Scott Douglas Jacobsen: A few days ago, Brian Thompson, a 50-year-old CEO of UnitedHealth Group (the parent company of UnitedHealthcare), was fatally shot in New York City. Reports suggest the shooter took a bus to the city and waited for 10 days, apparently targeting Thompson, who was there to speak at an investors' conference. Rick …
Continue reading Ask A Genius 1213: The Murder of Brian Thompson
Rick Rosner: Fox News named Trump "Patriot of the Year" tonight at some ceremony. Scott Douglas Jacobsen: Is that what they call it? Like their annual version of Time's "Person of the Year"? Rosner: I don't think it's an award that has existed before—unless I'm wrong. Cynical people on Twitter are saying this is just …
Continue reading Ask A Genius 1212: Patriot of the Year Latitude
Scott Douglas Jacobsen: How do you feel about the Trump situation coming up in a month? Rick Rosner: Carole is more nervous than I am, but, you know, there are reasons for both optimism and pessimism. On one hand, most Americans oppose many of his policy goals. On the other hand, many Americans aren't paying …
Rick Rosner: You should be aiming for people like Cate Blanchett and Tilda Swinton. When celebrities have projects coming out, they’re open to interviews. You’re a seasoned interviewer with an impressive track record. If celebs become part of your regular beat, you could be known as the interviewer who asks them questions that highlight their …
Rick Rosner: What made American Republicans so bad compared to broader times? How did they get so bad? And that leads to related questions: How did Democrats get this way if they did? And how did things, in general, get so bad? Are today’s Democrats akin to the Republicans of the nineties or 2000s? Has …
Continue reading Ask A Genius 1202: Propaganda Models in the States and Russia
Rick Rosner: What’s going on? Let’s talk about Peanut the Squirrel. Have you heard of Peanut the Squirrel? Scott Douglas Jacobsen: No. What is it? Rosner: This is the latest weird, but oddly unified, Republican push to make people angry at Democrats. Here’s the story: a guy runs an unlicensed wildlife sanctuary—it’s not a big …
Scott Douglas Jacobsen: So, it looks like it was a complete slaughter against the Democrats. Rick Rosner: As far as I know—and I haven’t checked in the last half hour—Harris isn’t even leading the popular vote. I thought it was impossible for Trump to win the popular vote. I assume that when the West Coast …
Continue reading Ask A Genius 1200: The Slaughter of the Dems
Rick Rosner: So, it’s the day after, and Trump has won. You noticed during our chat before we started taping that I was nodding off because I didn’t get much sleep last night. Carole was freaking out, grabbing me, and asking, “What are we going to do? What’s going to happen?” She was also telling …
Continue reading Ask A Genius 1199: The Day After Blues for the Blues
Scott Douglas Jacobsen: What do you think Trump’s first moves will be? What do you think the people around him will do first? Rick Rosner: There have already been reports that Trump is talking with Putin about the Ukraine war, which would be against an Act, I believe. Anyway, it's against the law for someone …
Continue reading Ask A Genius 1198: Trump’s Likely First Moves
*Interview conducted in November, 2024.* Scott Douglas Jacobsen: What is your advice for Hollywood life? Rick Rosner: One piece of advice is act less. Don’t move your arms around a lot. Don’t show an excessive amount of emotion. Say your lines with just a hint of the emotion you think is appropriate or what the …
Rick Rosner 