consistent agreement. In the key swing states of Arizona, Florida, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, Biden still retains a lead, one mirrored in national polls.
Polls are, as Vox’s Li Zhou has noted, a portrait of a moment in time. But with less than 70 days until the election, Trump has limited time to change public opinion if he wants to serve a second term.


vox--2020-08-30--Trump responds to a deadly shooting in Portland by blaming Democrats — and calling for the National

Trump responds to a deadly shooting in Portland by blaming Democrats — and calling for the National Guard

One person was killed in Portland , Oregon , on Saturday after supporters of President Donald Trump led a caravan into the city — and instead of trying to deescalate tensions , Trump spent Sunday on Twitter threatening to send in the National Guard .
Among a slew of other missives , the president retweeted a message calling for Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler to resign , and tiptoed right up to the edge of endorsing violence , saying a video showing his supporters unleashing paintballs and pepper spray on Portland residents — and at least one journalist — reflected that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ...
The people of Portland won ’ t put up with no safety any longer.
” Notably absent from his tweets : Any kind of condemnation of violence on the part of his supporters , who he referred to as “ GREAT PATRIOTS , ” and any call for peace or deescalation .
The tweets — Trump ’ s initial response to news of the shooting ahead of a visit to his golf course in Virginia — reflect an extraordinary abdication of responsibility on the part of the president after the second spate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ less than a week .
In a number of his tweets and retweets Sunday , Trump dismissed arguments that he is responsible for ending violence at protests , claiming instead that deadly incidents are the fault of Democratic mayors and governors .
For example , the president amplified a tweet accusing Democrats of “ being slow and hesitant to condemn violence and disorder , ” and also one that accused Wheeler and the Portland police of having “ blood on their hands.
” “ Disgraceful Anarchists , ” he wrote in reply to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We are watching them closely , but stupidly protected by the Radical Left Dems !
” And it is a message that has been articulated by a number of Trump surrogates in recent days .
Blaming Democrats for violence and unrest was a recurring theme at the Republican National Convention last week , and again on Meet the Press Sunday morning , where White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows claimed that while Trump “ does govern and lead the entire country ... it ’ s not Donald Trump that is saying , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ way.
’ It ’ s the mayor of Portland.
” Meadows ’ s claim about Wheeler isn ’ t accurate .
In a letter to Trump Friday , the Portland mayor condemned violence in no uncertain terms , writing that “ there is no place for looting , arson , or vandalism in our city .
There is no room here for racist violence or those who wish to bring their ideology of hate into our community.
” And at a press conference Sunday , Wheeler called the president ’ s tweets “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he said , “ It ’ s you who have created the hate and the division ... you want me to stop the violence that you helped create .
What America needs is for you to be stopped.
” Following Wheeler ’ s address , Trump tweeted what appeared to be a response , calling Wheeler the “ wacky Radical Left Do Nothing Democrat Mayor of Portland , ” and writing that when it comes to a federal response in Portland , the mayor “ hasn ’ t seen anything yet.
” With @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rhetoric from the president has become commonplace ; in fact , Trump and his allies appear poised to make ongoing protests — and rising violence — a central focus of his reelection campaign .
Though shocking by any measure , Trump ’ s response Sunday isn ’ t that surprising .
The president and his supporters have been forthright about their view on violence in the streets , with some , like senior adviser to the president Kellyanne Conway , openly stating they believe the violence helps them politically — and that they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ down .
Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson made as much clear on CNN ’ s State of the Union Sunday in an interview with Dana Bash .
Johnson , a staunch Trump supporter , not only refused to condemn Trump ’ s “ agitating ” in Portland , but also refused to condemn the actions of Kyle Rittenhouse , the 17-year-old Trump supporter who shot and killed two protesters in Kenosha , Wisconsin , on Tuesday .
“ I ’ m not for vigilantism , ” Johnson said .
“ I ’ m not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ... people took matters into their own hands.
” Even before Kenosha and Portland , the GOP and Trump have worked to advance a narrative that violence against protesters is , at worst , self-defense .
For example , the Republican National Convention last week featured — and valorized — Mark and Patricia McCloskey , a pair of St. Louis lawyers who are both facing felony charges after they menaced Black Lives Matter protesters passing in front of their house with guns .
A law and order message doesn ’ t work when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ because Trump and his team believe that chaos and violence in the streets of major US cities is good for them doesn ’ t mean it ’ s true .
In fact , polling suggests it could be just the opposite .
Ahead of the recent rash of protests — as well as the shooting of Jacob Blake by a police officer in Kenosha , Wisconsin , that set them off — a Yahoo !
/YouGov poll found that 48 percent of Americans view Trump as “ the source of the chaos , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ believe he can , or will , protect them from the chaos .
Even among Republicans , Trump ’ s numbers don ’ t look great — just 51 percent believe Trump will protect them from the chaos .
It ’ s important to note that this poll was taken from August 21 to 23 , before the latest protests , and violence , escalated .
But a more recent poll , taken from August 28 to 29 by ABC News/Ipsos , found 59 percent of Americans disapproved of the Republican message at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , again , focused heavily on America being in chaos due to Democratic mismanagement — and that 62 percent saw Blake ’ s shooting as part of a broader problem in how Black Americans are treated by law enforcement .
The concerns suggested by this polling underscore an important reality : All the unrest happening in the US right now , which Trump has gleefully painted in apocalyptic terms as the country ’ s future should Democratic nominee Joe Biden win in November , is happening on Trump ’ s watch , not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and other cities experiencing violence and unrest are indeed led by Democrats , it ’ s hard to see what a Trump reelection could do to suddenly bring calm to the country given they would likely remain under Democratic leadership during a second Trump term .
But with the economy in the midst of recession , the coronavirus running rampant , and Trump some 8.8 percentage points behind Biden in FiveThirtyEight ’ s national polling average , Trump remains in need of a broadly persuasive reelection pitch with less than 70 days until @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are any guide , Trump has recently found a message he likes — whether or not it works — and he ’ s sticking with it .
Every day at Vox , we aim to answer your most important questions and provide you , and our audience around the world , with information that has the power to save lives .
Our mission has never been more vital than it is in this moment : to empower you through understanding .
Vox ’ s work is reaching more people than ever , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ resources — particularly during a pandemic and an economic downturn .
Your financial contribution will not constitute a donation , but it will enable our staff to continue to offer free articles , videos , and podcasts at the quality and volume that this moment requires .
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One person was killed in Portland, Oregon, on Saturday after supporters of President Donald Trump led a caravan into the city — and instead of trying to deescalate tensions, Trump spent Sunday on Twitter threatening to send in the National Guard.
Among a slew of other missives, the president retweeted a message calling for Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler to resign, and tiptoed right up to the edge of endorsing violence, saying a video showing his supporters unleashing paintballs and pepper spray on Portland residents — and at least one journalist — reflected that escalating unrest “cannot be unexpected ... The people of Portland won’t put up with no safety any longer.”
The big backlash going on in Portland cannot be unexpected after 95 days of watching and incompetent Mayor admit that he has no idea what he is doing. The people of Portland won’t put up with no safety any longer.The Mayor is a FOOL. Bring in the National Guard! https://t.co/bM6ypak94t — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 30, 2020
Notably absent from his tweets: Any kind of condemnation of violence on the part of his supporters, who he referred to as “GREAT PATRIOTS,” and any call for peace or deescalation.
The tweets — Trump’s initial response to news of the shooting ahead of a visit to his golf course in Virginia — reflect an extraordinary abdication of responsibility on the part of the president after the second spate of deadly violence at a protest in less than a week.
In a number of his tweets and retweets Sunday, Trump dismissed arguments that he is responsible for ending violence at protests, claiming instead that deadly incidents are the fault of Democratic mayors and governors. For example, the president amplified a tweet accusing Democrats of “being slow and hesitant to condemn violence and disorder,” and also one that accused Wheeler and the Portland police of having “blood on their hands.”
“Disgraceful Anarchists,” he wrote in reply to a video of Portland protesters. “We are watching them closely, but stupidly protected by the Radical Left Dems!”
And it is a message that has been articulated by a number of Trump surrogates in recent days. Blaming Democrats for violence and unrest was a recurring theme at the Republican National Convention last week, and again on Meet the Press Sunday morning, where White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows claimed that while Trump “does govern and lead the entire country ... it’s not Donald Trump that is saying, ‘Let’s look the other way.’ It’s the mayor of Portland.”
WATCH: @MarkMeadows says “Donald Trump’s America is peaceful” after deadly shootings in Kenosha and Portland. #MTP @chucktodd: “You’re saying these are all Democratic cities ... does the president not believe he has responsibility of governing and leading the entire country?" pic.twitter.com/5WRA7AzV53 — Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) August 30, 2020
Meadows’s claim about Wheeler isn’t accurate. In a letter to Trump Friday, the Portland mayor condemned violence in no uncertain terms, writing that “there is no place for looting, arson, or vandalism in our city. There is no room here for racist violence or those who wish to bring their ideology of hate into our community.”
And at a press conference Sunday, Wheeler called the president’s tweets “appalling.” Speaking directly to Trump, he said, “It’s you who have created the hate and the division ... you want me to stop the violence that you helped create. What America needs is for you to be stopped.”
Following Wheeler’s address, Trump tweeted what appeared to be a response, calling Wheeler the “wacky Radical Left Do Nothing Democrat Mayor of Portland,” and writing that when it comes to a federal response in Portland, the mayor “hasn’t seen anything yet.”
With an election looming, this sort of rhetoric from the president has become commonplace; in fact, Trump and his allies appear poised to make ongoing protests — and rising violence — a central focus of his reelection campaign.
Violence as a reelection strategy
Though shocking by any measure, Trump’s response Sunday isn’t that surprising. The president and his supporters have been forthright about their view on violence in the streets, with some, like senior adviser to the president Kellyanne Conway, openly stating they believe the violence helps them politically — and that they’re not interested in calming things down.
Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson made as much clear on CNN’s State of the Union Sunday in an interview with Dana Bash. Johnson, a staunch Trump supporter, not only refused to condemn Trump’s “agitating” in Portland, but also equivocated on the shooting deaths of two people during protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin. (A 17-year-old Trump supporter was charged with murder in connection with the killings.)
“I’m not for vigilantism,” Johnson said. “I’m not sure that’s what was happening ... people took matters into their own hands.”
"I'm not for vigilantism. I'm not sure that's what was happening ... people took matters into their own hands" -- Ron Johnson won't condemn Kyle Rittenhouse, a Trump supporter who is charged with first-degree murder for killing two protesters in Kenosha pic.twitter.com/NE0oumPk5X — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) August 30, 2020
Even before Kenosha and Portland, the GOP and Trump have worked to advance a narrative that violence against protesters is, at worst, self-defense.
For example, the Republican National Convention last week featured — and valorized — Mark and Patricia McCloskey, a pair of St. Louis lawyers who are both facing felony charges after they menaced Black Lives Matter protesters passing in front of their house with guns.
A law and order message doesn’t work when you’re the chaos candidate
Just because Trump and his team believe that chaos and violence in the streets of major US cities is good for them doesn’t mean it’s true. In fact, polling suggests it could be just the opposite.
Ahead of the recent rash of protests — as well as the shooting of Jacob Blake by a police officer in Kenosha, Wisconsin, that set them off — a Yahoo!/YouGov poll found that 48 percent of Americans view Trump as “the source of the chaos,” and only 21 percent of Americans believe he can, or will, protect them from the chaos.
Why has Trump struggled to take advantage of those issues?
48% view Trump as the source of the chaos vs. 21% believe he will protect them from the chaos pic.twitter.com/q7NOdgOZCB — (((AG))) (@AGHamilton29) August 29, 2020
Even among Republicans, Trump’s numbers don’t look great — just 51 percent believe Trump will protect them from the chaos.
It’s important to note that this poll was taken from August 21 to 23, before the latest protests, and violence, escalated. But a more recent poll, taken from August 28 to 29 by ABC News/Ipsos, found 59 percent of Americans disapproved of the Republican message at the GOP’s convention, which, again, focused heavily on America being in chaos due to Democratic mismanagement — and that 62 percent saw Blake’s shooting as part of a broader problem in how Black Americans are treated by law enforcement.
The concerns suggested by this polling underscore an important reality: All the unrest happening in the US right now, which Trump has gleefully painted in apocalyptic terms as the country’s future should Democratic nominee Joe Biden win in November, is happening on Trump’s watch, not Biden’s. And although Portland and other cities experiencing violence and unrest are indeed led by Democrats, it’s hard to see what a Trump reelection could do to suddenly bring calm to the country given they would likely remain under Democratic leadership during a second Trump term.
But with the economy in the midst of recession, the coronavirus running rampant, and Trump some 8.8 percentage points behind Biden in FiveThirtyEight’s national polling average, Trump remains in need of a broadly persuasive reelection pitch with less than 70 days until the election. If his tweets Sunday are any guide, Trump has recently found a message he likes — whether or not it works — and he’s sticking with it.


vox--2020-08-30--How to make TV’s funniest show during a pandemic

When the Emmy nominations were announced in July , nothing made me happier than the eight surprising nods ( including Best Comedy Series ) for FX ’ s deliriously funny vampire comedy What We Do in the Shadows , based on the film of the same name .
The deeply silly TV show turned out a second season that is one of the funniest TV seasons I ’ ve seen in ages , featuring riffs on whether vampires have ghosts of themselves because they ’ re already dead and an entire episode that largely abandons the show ’ s usual @ @ @ @ @ @ @ run and finds a small town where he fits in a little too well .
One reason the series is so good is that it ’ s a product of two great comedy minds from very different generations , working together as executive producers .
Paul Simms has worked on everything from The Larry Sanders Show to Girls , but I will always love him most for creating the ’ 90s sitcom NewsRadio , one of my favorite TV shows ever made .
Stefani Robinson , meanwhile , broke through as a writer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with Simms ) and is now one of the rising comedy wunderkinds of the TV world .
I recently sat down with Simms and Robinson via Zoom to talk about what they ’ ve learned from working with each other , how they evolved What We Do in the Shadows to turn a pretty good first season into a great second season , and the many ways Covid-19 has affected pre-production and impending production of both their show and TV as a whole .
Our conversation , which has been edited for length @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have such an interesting partnership , and you ’ ve taken really different paths through the TV industry .
What was it like forming that partnership ?
Paul Simms : I don ’ t think it ’ s anything that I could duplicate with someone else .
There ’ s some something we have in common .
Saying I feel a little bit like Stefani is so arrogant on my part .
But she reminds me of me when I was that age at Larry Sanders , moving up quickly and having a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than usually happens .
Stefani Robinson : And I see a lot of myself in Paul , which makes probably little to no sense , but I feel like his perspective on the world and writing very much aligns with mine .
I probably am fifty-something in my soul .
Paul Simms : Getting to know Stefani on Atlanta , I was like , “ Oh , she ’ s really funny.
” And then within the first two days of actually working together really closely in the Shadows writers ’ room , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she ’ s really , really good.
” I knew she was good , but I didn ’ t know she had a real talent for story structure and asking the right questions and not getting bogged down in the wrong questions .
The wrong questions being , like , “ Logically , [ this plot point ] doesn ’ t make sense.
” It is a show about vampires .
You can get away with a lot .
Paul Simms : You would be surprised how much debate goes on in this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thing .
What do vampires do ?
What don ’ t they do ?
What are the rules of vampires , even though there are many different rules ?
What ’ s the most pointless , longest argument you ’ ve had about that sort of thing ?
Paul Simms : It ’ s one that I lost with Jemaine [ Clement , creator ] about whether a golem from Jewish folklore would exist in this world of vampires .
We had it originally in the episode where the vampires and werewolves are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an old-fashioned mafia sitdown .
The golem was going to be the mediator who was very slow-talking and deliberative .
And Jemaine feels like a golem doesn ’ t exist in the same world as vampires .
So vampires exist , werewolves exist , ghosts exist , but God doesn ’ t exist .
Which actually , when I think about it , that ’ s fair .
The solution we came up with was better anyway .
Stefanie Robinson : There are also the magical herbs that you and I loved so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there being some kind of herbal medicine ritual that allows the vampires to walk out in daylight for one day .
We had like a two-day debate about , “ Nope !
That wouldn ’ t happen !
They would die immediately !
” Like it ’ s a magical herb !
C ’ mon !
What ’ s something you ’ ve each learned from the other in making this show ?
Stefani Robinson : I know the answer very quickly : Just fucking chill out , man .
Maybe it ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 20s , but it ’ s like everything feels so managed and important and dire .
“ If this doesn ’ t work out the right way , everything ’ s gon na explode.
” But one of the most important things I ’ ve learned from Paul is that it ’ s all gon na be fine .
When you start internalizing that , everything else becomes better .
Then you ’ re just on for the ride , here in the moment .
Paul Simms : What I ’ ve learned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ m completely panicking , I just have to pretend that everything ’ s fine so that she ’ ll think everything ’ s fine .
[ both laugh ] Stefani is a great reminder about the importance of story .
On a show like this , it ’ s easy to skate through , navigating from this funny thing to this other funny thing .
But she ’ s a constant reminder that if you don ’ t have a story you ’ re telling across those 30 minutes , none of those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ funny .
Now I ’ m doing the exact thing that when I read interviews with other comedy writers talking , I ’ m like , “ This blowhard should shut up about the craft of story , ” but it ’ s really true .
If you have a solid story , you can get as crazy as you want with the details .
I assume you ’ ve been in some sort of Zoom writers ’ room , and I ’ m wondering how that works .
I like Zoom .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ m not sure I could handle being on Zoom for eight hours at a time .
Paul Simms : We don ’ t do eight hours a day !
The positives are that the people writing season three are all the same people who wrote season two , so we all know each other .
So it ’ s not like you ’ re trying to get to know someone over Zoom .
The other positive is during this uncertain time , it ’ s nice to see everyone every day , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ much work done on certain days , to talk about things that aren ’ t related to sickness and death tolls .
It ’ s nice to talk about just vampires murdering people and draining their blood .
What a relief !
The negative part is that including me and Stefani , we have about 10 writers .
And the maximum for Zoom that really feels like you can hear everyone and everything is probably about four or five .
We ’ ve always debated splitting into separate rooms , but this season @ @ @ @ @ @ @ separately .
We would discuss what we needed to figure out , and then we would break .
The next morning , we would go through and hear everyone ’ s ideas instead of the usual freeform back-and-forth .
The worst thing is when someone is saying something funny , everyone starts laughing , and then it cuts off the second half of the funny thing being said .
Stefani Robinson : Or if people are talking all at once and someone is saying something funny , then a person ’ s trying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ funny about [ what the first person said ] , and then it ’ s , “ Oh , sorry , no , sorry , you go ahead , ” and they just don ’ t say anything they might have said .
Paul Simms : Stefani and I have both talked about , like , someone will be saying something , and I ’ ll look at her to make eye contact , as we do when we ’ re together .
But I ’ m just looking at a square of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tell I ’ m looking at her .
I don ’ t think we ever solved that particular rhythm problem .
Stefani Robinson : Whenever we were speaking about something specific or a story beat or we had “ homework ” the night before , Paul did go out of his way to be , like , “ Okay , so-and-so talk .
Now so-and-so talk.
” So everyone got a chance to speak , and everyone got to contribute in ways that were more pointed .
But other than that , it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I assume you ’ re typically in production during the winter , just from how much snow there is on the show .
So your shooting dates are still several months away , but what kinds of conversations are you having about going back into production , getting actors to set , that sort of thing ?
Paul Simms : We ’ re trying to figure out when and how is the right time to do it safely .
Our big plan pre-Covid was to start shooting season three much earlier , at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we would have at least a few months that would be nice weather , because it is brutal shooting conditions when you get toward November , December , in Toronto [ where the show is filmed ] .
But we ’ ve pushed that , and now we ’ re just doing what everyone else is doing , which is trying to figure out what the best safety protocols are and then how to even go beyond those .
For actors , especially on a show like this where there ’ s so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ free enough to just improvise and live in those characters .
And our show has some different hurdles to overcome than other shows .
Stefani always points out that the Covid protocols would be easier if it was a show like It ’ s Always Sunny in Philadelphia , where people wear normal 2020 clothes , and their hair looks like whatever their hair looks like .
But the cast members [ on our show ] have to have a team to actually get them into their clothes , and then there ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ own hair and makeup .
And then with stunt rigging and all that stuff , there ’ s a lot of complicating things that we still don ’ t have the answer for .
Or a start date yet .
How does that affect you as producers to have double or triple the number of production headaches than in a typical season ?
How do you focus on writing when you have to be thinking about that ?
Paul Simms : We have such good people who proved themselves with the challenges of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ affect the writing that much .
Our stunt people are great .
Our special effects people are great .
Our production designer is great .
When I ’ m writing , I also have my producer hat on in the back of my mind , going , “ Oh , I don ’ t want to write a car scene because those are impossible to shoot .
I don ’ t want to write a scene with a bunch of background actors , because the continuity is hard.
” But when I wrote @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was just going to write something funny that feels almost impossible to figure out and trust that we have a team and a fantastic director named Kyle Newacheck , who really knows how to figure things out .
Stefani Robinson : Pandemic aside , on our show , Paul and I and Sam Johnson , who also produces the show , are all so flexible all the time .
We go to Canada with a certain number of scripts , but by the time we shoot , a third of those scripts have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ re constantly shifting things and making adjustments of the production , whether that ’ s because we can ’ t find a location or a costume doesn ’ t make sense or we don ’ t have enough time .
We are constantly rewriting while producing at the same time .
Even in the middle of a pandemic , where things are much harder , I feel like we are well-versed enough to figure out creative solutions .
Maybe you can ’ t answer this without a start date , but do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ crossing the Canadian border ?
Paul Simms : That ’ s one of the issues we ’ re trying to figure out .
Once we do figure out our start date , it ’ s going to be two weeks of quarantine for everyone who crosses the border before they can start working .
The thing that weighs heavily for both Stefani and me is not being able to see our families or significant others .
In seasons one and two , I would sometimes fly back to New York on the weekends @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But whenever we get up there this time , we ’ re going to be there and isolated until it ’ s done .
Stefani Robinson : That question isn ’ t even just for us .
We have actors who have families and department heads with significant others and children .
At any other time , it ’ s easy to fly in and out .
But now the question becomes , do we have to hire our own immigration lawyers to get them into the country ?
Or are we just @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the worst case scenario is if any one of us gets sick , is our family going to be able to get there in time to be there ?
Or god forbid the reverse , where someone in our family gets sick and we have trouble getting back into the country .
It ’ s a lot .
Paul Simms : We also worry about guest actors .
If Mark Hamill [ who played a one-episode role in season two ] had had to come two weeks early and sit in the hotel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ m not sure if he would have been so accommodating about doing it .
Are we not going to be able to bring in guest cast ?
So basically , our answer to all those questions is we have no idea .
I liked season one of What We Do in the Shadows , but I loved season two .
It was one of the funniest seasons of a comedy I ’ ve seen in ages .
What shifted or changed between seasons , even if they were tiny tweaks ?
Stefani Robinson @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s no disrespect to the writers in season one , who were all funny and great , but in season one , there was a lot more movement .
There were people coming in and out of the room more frequently .
They would come in for maybe a week or two weeks at a time , and then they would leave .
So you had all these very funny writers , some of whom were there the entire time , but some of whom were coming in and out .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the things that is more helpful is having writers there from beginning to end , working on their own rewrites and outlines and seeing the process through from beginning to end .
Paul Simms : Season one , at least the first half of the writing process , was just about figuring it all out .
Even though the movie existed , the issue was how is this going to be the same as the movie , how is it gon na be different from the movie ?
And in season two , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ chance on scenes that were more about the relationships between the vampires , where it didn ’ t necessarily have a big stunt or a huge supernatural thing .
Some of my favorite parts of season two were things where the characters and their conflicts could be a little more trivial in a way .
You worked together on Atlanta .
That show is very funny , but its core is inherently serious .
The core of What We Do in the Shadows is inherently silly , but you have some more serious @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the challenge of building out those genuine friendships and romances in this group while remaining very goofy ?
Stefani Robinson : I always feel that a story is more satisfying when it has stakes and is emotional .
I ’ m thinking about the club episode in season one , which I love and which is so funny , asking what a vampire nightclub would be like .
But in the back of my mind , when we do deal with things like that , it ’ s like , what ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s going to make this story feel more compelling ?
How can we have the actors play something ?
That always goes back to emotion and relationships .
And no matter what you ’ re working on , that ’ s going to be the most resonant thing to your audience .
It ’ s easier to write when you know what ’ s at stake emotionally .
Paul Simms : What on this show counts as a more serious or grounded moment is still so ridiculously far away from what counts as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
But part of it is also not trying to force those more serious moments too early .
In the first season , every story had a spine and an emotional subtext .
But there are things we did in season two that we couldn ’ t have done in season one because it would have been , like , “ Are you guys high on yourselves ?
Doing a show about vampires , and now you think you ’ re gon na get us to care about them or something ?
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ complete history of Jackie Daytona .
Stefani Robinson : The idea came from Jemaine , who came into the season with the idea that he wanted someone to be pursuing Laszlo [ one of the main vampires on the show , played by Matt Berry ] .
He was speaking of it more in terms of The Fugitive .
He wanted more of a cat-and-mouse thing , bopping all around America or the world .
So initially , it was broader in scope .
But what was funny to me was this idea @ @ @ @ @ @ @ make it seem like it ’ s going to be something like that , but then it takes a left turn and becomes a totally different story .
Paul Simms : When Stefani first described the idea in the room , what was so funny about it was she was , like , without even signaling it to the viewers , within five minutes , you realize you ’ re in a completely different documentary .
[ What We Do in the Shadows is a mockumentary . ]
Our show has veered off @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I was thinking of was the mockumentary 7 Days in Hell with Andy Samberg playing a tennis player .
The whole thing ’ s about tennis , and then there are three minutes where it ’ s suddenly about the different artistic styles of courtroom sketch artists .
You ’ re in that for a while , and everyone they interview is suddenly an expert in courtroom sketches .
But it ’ s in the language of our show , so we ’ re doing what we do and slowly there are new @ @ @ @ @ @ @ talking heads .
Paul Simms : When Stefani started describing it , I immediately pictured one of those old documentaries about a depressed town where things are hard but the people are still getting by , like Harlan County , USA .
But a lot of the stuff that was funny about it wasn ’ t even talked about in the room .
It was in Stefani ’ s first script .
I laughed so hard when she came up with the idea that blue jeans and a toothpick was Laszlo ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ small town ] .
Paul , you know how much I love NewsRadio .
A lot of the writers from that show are now on this show .
What ’ s it been like getting to work with those people again ?
Paul Simms : I love it .
It ’ s almost like we all went to college together and we ’ re all still hanging out .
They ’ re still some of my closest friends , and it ’ s great to bring them all in , even though I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I keep forgetting we ’ re all so much older now .
Like this is now , “ The old guy ’ s bringing in another old guy !
” Stefani Robinson : I will say , as a young person , who watches you be able to connect with younger friends , you do get a sense of what it must have felt like however many years ago when you guys were funny and young and talked about video games and cigarettes .
Paul Simms : Now we ’ re funny and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vaping .
What We Do in the Shadows ’ first two seasons are streaming on Hulu .
Season three will go into production ... sometime .
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When the Emmy nominations were announced in July, nothing made me happier than the eight surprising nods (including Best Comedy Series) for FX’s deliriously funny vampire comedy What We Do in the Shadows, based on the film of the same name.
The deeply silly TV show turned out a second season that is one of the funniest TV seasons I’ve seen in ages, featuring riffs on whether vampires have ghosts of themselves because they’re already dead and an entire episode that largely abandons the show’s usual format as one vampire goes on the run and finds a small town where he fits in a little too well.
One reason the series is so good is that it’s a product of two great comedy minds from very different generations, working together as executive producers. Paul Simms has worked on everything from The Larry Sanders Show to Girls, but I will always love him most for creating the ’90s sitcom NewsRadio, one of my favorite TV shows ever made. Stefani Robinson, meanwhile, broke through as a writer on Atlanta (where she first worked with Simms) and is now one of the rising comedy wunderkinds of the TV world.
Related How What We Do in the Shadows went from internet phenomenon to new TV show
I recently sat down with Simms and Robinson via Zoom to talk about what they’ve learned from working with each other, how they evolved What We Do in the Shadows to turn a pretty good first season into a great second season, and the many ways Covid-19 has affected pre-production and impending production of both their show and TV as a whole.
Our conversation, which has been edited for length and clarity, follows.
You two have such an interesting partnership, and you’ve taken really different paths through the TV industry. What was it like forming that partnership?
Paul Simms: I don’t think it’s anything that I could duplicate with someone else. There’s some something we have in common. Saying I feel a little bit like Stefani is so arrogant on my part. But she reminds me of me when I was that age at Larry Sanders, moving up quickly and having a lot of responsibility at a younger age than usually happens.
Stefani Robinson: And I see a lot of myself in Paul, which makes probably little to no sense, but I feel like his perspective on the world and writing very much aligns with mine. I probably am fifty-something in my soul.
Paul Simms: Getting to know Stefani on Atlanta, I was like, “Oh, she’s really funny.” And then within the first two days of actually working together really closely in the Shadows writers’ room, I was like, “Oh, she’s really, really good.” I knew she was good, but I didn’t know she had a real talent for story structure and asking the right questions and not getting bogged down in the wrong questions. The wrong questions being, like, “Logically, [this plot point] doesn’t make sense.”
It is a show about vampires. You can get away with a lot.
Paul Simms: You would be surprised how much debate goes on in this show as if vampires are a real thing. What do vampires do? What don’t they do? What are the rules of vampires, even though there are many different rules?
What’s the most pointless, longest argument you’ve had about that sort of thing?
Paul Simms: It’s one that I lost with Jemaine [Clement, creator] about whether a golem from Jewish folklore would exist in this world of vampires. We had it originally in the episode where the vampires and werewolves are fighting. They were going to have an old-fashioned mafia sitdown. The golem was going to be the mediator who was very slow-talking and deliberative. And Jemaine feels like a golem doesn’t exist in the same world as vampires. So vampires exist, werewolves exist, ghosts exist, but God doesn’t exist. Which actually, when I think about it, that’s fair. The solution we came up with was better anyway.
Stefani Robinson: There are also the magical herbs that you and I loved so much. We liked the idea of there being some kind of herbal medicine ritual that allows the vampires to walk out in daylight for one day. We had like a two-day debate about, “Nope! That wouldn’t happen! They would die immediately!” Like it’s a magical herb! C’mon!
What’s something you’ve each learned from the other in making this show?
Stefani Robinson: I know the answer very quickly: Just fucking chill out, man. Maybe it’s a consequence of being in your 20s, but it’s like everything feels so managed and important and dire. “If this doesn’t work out the right way, everything’s gonna explode.” But one of the most important things I’ve learned from Paul is that it’s all gonna be fine. When you start internalizing that, everything else becomes better. Then you’re just on for the ride, here in the moment.
Paul Simms: What I’ve learned from Stefani is that when I’m completely panicking, I just have to pretend that everything’s fine so that she’ll think everything’s fine. [both laugh]
Stefani is a great reminder about the importance of story. On a show like this, it’s easy to skate through, navigating from this funny thing to this other funny thing. But she’s a constant reminder that if you don’t have a story you’re telling across those 30 minutes, none of those funny things are going to feel that funny. Now I’m doing the exact thing that when I read interviews with other comedy writers talking, I’m like, “This blowhard should shut up about the craft of story,” but it’s really true. If you have a solid story, you can get as crazy as you want with the details.
I assume you’ve been in some sort of Zoom writers’ room, and I’m wondering how that works. I like Zoom. I use Zoom a lot. I’m not sure I could handle being on Zoom for eight hours at a time.
Paul Simms: We don’t do eight hours a day! The positives are that the people writing season three are all the same people who wrote season two, so we all know each other. So it’s not like you’re trying to get to know someone over Zoom. The other positive is during this uncertain time, it’s nice to see everyone every day, even if we aren’t getting much work done on certain days, to talk about things that aren’t related to sickness and death tolls. It’s nice to talk about just vampires murdering people and draining their blood. What a relief!
The negative part is that including me and Stefani, we have about 10 writers. And the maximum for Zoom that really feels like you can hear everyone and everything is probably about four or five. We’ve always debated splitting into separate rooms, but this season, we did a lot more writing separately. We would discuss what we needed to figure out, and then we would break. The next morning, we would go through and hear everyone’s ideas instead of the usual freeform back-and-forth. The worst thing is when someone is saying something funny, everyone starts laughing, and then it cuts off the second half of the funny thing being said.
Stefani Robinson: Or if people are talking all at once and someone is saying something funny, then a person’s trying to piggyback to build on what is funny about [what the first person said], and then it’s, “Oh, sorry, no, sorry, you go ahead,” and they just don’t say anything they might have said.
Paul Simms: Stefani and I have both talked about, like, someone will be saying something, and I’ll look at her to make eye contact, as we do when we’re together. But I’m just looking at a square of her, and she can’t tell I’m looking at her. I don’t think we ever solved that particular rhythm problem.
Stefani Robinson: Whenever we were speaking about something specific or a story beat or we had “homework” the night before, Paul did go out of his way to be, like, “Okay, so-and-so talk. Now so-and-so talk.” So everyone got a chance to speak, and everyone got to contribute in ways that were more pointed. But other than that, it’s whoever jumps in there.
I assume you’re typically in production during the winter, just from how much snow there is on the show. So your shooting dates are still several months away, but what kinds of conversations are you having about going back into production, getting actors to set, that sort of thing?
Paul Simms: We’re trying to figure out when and how is the right time to do it safely. Our big plan pre-Covid was to start shooting season three much earlier, at the end of summer, so that we would have at least a few months that would be nice weather, because it is brutal shooting conditions when you get toward November, December, in Toronto [where the show is filmed]. But we’ve pushed that, and now we’re just doing what everyone else is doing, which is trying to figure out what the best safety protocols are and then how to even go beyond those.
For actors, especially on a show like this where there’s so much improv, they have to be free enough to just improvise and live in those characters. And our show has some different hurdles to overcome than other shows. Stefani always points out that the Covid protocols would be easier if it was a show like It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, where people wear normal 2020 clothes, and their hair looks like whatever their hair looks like. But the cast members [on our show] have to have a team to actually get them into their clothes, and then there’s no way they could do their own hair and makeup. And then with stunt rigging and all that stuff, there’s a lot of complicating things that we still don’t have the answer for. Or a start date yet.
How does that affect you as producers to have double or triple the number of production headaches than in a typical season? How do you focus on writing when you have to be thinking about that?
Paul Simms: We have such good people who proved themselves with the challenges of season one that it doesn’t affect the writing that much. Our stunt people are great. Our special effects people are great. Our production designer is great. When I’m writing, I also have my producer hat on in the back of my mind, going, “Oh, I don’t want to write a car scene because those are impossible to shoot. I don’t want to write a scene with a bunch of background actors, because the continuity is hard.” But when I wrote the ghost episode this year, I was just going to write something funny that feels almost impossible to figure out and trust that we have a team and a fantastic director named Kyle Newacheck, who really knows how to figure things out.
Stefani Robinson: Pandemic aside, on our show, Paul and I and Sam Johnson, who also produces the show, are all so flexible all the time. We go to Canada with a certain number of scripts, but by the time we shoot, a third of those scripts have changed in significant ways, because we’re constantly shifting things and making adjustments of the production, whether that’s because we can’t find a location or a costume doesn’t make sense or we don’t have enough time. We are constantly rewriting while producing at the same time. Even in the middle of a pandemic, where things are much harder, I feel like we are well-versed enough to figure out creative solutions.
Maybe you can’t answer this without a start date, but do you have to worry at all about crossing the Canadian border?
Paul Simms: That’s one of the issues we’re trying to figure out. Once we do figure out our start date, it’s going to be two weeks of quarantine for everyone who crosses the border before they can start working. The thing that weighs heavily for both Stefani and me is not being able to see our families or significant others. In seasons one and two, I would sometimes fly back to New York on the weekends or my family would come visit. But whenever we get up there this time, we’re going to be there and isolated until it’s done.
Stefani Robinson: That question isn’t even just for us. We have actors who have families and department heads with significant others and children. At any other time, it’s easy to fly in and out. But now the question becomes, do we have to hire our own immigration lawyers to get them into the country? Or are we just saying goodbye to them, and then the worst case scenario is if any one of us gets sick, is our family going to be able to get there in time to be there? Or god forbid the reverse, where someone in our family gets sick and we have trouble getting back into the country. It’s a lot.
Paul Simms: We also worry about guest actors. If Mark Hamill [who played a one-episode role in season two] had had to come two weeks early and sit in the hotel room for two weeks, I’m not sure if he would have been so accommodating about doing it. Are we not going to be able to bring in guest cast? So basically, our answer to all those questions is we have no idea.
I liked season one of What We Do in the Shadows, but I loved season two. It was one of the funniest seasons of a comedy I’ve seen in ages. What shifted or changed between seasons, even if they were tiny tweaks?
Stefani Robinson: We had different writers. That’s no disrespect to the writers in season one, who were all funny and great, but in season one, there was a lot more movement. There were people coming in and out of the room more frequently. They would come in for maybe a week or two weeks at a time, and then they would leave. So you had all these very funny writers, some of whom were there the entire time, but some of whom were coming in and out. It was a little chaotic. One of the things that is more helpful is having writers there from beginning to end, working on their own rewrites and outlines and seeing the process through from beginning to end.
Paul Simms: Season one, at least the first half of the writing process, was just about figuring it all out. Even though the movie existed, the issue was how is this going to be the same as the movie, how is it gonna be different from the movie? And in season two, we were more willing to take a chance on scenes that were more about the relationships between the vampires, where it didn’t necessarily have a big stunt or a huge supernatural thing. Some of my favorite parts of season two were things where the characters and their conflicts could be a little more trivial in a way.
You worked together on Atlanta. That show is very funny, but its core is inherently serious. The core of What We Do in the Shadows is inherently silly, but you have some more serious and grounded relationship moments. What was the challenge of building out those genuine friendships and romances in this group while remaining very goofy?
Stefani Robinson: I always feel that a story is more satisfying when it has stakes and is emotional. I’m thinking about the club episode in season one, which I love and which is so funny, asking what a vampire nightclub would be like. But in the back of my mind, when we do deal with things like that, it’s like, what’s at stake here really? What’s going to make this story feel more compelling? How can we have the actors play something? That always goes back to emotion and relationships. And no matter what you’re working on, that’s going to be the most resonant thing to your audience. It’s easier to write when you know what’s at stake emotionally.
Paul Simms: What on this show counts as a more serious or grounded moment is still so ridiculously far away from what counts as that in most half-hour comedies these days. But part of it is also not trying to force those more serious moments too early. In the first season, every story had a spine and an emotional subtext. But there are things we did in season two that we couldn’t have done in season one because it would have been, like, “Are you guys high on yourselves? Doing a show about vampires, and now you think you’re gonna get us to care about them or something?”
Stefani, I need to know the complete history of Jackie Daytona.
Stefani Robinson: The idea came from Jemaine, who came into the season with the idea that he wanted someone to be pursuing Laszlo [one of the main vampires on the show, played by Matt Berry]. He was speaking of it more in terms of The Fugitive. He wanted more of a cat-and-mouse thing, bopping all around America or the world. So initially, it was broader in scope. But what was funny to me was this idea that maybe we build it up to make it seem like it’s going to be something like that, but then it takes a left turn and becomes a totally different story.
Paul Simms: When Stefani first described the idea in the room, what was so funny about it was she was, like, without even signaling it to the viewers, within five minutes, you realize you’re in a completely different documentary. [What We Do in the Shadows is a mockumentary.] Our show has veered off course.
Stefani Robinson: The thing I was thinking of was the mockumentary 7 Days in Hell with Andy Samberg playing a tennis player. The whole thing’s about tennis, and then there are three minutes where it’s suddenly about the different artistic styles of courtroom sketch artists. You’re in that for a while, and everyone they interview is suddenly an expert in courtroom sketches. But it’s in the language of our show, so we’re doing what we do and slowly there are new people we’re interviewing and having talking heads.
Paul Simms: When Stefani started describing it, I immediately pictured one of those old documentaries about a depressed town where things are hard but the people are still getting by, like Harlan County, USA. But a lot of the stuff that was funny about it wasn’t even talked about in the room. It was in Stefani’s first script. I laughed so hard when she came up with the idea that blue jeans and a toothpick was Laszlo’s disguise [to fit in in the small town].
Paul, you know how much I love NewsRadio. A lot of the writers from that show are now on this show. What’s it been like getting to work with those people again?
Paul Simms: I love it. It’s almost like we all went to college together and we’re all still hanging out. They’re still some of my closest friends, and it’s great to bring them all in, even though I have to be sparing about it. I keep forgetting we’re all so much older now. Like this is now, “The old guy’s bringing in another old guy!”
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Stefani Robinson: I will say, as a young person, who watches you be able to connect with younger friends, you do get a sense of what it must have felt like however many years ago when you guys were funny and young and talked about video games and cigarettes.
Paul Simms: Now we’re funny and old and talk about video games and vaping.
What We Do in the Shadows’ first two seasons are streaming on Hulu. Season three will go into production ... sometime.