Crazy Cat Guy

In selecting JD Vance as his running mate, Donald Trump elevated a member of the terminally online right, resulting in the most extreme and bigoted conspiracy theories that used to sit at the fringe of the internet now serving as mainstream stories. Yesterday, Vance cited a demonstrably false report of Haitian immigrants in Ohio stealing people’s pets and it took off like wildfire.

Months ago, I raised the issue of Haitian illegal immigrants draining social services and generally causing chaos all over Springfield, Ohio.

Reports now show that people have had their pets abducted and eaten by people who shouldn't be in this country. Where is our border czar? pic.twitter.com/rf0EDIeI5i
— JD Vance (@JDVance) September 9, 2024

Here is an idea: If you are running for VP, maybe stop for 30 seconds and figure out if something is true before posting https://t.co/ciKoM3BgXM pic.twitter.com/MLs50CLQ55
— Judd Legum (@JuddLegum) September 9, 2024

This basis for this vile meme is *one* woman in Canton allegedly killing and eating a cat in front of her neighbors last month. There is no indication that the woman was Haitian or an immigrant, and Springfield police have seen no reports of pet abductionshttps://t.co/cDXbdjrZ91
— Eric Levitz (@EricLevitz) September 9, 2024

Truly impossible to overstate how bad things are going to get if this garbage turns out to be a winning strategy. pic.twitter.com/R4YkjH4XT8
— Nathan Goldwag 🇺🇦 🥥 (@GoldwagNathan) September 9, 2024

"Immigrants are filthy & subhuman & eat pets" is just classic fascist stuff. Not even a twist, really, just straight down the middle, old school fascist messaging.
— David Roberts (@drvolts) September 10, 2024

Ted Cruz poured gasoline on this rumor with this (incredibly stupid) racist meme.

this post should be a career-ending moment https://t.co/LAL6QKmEFM
— rowan 🐇📱🇵🇸 (@rowanfornow) September 9, 2024

To be honest, I kind of think we're at the point where no matter what happens this election things are just gonna be dark dark dark for a long long time. Even if everything works out perfectly, you can't excise this quickly. https://t.co/hDQPxkATp6
— cai (@AnneNotation) September 9, 2024

Hmm i wonder what could be different about these lies https://t.co/YFhtZEgeCo
— drew (@ImNotOwned) September 9, 2024

This morning, Vance doubled down on his claims, even as he acknowledged that they may be unsubstantiated. (They are.)

This tweet is an explicit acknowledgement that the Republican campaign for President is propagating a grotesque racist conspiracy, knowing it’s a fabricated lie, because racist memes motivate their voter base. https://t.co/LPVbT7LAZ3
— Matt McDermott (@mattmfm) September 10, 2024

https://t.co/KHaHlWxQyB pic.twitter.com/kkM2joMMeh
— Dave Itzkoff (@ditzkoff) September 10, 2024

From Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death to Keep The Racist Cat Memes Flowing, a story of American decline. https://t.co/frcCZhd0Rv
— Tim Miller (@Timodc) September 10, 2024

obviously it's very on-brand that the entire GOP immediately jumped on board with a fake racist facebook post scandal but it's truly beyond the pale to imply that donald j trump would ever save someone's pet. trump is america's number one pet hater and it's not even close https://t.co/hoWwHQYwNw
— america's lounge singer (@KrangTNelson) September 10, 2024

You can’t welcome RFK Jr. into your campaign and then go around accusing other people of eating pets.
— Rick Lenzie (@RickLenzie) September 9, 2024

We organize with Haitian-origin farm workers in NY. They’re as American as the apple pie their work makes possible, but right wing racists are spreading dehumanizing lies.

Haitians are not eating pets.
They’re feeding America.

The anti-Haitian bigotry we’re seeing is repulsive.
— United Farm Workers (@UFWupdates) September 10, 2024

i don't know how anyone with a passable understanding of history or a personal love of individual liberty could hate haitians like we've seen in the last 48 hours on here
— lauren (@Very__Regular) September 10, 2024

Rural broadband was a mistake. https://t.co/scQin4qhJJ
— chekovian jubilee (@CollieYimby) September 9, 2024

Apple unveiled the iPhone 16 at its Glowtime event yesterday, and of course it’s all about one thing: AI, AI, AI.

Apple just announced its new Visual Intelligence for iPhone 16.

It looks insane 🤯 pic.twitter.com/JijqilD84S
— Alvaro Cintas (@dr_cintas) September 9, 2024

there are certain parts of this that could be interesting (photo immediately brings up phone number or site to get tickets)

but AI product demos at every major company still feel like solutions in search of a problem https://t.co/i7mQeFXXXV
— rat king 🐀 (@MikeIsaac) September 10, 2024

If only there was a way to learn a restaurant’s opening hours and menu when standing outside it https://t.co/UhJevef2kB
— David Hering (@hering_david) September 10, 2024

Text summarization is a key value proposition of the iPhone’s initial AI features. Problem is… it doesn’t really work.

3. Apple Intelligence automatically summarizes your emails and notifications for easier reading.

It also brings your most important notifications to the top of your stack, helping you focus on what is important in the moment. pic.twitter.com/Qis0Mbj38i
— Rowan Cheung (@rowancheung) September 9, 2024

The iPhone 16's new 'Apple Intelligence' is useful … except for when it goes completely bonkers.

I've been testing the early version of Apple's unfinished AI software @washingtonpost, and it makes me LOL 5 to 10 times per day by just making things up. https://t.co/5OP5ySlLL2
— Geoffrey A. Fowler (@geoffreyfowler) September 9, 2024

Last month, longtime internet and media commentator John Hermann had a good piece on why this technology is at best unnecessary and at worst actively undesirable. Seems prescient!

summarization is a core new AI capability, which makes it all the more interesting that big tech companies don't seem sure how to use it in a way that doesn't feel ridiculous https://t.co/3IwDfoCCY4
— John Herrman (@jwherrman) August 13, 2024

ME: Would be cool if the battery lasted more than four hours

APPLE: Wanna know what Homer Simpson would look like if he was a real guy? Now you can https://t.co/HbwoZZCxNB
— David Weigel (@daveweigel) September 9, 2024

I don't want any of this shit. I don't need a robot to summarize my texts for me, fuck off. https://t.co/uXTTePAxID
— Louis Peitzman (@LouisPeitzman) September 9, 2024

In more positive news, one non-iPhone announcement is generating genuine excitement and appreciation:

I lost roughly 80% of the hearing in my left ear last year. Hearing aids are laughably expensive and generally not covered by insurance.

This is a potential game changer. https://t.co/FLhjzMNBuy
— Franklin Leonard (@franklinleonard) September 9, 2024

Apple just announced AirPod features to turn them into hearing aids. Having experienced a harder time talking to my grandparents in their later years due solely to hearing loss, this is such a brilliant idea it’s crazy.
— Aaron Levie 🇺🇸 (@levie) September 9, 2024

You gotta love an Apple marketing event. 🌁

this apple event is doubling as an ad for san francisco pic.twitter.com/XVCFYIklO3
— “paula” (@paularambles) September 9, 2024

RIP to the greatest voice in the history of Hollywood.

#RIP dad 💔 https://t.co/YXpFoBb2Ua
— Mark Hamill (@MarkHamill) September 9, 2024

Rest in peace, James Earl Jones. One of the most powerful, evocative, emotional voices in cinema history. This is the first scene that came to mind, it’s one of my favorites of all time. pic.twitter.com/AcMSv0dttw
— joe bro (@jbromovies) September 9, 2024

Hard to pick a favorite James Earl Jones performance, but his role as chief of the CIA in THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER + sequels remains delightful.

I still think about this scene where he surprises Jack Ryan (Alec Baldwin) with news about who’s giving a White House briefing … pic.twitter.com/6gpGL3Oi40
— Dan Diamond (@ddiamond) September 9, 2024

Denzel Washington pays tribute to James Earl Jones after his tragic passing.

“He’s my hero… I wasn’t going to be as big as him. I wanted to sound like him. He was everything to me as a budding actor. He was who I wanted to be.”

(Source: https://t.co/p4uQal364V) pic.twitter.com/ynKOEVQBGa
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) September 10, 2024

James Earl Jones recites the alphabet on Sesame Street (1969) pic.twitter.com/CGz48ZbJA8
— Muppet History 🎃 (@HistoryMuppet) September 9, 2024

I feel like stumbling across this on TV while a little stoned in 1969… a bit life-changing tbh

Forever and always 🖤 pic.twitter.com/IZAWe5L22a
— Barry Jenkins (@BarryJenkins) September 9, 2024

In less potentially tragic Hollywood news:

what’s the rush https://t.co/XiuDVSNLH7
— bethany (@fiImgal) September 9, 2024

manhattan traffic lets goooooo https://t.co/5mj7qFqyrl
— Mike Scollins (@mikescollins) September 9, 2024

The surgeons have the opportunity to take the longest lunch break ever https://t.co/UeZ3lRWIED
— Meech (@MediumSizeMeech) September 9, 2024

https://t.co/Ixrg9TnAlv pic.twitter.com/Fv5C5Fr3Kk
— Tina Sieben (@wnbawife) September 9, 2024

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