Washington's political reality show is becoming more like Dynasty and less like The West Wing. Both were popular American television shows in the age before digital technology and Donald Trump became dominant forces.
But in the struggle to explain the unconventional nature of current American presidential politics, journalists domestic and foreign are reaching for metaphors from popular culture, past and present. A major American newspaper has a columnist detailed to write about The Trump Show just as one would an entertainment product. Week by week, she considers the story line, especially in periods of high drama, assesses why an episode has run long, comments on the overall plot and main protagonist (Donald Trump), the show's supporting characters, its structure and narrative sophistication. Comparisons are made with House of Cards and Scandal in terms of dramatic twists and cliffhangers.
Another well-regarded, right-leaning columnist for another major US newspaper sees parallels between America's politics and the fascination with Game of Thrones. Both allow a momentary escape from the flat dreariness of liberalism, he suggests, because most people like the glamour of monarchy.
The sense of the White House metamorphosing into a television set was recently captured by Barack Obama’s former communications director Jennifer Palmieri. She said that the James S Brady Press Briefing Room is no longer what its name suggests but “a television set, with a ‘White House’ plaque behind Scaramucci as an attractive prop”.
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Read more:
Abrupt resignation of Trump's press secretary a 'symptom of an administration in crisis'
Trump lays into his own party ahead of healthcare vote
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The reference to Anthony Scaramucci, who was hired last week by Mr Trump as communications chief, is apt. Mr Scaramucci is not a communications professional but a wealthy, scrappy financier with gelled hair, sharp suits and theatrical turns of phrase. His induction heightens the prime time qualities being projected by the Trump administration. America’s first family – the patriarch, his favourite daughter and her husband, his older sons and preternaturally composed third wife – might be seen as Brechtian actors for the audience is always aware it is watching a performance.
In fact, American politics is anything but entertaining right now. It is dead serious. Serious questions face the country, including healthcare, crumbling infrastructure, job-skilling to anticipate the transformative forces of automation, a ballooning deficit, social disharmony, and the rise of China and other second-tier countries on the world stage.
These are urgent issues and they allow for no rehearsals, improvisation or hamming. The stakes are too high and success won't be measured in terms of ratings but in America's global influence and domestic felicity. Even before The Trump Show properly began, some of America's most astute thinkers were pondering their country's direction of travel and what it might portend. Six months into the Trump presidency, they are predicting a histrionic change in the world order. Well-known historian Alfred McCoy's forthcoming book Shadows of the American Century: The Rise and Decline of US Global Power sets out the main players who will tread the boards in the next couple of decades. China, says Prof McCoy, is set to surpass US influence militarily and economically by 2030. For the majority of Americans, he writes, the 2020s will likely be remembered as a demoralising decade of rising prices, stagnant wages and fading international competitiveness. After years of swelling deficits fed by incessant warfare in distant lands, in 2030 the US dollar eventually loses its special status as the world's dominant reserve currency…Faced with a fading superpower incapable of paying its bills, China, India, Iran, Russia, and other powers provocatively challenge US dominion over the oceans, space, and cyberspace.
As for The Trump Show, Prof McCoy sees it as a byproduct of the erosion of US global dominance, but not its root cause. That said, he believes Mr Trump may accelerate the decline of the US empire, more decisively, more systematically, and yes, more spectacularly, than otherwise.
It’s worth noting that academic predictions are a kind of theatre too. It works with cues and needs curtain-calls. There is always a death role – someone has to die – and dramatic tension must be sustained through to the end.
But perhaps this is not really melodrama and more of a reality show? By some estimates, the so-called American century has already run longer than 100 years. Its starting point might properly be considered 1898, when the US assumed control of Spanish territories – Puerto Rico, Cuba, Guam and the Philippines. It grew in consequence and influence throughout the industrialised 20th century and the Cold War. It is faltering in a 21st century made uncertain by cyberwar, emerging superpowers and now, a fateful predilection for a soap opera that mixes politics and the business of statecraft with issues of blood, birth and breeding.
Dynasty, the 1980s' TV show, is in the process of being rebooted into a new series later this year. We'll have to see how fiction stands up against fact.
The 100 Best Novels in Translation
Boyd Tonkin, Galileo Press
Europe’s rearming plan
- Suspend strict budget rules to allow member countries to step up defence spending
- Create new "instrument" providing €150 billion of loans to member countries for defence investment
- Use the existing EU budget to direct more funds towards defence-related investment
- Engage the bloc's European Investment Bank to drop limits on lending to defence firms
- Create a savings and investments union to help companies access capital
ABU DHABI CARD
5pm: UAE Martyrs Cup (TB) Conditions; Dh90,000; 2,200m
5.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup (PA) Handicap; Dh70,000; 1,400m
6pm: UAE Matyrs Trophy (PA) Maiden; Dh80,000; 1,600m
6.30pm: Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak (IFAHR) Apprentice Championship (PA) Prestige; Dh100,000; 1,600m
7pm: Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak (IFAHR) Ladies World Championship (PA) Prestige; Dh125,000; 1,600m
8pm: Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Jewel Crown (PA) Group 1; Dh5,000,000; 1,600m
RESULT
Manchester United 2 Tottenham Hotspur 1
Man United: Sanchez (24' ), Herrera (62')
Spurs: Alli (11')
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
The specs
Engine: 4-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: nine-speed
Power: 542bhp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: Dh848,000
On sale: now
if you go
The flights
Emirates flies to Delhi with fares starting from around Dh760 return, while Etihad fares cost about Dh783 return. From Delhi, there are connecting flights to Lucknow.
Where to stay
It is advisable to stay in Lucknow and make a day trip to Kannauj. A stay at the Lebua Lucknow hotel, a traditional Lucknowi mansion, is recommended. Prices start from Dh300 per night (excluding taxes).
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COMPANY PROFILE
● Company: Bidzi
● Started: 2024
● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid
● Based: Dubai, UAE
● Industry: M&A
● Funding size: Bootstrapped
● No of employees: Nine
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Zayed Sustainability Prize
Is it worth it? We put cheesecake frap to the test.
The verdict from the nutritionists is damning. But does a cheesecake frappuccino taste good enough to merit the indulgence?
My advice is to only go there if you have unusually sweet tooth. I like my puddings, but this was a bit much even for me. The first hit is a winner, but it's downhill, slowly, from there. Each sip is a little less satisfying than the last, and maybe it was just all that sugar, but it isn't long before the rush is replaced by a creeping remorse. And half of the thing is still left.
The caramel version is far superior to the blueberry, too. If someone put a full caramel cheesecake through a liquidiser and scooped out the contents, it would probably taste something like this. Blueberry, on the other hand, has more of an artificial taste. It's like someone has tried to invent this drink in a lab, and while early results were promising, they're still in the testing phase. It isn't terrible, but something isn't quite right either.
So if you want an experience, go for a small, and opt for the caramel. But if you want a cheesecake, it's probably more satisfying, and not quite as unhealthy, to just order the real thing.
THE LIGHT
Director: Tom Tykwer
Starring: Tala Al Deen, Nicolette Krebitz, Lars Eidinger
Rating: 3/5
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
Dr Afridi's warning signs of digital addiction
Spending an excessive amount of time on the phone.
Neglecting personal, social, or academic responsibilities.
Losing interest in other activities or hobbies that were once enjoyed.
Having withdrawal symptoms like feeling anxious, restless, or upset when the technology is not available.
Experiencing sleep disturbances or changes in sleep patterns.
What are the guidelines?
Under 18 months: Avoid screen time altogether, except for video chatting with family.
Aged 18-24 months: If screens are introduced, it should be high-quality content watched with a caregiver to help the child understand what they are seeing.
Aged 2-5 years: Limit to one-hour per day of high-quality programming, with co-viewing whenever possible.
Aged 6-12 years: Set consistent limits on screen time to ensure it does not interfere with sleep, physical activity, or social interactions.
Teenagers: Encourage a balanced approach – screens should not replace sleep, exercise, or face-to-face socialisation.
Source: American Paediatric Association
Banned items
Dubai Police has also issued a list of banned items at the ground on Sunday. These include:
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Political flags or banners
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Bikes, skateboards or scooters
The Brutalist
Director: Brady Corbet
Stars: Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn
Rating: 3.5/5
Other ways to buy used products in the UAE
UAE insurance firm Al Wathba National Insurance Company (AWNIC) last year launched an e-commerce website with a facility enabling users to buy car wrecks.
Bidders and potential buyers register on the online salvage car auction portal to view vehicles, review condition reports, or arrange physical surveys, and then start bidding for motors they plan to restore or harvest for parts.
Physical salvage car auctions are a common method for insurers around the world to move on heavily damaged vehicles, but AWNIC is one of the few UAE insurers to offer such services online.
For cars and less sizeable items such as bicycles and furniture, Dubizzle is arguably the best-known marketplace for pre-loved.
Founded in 2005, in recent years it has been joined by a plethora of Facebook community pages for shifting used goods, including Abu Dhabi Marketplace, Flea Market UAE and Arabian Ranches Souq Market while sites such as The Luxury Closet and Riot deal largely in second-hand fashion.
At the high-end of the pre-used spectrum, resellers such as Timepiece360.ae, WatchBox Middle East and Watches Market Dubai deal in authenticated second-hand luxury timepieces from brands such as Rolex, Hublot and Tag Heuer, with a warranty.
The%20specs
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GOLF’S RAHMBO
- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)
Sunday's fixtures
- Bournemouth v Southampton, 5.30pm
- Manchester City v West Ham United, 8pm
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
If you go
The flights
The closest international airport for those travelling from the UAE is Denver, Colorado. British Airways (www.ba.com) flies from the UAE via London from Dh3,700 return, including taxes. From there, transfers can be arranged to the ranch or it’s a seven-hour drive. Alternatively, take an internal flight to the counties of Cody, Casper, or Billings
The stay
Red Reflet offers a series of packages, with prices varying depending on season. All meals and activities are included, with prices starting from US$2,218 (Dh7,150) per person for a minimum stay of three nights, including taxes. For more information, visit red-reflet-ranch.net.
Four tips to secure IoT networks
Mohammed Abukhater, vice president at FireEye in the Middle East, said:
- Keep device software up-to-date. Most come with basic operating system, so users should ensure that they always have the latest version
- Besides a strong password, use two-step authentication. There should be a second log-in step like adding a code sent to your mobile number
- Usually smart devices come with many unnecessary features. Users should lock those features that are not required or used frequently
- Always create a different guest network for visitors
