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Top Racists And Neo-Nazis Back Donald Trump

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He might not want their endorsement, but white nationalists want him.

John Flavell / AP

America's white nationalists have spoken, and they've spoken loud and clear: Donald Trump is their presidential candidate of choice.

From former Ku Klux Klan grand wizard David Duke on down, the proudly racist fringe of the American electorate supports Trump. For his part, the candidate is not welcoming their support.

"I don't need his endorsement," Trump told Bloomberg TV of Duke's praise. "I certainly wouldn't want his endorsement. I don't need anybody's endorsement."

Although he also told Bloomberg on Wednesday that he didn't know anything about Duke, in 2000, Trump even cited Duke as a reason he would not run as the Reform Party candidate. "The Reform Party now includes a Klansman, Mr. Duke, a neo-Nazi, Mr. Buchanan, and a communist, Ms. Fulani," he said at the time. "This is not company I wish to keep."

But, regardless of what Trump wants, at least eight top figures in the marginalized white nationalist movement said — in recent posts, podcasts, and interviews with BuzzFeed News — that they want Trump.

Visitors to the website for the Council of Conservative Citizens — a white nationalist group cited by Charleston church shooter Dylan Roof — will find a steady stream of pro-Trump articles. "Trump Surge Continues," "Jorge Ramos Deported From Trump Press Conference," "Trump's Nationalist Coalition," reads the front page of the site.

Earl Holt, the president of the organization, declined to comment on Trump.

But Jared Taylor, who runs the site American Renaissance — which argues that "one of the most destructive myths of modern times is that people of all races have the same average intelligence" — is an avid supporter of The Donald.

In a recent post, Taylor contended, "If Mr. Trump loses, this could be the last chance whites have to vote for a president who could actually do something useful for them and for their country."

In an interview on Wednesday with BuzzFeed News, Taylor further explained that his support for Trump was based on his desire for whites to remain the majority racial group in the United States.

"Why should whites want to be a minority?" he said. "Answer me that question. Why should we want to celebrate diversity when celebrating diversity means celebrating our dwindling numbers and influence? And to the extent that Trump succeeds in putting the brakes on immigration, he will also be succeeding at reducing the speed with which whites are reduced to a minority."

He added that this was the way "frankly that all whites feel, we just never dare say so."

Brad Griffin, who writes under the pseudonym Hunter Wallace for the white nationalist blog Occidental Dissent ("We don't want to see our peoples be submerged"), said in an interview that he supports Trump for other reasons. In addition to his staunch opposition to immigration, he also noted the candidate's positions on "trade, political correctness, and campaign finance."

"I like the fact that he's funny," Griffin added.

Peter Brimelow, the founder of the extreme anti-immigration Vdare.com, agrees.

"He just shoots from the hip but his hip seems to move in a very good direction," he said on a recent podcast.

"They are stunning," Brimelow said of Trump's immigration proposals. "They were stunning."

"In the Meet the Press interview he gave, just flat-out said they have to go. And he doesn't say that in his actual position paper, but of course it's good news and of course he's right they should go," Brimelow said later. "All of them."

The immigration plan is a particular winner with the white nationalists. In a weekly report last week, Rocky J. Suhayda, chair of the American Nazi Party, similarly praised Trump's immigration policy and attitude.

"Americans of ALL races are FED UP with this ILLEGAL ALIEN INVASION — so he says that he'll BUILD a WALL to keep them out! CHEERS! He states that "Political Correctness" is disgusting and it's time to STOP IT! More CHEERS! He DARES to turn his guns on the paid morons of the system controlled MEDIA! And regular folks LOVE it," he wrote.

On a recent podcast, Stormfront radio co-host Don Advo affirmed Ann Coulter's description of Trump's immigration plan as "the greatest political document since the Magna Carta" — though he noted that was "a little bit of an exaggeration, but not very much of one."

Trump's critics, Advo said, are people "living on the pieces of silver that they get from their Jewish paymasters so that they can preside over our extermination, our disposition, and our ultimate disappearance from the face of the earth."

Advo's anti-Semitic language was in reference to conservative commentators like Michael Medved, Hugh Hewitt, and David Brooks.

On his podcast, Richard B. Spencer, the president of the white nationalist National Policy Institute, said while what Trump is saying isn't that different from other Republicans, Trump's passion "inspired" him.

"Trump says things, says these in a way — mundane things — with such gusto, with such visceral energy and toughness, that's why he's gotten under the skin of his critics and that's why he's kind of inspired people like me is because he gives us the impression that he gets it maybe on a visceral level and maybe not on an intellectual or policy level," Spencer said.

This mirrors the comments of Advo, who believes that whether or not Trump wins, his campaign is "gonna give people the ability to come openly out of the shadows and really work very hard for something that will have a lasting effect."

"This anger, this fire, is not going to go away," he said. "It's not going to go away at all. And that has not been noticed by the neocons — or perhaps we should them neo-Cohens — in the Republican Party."

Sentiments like those are not uncommon among white nationalist Trump defenders.

Andrew Anglin, who edits the neo-Nazi website The Daily Stormer, wrote an article on Wednesday contending that New Yorker writer Evan Osnos' recent story on white nationalist support for Trump was a product of the author being a "super-Jew."

"The Jew activism against Trump is just beginning," Anglin wrote. "Osnos' piece has set a narrative that people who support The Donald are 'neo-Nazis' and the rest of the Jew media is already running with it. Huffington Post just did a piece on it, and I've gotten three emails from newspapers plus one from CNN asking for comments on Trump."

Anglin clarified on Wednesday via email what he meant by "Jew activism against Trump," suggesting that BuzzFeed News was involved in this conspiracy, in spite of Trump framing himself, "for decades, as a proponent of the Jewish people."

"Although it is a bit ridiculous for me to explain what I mean by 'Jew activism' to a BuzzFeed reporter," Anglin wrote, "what I refer to is the Jewish-controlled media outlets and political groups which act in concert to push what can only be, in objective terms, viewed as a collective ethnic agenda."

He continued, "Aside from lobbying for unlimited money and weapons to be sent to Israel forever, lobbying for unlimited mass non-white immigration has for decades been at the core of Jewish political activism. All of these Jewish groups are entirely obsessed with flooding America with brown people.

"As such, I don't think Trump's repeatedly stated support for Israel is going to mean much to these aggressive ethnic activists, and they will instead throw their massive political and media clout behind trying to thwart him."

Yet there is also some doubt within the white nationalist ranks regarding whether Trump will be effective and whether he is sincere.

Asked about a comment Trump made Tuesday on the Simon Conway Show — "We have to bring the people out," but that it would be "very warm and humane" — Taylor, the American Renaissance editor, said, "If he does it in a warm and humane way, then he will ensure that practically no one actually self-deports. So I think that's a stupid idea and a very ineffective one."

Taylor has previously argued that an effective strategy of encouraging self-deportation would be to broadcast "television images of Mexican families dropped over the border with no more than they could carry."

In the same vein, Griffin, the Occidental Dissent blogger, said, "It troubles me that he wants to deport all the illegal aliens and then let them back."

After having called himself a supporter earlier in the conversation, Griffin added, "I'm not really supporting him at the moment. I'm kind of leaning toward it."

On his podcast, Don Black, a former KKK grand dragon who runs the popular white nationalist Stormfront.org, said he was skeptical of Trump. "He's by no means our savior," Black said of Trump's policy ideas on immigration, but added that he would "take what I can get for now."

By the same token, Taylor says he will remain behind Trump regardless of his doubts, because he's "the best of a very sorry lot."

And when asked whom he would support if something happened to Trump's campaign, Taylor would not answer.

"I realize that the purpose of your article is to discredit Donald Trump by, 'Look at these wicked horrible people who support him,'" he said, "so I don't think I would give you any ammunition against any other candidate."


Here's What Alcohol Actually Does To Your Sex Life

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Blame it on the a-a-a-a-a-alcohol.

Alice Monkongollite / Via BuzzFeed

There are lots of reasons why alcohol sometimes makes you want to take your clothes off.

Obviously alcohol affects everyone differently, but it's not uncommon to be a little more open, comfortable, and excited about having sex after a drink or two (or several). But the psychological and physiological effects of alcohol on your sex life are a little more complicated than that. So BuzzFeed Life reached out to a few experts to explain what really happens when you mix booze and sex.

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Booze affects your brain, often making you less inhibited and more relaxed.

The brain is the body's biggest sex organ, Dr. Madeleine Castellanos, board-certified psychiatrist specializing in sex therapy and author of Wanting to Want, tells Buzzfeed Life. So it makes sense that any substance that affects your mind will have a big impact on your sex life. In this case, that alcohol is shutting down some of the processes of the brain, typically making you more impulsive and less anxious.

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But despite what tequila might try to tell you, alcohol isn't actually an aphrodisiac.

Some people mistake the decrease in inhibitions as an increase in arousal and believe that alcohol has magical aphrodisiac effects. But the drinks aren't really activating any unknown sexual part of your brain — it just disinhibits you. "Those sexual curiosities and desires already exist inside your head, and when you drink they can come to the surface, because the parts of your brain which tell you 'No that's not a good idea' or 'I wouldn't feel comfortable doing that' are shutting down," Dr. Jennifer Berman, urologist and female sexual health expert, tells BuzzFeed Life.

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21 Weird Things You Won't Know Unless You're A Parent

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Having kids is even weirder than you think.

There are many unusual things women do to try to induce labor — including dancing to "Thriller."

There are many unusual things women do to try to induce labor — including dancing to "Thriller."

Other ways women try to induce labor include having sex, eating spicy food, drinking castor oil, and acupuncture.

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Many women experience uncontrollable shaking when giving birth.

Many women experience uncontrollable shaking when giving birth.

"Labor shakes" are normal and a result of increased hormones during labor.

ABC / Via 973stephanie.com

It is very common for women to poop on the table when pushing during labor.

It is very common for women to poop on the table when pushing during labor.

This sounds mortifying, but moms rarely care too much when it happens because they're busy, you know, giving life. The doctors and nurses don't care either — they see it every day.

Fox Searchlight

Speaking of pushing, a mom has more pushing to do after she's given birth to her baby.

Speaking of pushing, a mom has more pushing to do after she's given birth to her baby.

Once the baby is born, a mom must push out the placenta (also known as afterbirth).

Fox


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The Tesla Model S Is Apparently Better Than Perfect

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The new sedan broke Consumer Reports’ ranking system with a 103 out of 100.

The new Tesla P85D — the all-wheel drive version of the company's 4-door Model S — just got an insane score from Consumer Reports.

The new Tesla P85D — the all-wheel drive version of the company's 4-door Model S — just got an insane score from Consumer Reports.

Tesla

Based on the magazine's traditional car-rating metrics, the Tesla received a score of 103/100.

Because you can't actually get 103/100, the score was downgraded to a simple 100/100.

Because you can't actually get 103/100, the score was downgraded to a simple 100/100.

Jeff Chiu / AP


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HIV Testing Is Down And STDs Are Up As New York City Closes Free Clinics

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New York City has quietly shuttered its busiest STD clinic, and the city has cut hundreds of thousands of free HIV tests since 2010. City officials blame a shrinking budget, but AIDS activists say it’s putting many people at risk.

© Owsspawg / Via Dreamstime.com

New York City, which has one of the country's highest rates of new HIV infections, has been quietly cutting many of the prevention services needed to fight the epidemic, according to many AIDS advocates.

Over the past five years, the city's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) has cut hundreds of thousands of HIV tests, closed several free STD clinics, and witnessed a significant rise in STDs such as syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia, according to a report released to BuzzFeed News by two AIDS activist organizations, ACT UP and the Treatment Action Group. Visits to city-run STD clinics have also dropped by roughly one-third — a loss of 40,000 per year.

The city has been making these changes discreetly, the report alleges, "unbeknownst to activists, community members, and contrary to much public rhetoric."

City officials confirmed that services have been cut back. According to Demetre Daskalakis, the city's assistant health commissioner in charge of the Bureau of HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control, the major reason is money: The city's budget for disease control has dropped 38% since 2008.

"Were there funding cuts in New York that have caused significant decreases in services at the STD clinics? Yes. Do we need to fix them? Yes. Are we working as a department to fix them? Yes," said Daskalakis, who took charge of the city's HIV program last year.

But Daskalakis also said that the drop in city-funded testing does not necessarily mean that people aren't getting tested elsewhere, as more individuals seek testing through private insurance or Obamacare.

"New Yorkers are getting tested for HIV, but because New York state is a wonderland of coverage, a lot of that is happening through health care," Daskalakis said. But there are no hard numbers showing how many people are getting tested elsewhere.

HIV testing is the first step in getting high-risk individuals into the health care system and preventing the disease from spreading — particularly when combined with condoms and HIV prevention drugs such as Truvada, often available at STD clinics.

On March 23, New York City closed its most popular free STD clinic, in Chelsea, the neighborhood with the highest rate of HIV infections. The clinic is slated to re-open after a hefty renovation, but that's several years away. This follows the permanent closing of two less popular clinics — in East Harlem and Staten Island — in 2010 and 2013, respectively.

This abrupt closure of the Chelsea clinic spurred ACT UP to investigate the city's other efforts towards sexual health. On September 1 the organization will hold a town hall meeting to discuss what it calls "the indifferent and incompetent response of Mayor Bill de Blasio and his health department."

The city's actions are particularly disappointing, said Jim Eigo, a long-time activist with ACT UP, because of the statewide "Ending the Epidemic" campaign, investing some $10 million into testing, treatment, and prevention efforts. But the city, because of budget cuts, "is cutting back more and more and more," Eigo said.

HIV Tests At City-Funded Clinics From 2009-2015

HIV Tests At City-Funded Clinics From 2009-2015

James Krellenstein, from email correspondence with Demetre Daskalakis

Though they've fluctuated slightly since, the number of tests given in 2014 — at 212,701 — is still 110,000 lower than the 2010 figure.

This adds up to a cumulative loss of over 400,000 HIV tests given by the city since the drop began in 2010.

According to the city, there are many reasons for the drop in HIV testing. First, the budget for the Disease Control Division of DOHMH has been slashed from over $85.5 million in 2008 to $53 million this year.

"We're working really hard to undo the damage that has been done through funding cuts in New York City," Daskalakis said.

But city officials also argue that more individuals are seeking care through other means, diminishing the role of the free STD clinic as a testing provider of last resort.

That, Daskalakis argues, could actually be a good thing, as testing and treatment options become more well-distributed across the city. "The fewer people we have to pay for as a provider of last resort for HIV testing, the more successful we are in doing our job," he said.

Because non-DOHMH health providers do not need to report HIV tests that turn up negative, however, no city-wide numbers exist that can definitively say how many people are receiving testing elsewhere.

AIDS advocates don't agree with Daskalakis' assessment. They point out that the city's free clinics target high-risk groups — such as young gay men of color — who don't have private health care.

And testing is crucial for curbing the epidemic, especially when paired with recent pharmaceutical advancements. In 2012, the pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) drug Truvada debuted, which can prevent the spread of HIV.

Daskalakis was an early champion of PrEP, adding to New York City's legacy of making enormous strides in fighting the HIV/AIDS epidemic over the years. In 2012, for the first time since the early 1980s, when AIDS ravaged the city's gay population, HIV ceased to be on the list of top ten causes of death for people in the city. Rates of HIV diagnosis have fallen steadily, even in the last decade, from 5,496 in 2003 to 2,832 in 2013 — a nearly 36% fall.

But the success has slowed in recent years, and many advocates stress that now is not the time to reduce access to HIV tests, particularly for people with fewer options.

"I think it's safe to say that we aren't yet meeting the needs of the people who need it the most," Mitchell Warren, executive director of AVAC, a global HIV-prevention advocacy group, told BuzzFeed News. "I don't think we're there in New York City, or anywhere."


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A Cree Woman From Canada Just Won Mrs. Universe 2015

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Ashley Burnham is from Enoch Cree Nation in Alberta.

Ashley Burnham, a member of Enoch Cree Nation in Alberta, was just crowned Mrs. Universe 2015 at an event held today in Minsk, Belarus. She is the first First Nations woman and the first Canadian to win.

Burnham, whose maiden name is Callingbull, is a model and actress. She posted about the win on her Instagram account:

"I'm so proud to say I am now the new @mrsuniverse2015 !!! I am the first First Nations woman to win this title! I am also the first Canadian Delegate to win as well!! Sooooooo happy right now!"

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Her win has resulted in an outpouring of congratulations from First Nations people and organizations.

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Sam Stanley Is The First English Rugby Union Player To Come Out As Gay

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“It is such a relief,” the 23-year-old international centre told The Sunday Times.

Sam Stanley, a rugby union centre for England Sevens, has come out as gay in an interview with The Sunday Times.

Sam Stanley, a rugby union centre for England Sevens, has come out as gay in an interview with The Sunday Times.

Stanley of England in action against Scotland during the Tokyo Sevens in March 2014.

Atsushi Tomura / Getty Images

Stanley, who comes from a famous rugby family, played for Saracens, as well as for England U16 and U18. He is currently playing for Ealing Trailfinders.

In the Sunday Times interview, Stanley, who realised he may have been gay at age 10 or 11, talked about how he had felt suicidal in the past because of the struggle with his sexuality.

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"I was standing on a bridge about four or five years ago, overlooking a motorway in Essex," he said. "However, looking back, the idea that I would jump was ridiculous, but it was as if I was thinking that I could get rid of the pain in one go.

"You are so worried about what people will think, and I thought I couldn't be a macho rugby player the way I was, and there was nothing else I wanted to do with my life."


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21 Insanely Easy Things To Do On Sunday To Prep For The Best Week Ever

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Because Mondays really don’t have to be so awful.

Jenny Chang / BuzzFeed

Your to-do list for Sunday may look this:

But this doesn't always prepare you for a great Monday or a productive week ahead.

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But with just a few of these tips you can hack your Sunday for the best week ever.

But with just a few of these tips you can hack your Sunday for the best week ever.

Okay, get to it!

TV Asahi / Via gif-database.tumblr.com

Toss everything that's expired or questionable in your fridge.

Grab anything that's definitely gone bad or just all the leftovers you know you're not going to eat. If you do a regular clean every week, it'll always be quick and easy, whereas those monthly purges could get gross and take forever.

Here are some awesome hacks that will help you keep your refrigerator clean and organized.

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Chrissie Hynde Has Said That Dressing "Provocatively" Entices Rapists

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“If you’re wearing something that says ‘Come and f*** me’, you’d better be good on your feet.” the founding member of The Pretenders told The Sunday Times.

Chrissie Hynde, best known for being a member of the 80's rock band The Pretenders, has come under fire for making controversial comments about sexual assault.

Chrissie Hynde, best known for being a member of the 80's rock band The Pretenders, has come under fire for making controversial comments about sexual assault.

Terry Wyatt / Getty Images

One night when she high on drugs, a 21 year old Hynde encountered a notorious motorcycle gang in Ohio who invited her along to a party. Hynde accepted, but instead of being taken to the party as promised, was instead taken to an abandoned warehouse where she was forced to perform sexual acts on the group.

When her reaction in the book is questioned by the interviewer, her response is frank: "They're motorcycle guys! If you play with fire you get burnt. It's not any secret, is it?"

Hynde goes on to say: “If I’m walking around in my underwear and I’m drunk? Who else’s fault can it be?”

Hynde goes on to say: “If I’m walking around in my underwear and I’m drunk? Who else’s fault can it be?”

Ian Gavan / Getty Images


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17 Cat Vines That Will Make You Laugh Every Time

Delta Goodrem's Opinion On 15 Random Things

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AKA the day we told Delta about Dadbods.

Delta Goodrem, the multi-talented singer-songwriter, Voice Australia judge and queen of Emojis, stopped by the BuzzFeed Oz office to visit us, so we grilled her for her opinion on everything from kale smoothies to dadbods. Here's how it went down.

Anna Mendoza for BuzzFeed

Kale smoothies.

Kale smoothies.

BuzzFeed

Coffee.

Coffee.

BuzzFeed

Wearing hats indoors.

Wearing hats indoors.

"Yeah, I'm for it! you can wear your hat inside. If you wanna wear a tiara inside, you can wear them inside, if you wanna wear devil ears, you can wear them inside. Do whatever you want!"

BuzzFeed


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Shah Rukh Khan Helped This Guy Ask A Girl To Prom In The Most Amazing Way

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She said yes!

It's a well known fact that Shah Rukh Khan is adorably supportive of his fans on Twitter.

It's a well known fact that Shah Rukh Khan is adorably supportive of his fans on Twitter.

Via Twitter: @iamsrk

A few months ago, when a fan from Washington wanted to ask a girl to prom, he turned to the king of romance for help.

A few months ago, when a fan from Washington wanted to ask a girl to prom, he turned to the king of romance for help.

Via Twitter: @sarthakkher

King Khan replied, of course. But it didn't seem like it would be much help.

King Khan replied, of course. But it didn't seem like it would be much help.

Via Twitter: @sarthakkher

Sarthak Kher, the dude who needed promposal help, figured out a way to use SRK’s reply anyway.

Sarthak Kher, the dude who needed promposal help, figured out a way to use SRK’s reply anyway.

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The Real Media Machine Behind Trump: Conservative Talk Radio

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Scott Olson / Getty Images

WASHINGTON — “I’m for Trump,” conservative talk radio host Michael Savage told listeners last month. “Point blank, best choice we have.”

Right now, the lead video on the radio host’s YouTube channel is an “exciting, must-see compilation set to music” of Trump moments from this summer.

The symbiotic relationship between Donald Trump and cable news is well established. But what’s gotten less attention this summer beyond frustrated conservative circles online is another media engine driving Trump: good old-fashioned talk radio.

For weeks, some of the biggest names in conservative talk radio — Rush Limbaugh, Mark Levin, Laura Ingraham, Sean Hannity, and Savage — have praised Trump and his bashing of the politically correct left and Republican establishment.

But the conservative talkers are also pushing his rhetoric on immigration and his vow to revoke birthright citizenship for the children of undocumented immigrants — and delivering that content straight to their millions of listeners.

Unlike cable news, conservative talk radio speaks directly to the disaffected conservative base fueling Trump’s rise. Rush Limbaugh’s is still the most-listened-to talk radio program in the country, pulling in 13 and a quarter million weekly listeners, according to estimates in Talkers magazine, an industry publication (Limbaugh himself has estimated it in the past at 20 million). Talkers puts Sean Hannity in second, with 12.5 million. Mark Levin ties with Glenn Beck (a Trump critic) for fourth, with 7 million. Savage has more than 5 million, according to Talkers’ estimates.

And if you’re someone who listens to a lot of talk radio, you can go from Ingraham to Limbaugh to Hannity or Savage to Levin in a day and hear nary a word of displeasure with Trump.

“I liken the bond between hosts and their listeners to a friendship,” said Brian Rosenwald, a University of Pennsylvania professor who has studied conservative talk radio. “Politically, the result of this bond is that when hosts talk to listeners about a candidate or bill it’s like having your brother-in-law or best friend tell you about the candidate or bill.”

Though many hosts have avoided a formal endorsement, they’ve heaped praise on the candidate and signaled to their listeners that Trump is their guy.

“I’m not endorsing anybody as you well know, but the fact of the matter is I like the way this guy talks,” Levin said this week on Hannity’s Fox News show. Ingraham has framed her posture towards Trump as “analyzing Trump’s appeal.”

The praise is often couched as praise of Trump’s supporters and of Trump’s connection with them.

“I watched this thing last night,” Limbaugh said on Wednesday’s program. “I happened to get on the airplane to catch maybe the last 30 minutes of it on the way home, and the last 10 minutes of what Trump did last night sealed the deal,” Limbaugh said, referring to Trump’s appearance in Dubuque, Iowa.

“I mean, the sincerity, the appreciation for the audience that showed up. He gave every indication. He left no doubt how much he loved those people that showed up, how much he respects them, how much their presence means to him. All the braggadocio aside, all of the showmanship and the flamboyance, all of that aside, Donald Trump let them know at the end of everything else he said how deeply touched and moved he is by their support, by their belief in him.”

It’s hard to tell whether the hosts actually really like Trump, whose conservative bona fides fall apart the minute the discussion goes beyond immigration, or whether they’re more concerned with pleasing their audience and with keeping the focus on the immigration debate that fires up the base. Trump, after all, has supported many positions antithetical to conservative orthodoxy over the years — universal health care, a pro-choice approach to abortion (since reversed), banning assault weapons, and so forth.

That inconsistency hasn’t gone unnoticed in conservative circles, where it’s vexed the vocal Trump opposition.

Rick Wilson, a Republican strategist who has come under attack from fellow conservatives for opposing Trump, said that he thought conservative talk radio’s focus on Trump is a ploy to please listeners and keep them tuned in. The conservative media is more crowded than ever with sources of information, and though they still command large audiences, talkers don’t have the same kind of hegemony they once did.

“The get out of jail free card of ‘I'm not with Trump but isn't he awesome about The Wall/Those Damn Dirty Mexicans/Bush/Megyn Kelly/the media/topic du jour’ is a mighty tiny fig leaf,” Wilson said. “Of course, they're in the phase where they've monetized Trump mania, so they have to keep stoking the story and stirring their audiences with ever-more-grandiose paeans to Trump's godhood.”

“Fealty to Trump demands the broadcasters fully buy in to the Trump Reality Distortion Field, or be cast into the outer darkness,” Wilson said. “I mean, this isn't a new observation, but Fox News is no longer conservative enough in their eyes. I heard a Newsmax promo this week that said, ‘Tune in to Newsmax TV to get the real story from Ted Cruz... without the Fox News filter.’”

Fox News has been supplanted as the voice of the base, if it ever was. For all the hemming and hawing in recent years about talk radio’s supposed decline in influence, there’s still no purer media ecosystem for the ideas that animate conservatives. If Rush Limbaugh or Mark Levin or Sean Hannity or Laura Ingraham decide that birthright citizenship is going to be a big issue, then lo, it becomes the issue of the week, or month. Ingraham was one of the biggest voices championing Rep. David Brat before his upset win over Eric Cantor. Limbaugh especially has a proven record of this; in a New York Times story in 2008, Karl Rove said he thought Limbaugh’s “Operation Chaos” may actually have tipped the Texas primary Hillary Clinton’s way.

And Limbaugh positions himself as no unaware actor. On his program on Aug. 18, he gave a representative précis of the talk radio position in response to a caller who called in and implied that Limbaugh is supporting Trump:

“Do you understand that I always have a purpose?” Limbaugh said. “Do you realize nothing is haphazard? You're wondering why I'm supporting Trump. Who says I am? Have I announced specifically that I am, or are you perceiving it? A better question would be: If you think that, why? And I can't go any further. I did with my brother last night. It's on record, if I have to go back and prove this, and I told Snerdley this morning about this. But I can't go any further here. It is what it is. I know it's a cliche.”

Limbaugh’s show is less generation of the policies themselves than a mechanism for spreading the ideas far and wide. “In truth, Limbaugh is less a theoretician than a popularizer of what he regards as the correct conservative responses to contemporary issues,” that same 2008 Times story, by Limbaugh and Roger Ailes biographer Zev Chafets, argued.

And right now, Trump’s embrace of hardline immigration ideas like ending birthright citizenship matches up perfectly with the policies that some of these hosts have been promoting for some time. The Trump-inspired debate over immigration is allowing them to mainstream ideas that once didn’t have much purchase, the birthright citizenship question being a notable recent example. Both Levin and Limbaugh have seized on a quote by Sen. Jacob Howard, the original sponsor of the Citizenship Clause, that they’re using to bolster their case that the 14th amendment doesn’t guarantee citizenship to the children of people in the country illegally. Laura Ingraham has also referenced it.

Talk radio hasn’t totally been a monolith for Trump. Several of the major hosts, most notably Glenn Beck, have been either skeptical or downright hostile to the frontrunner. Beck in particular has gone after Trump early and often, calling him a “flaming body part” after his announcement and a “son of a bitch” after the first primary debate earlier this month in Cleveland. Beck has also criticized his peers in the conservative media for supporting Trump.

“Why are big name ‘conservatives’ supporting him?” Beck asked on his Facebook page earlier this month. “I am not talking about the average Joe, I am talking about Sean Hannity or Ann Colter [sic]. How about Savage or Rush? These are smart people. What am I missing? Just based on his favorability ratings he could never win in a general. Research shows that he may be near his ceiling now. Are they just trying to hold on to those disenfranchised republicans and keep them in the fold?”

And for Hannity, the situation has been complicated by Trump’s war with Fox News following the Fox moderators’ tough questioning of him in the debate. Though Hannity is positive on Trump, he’s stood up for his colleague Megyn Kelly who has borne the brunt of Trump’s attacks. He told his “friend” Trump to “leave Megyn Kelly alone” on Twitter this week and later expanded on the criticism, saying on his radio show on Tuesday that Trump needs to focus more on the issues.

There’s also a case to be made that Trump is famous enough that he didn’t need talk radio in the first place. Hugh Hewitt, who has been skeptical of Trump and asked him tough questions but hasn’t declared war like Beck, said he thought that Trump would have reached this level even without talk radio’s help.

“Donald Trump is a ratings phenomenon that would exist even if every talker in America suddenly went silent for the next year,” Hewitt said. “He has a built-in audience by virtue of his decades in the spotlight, his television and publishing success, and of course his overall profile as a deal-making maestro. Yes, we all talk about him — I'd gladly open every show with him if he was available, and all four times he has appeared with me have been great — but his appeal is independent of talk radio.”

When My Parent Passed Away

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“Cherish the time you have with them”

BuzzFeed Video / Via youtu.be

Your Weekly Gossip Roundup: Ashley Madison Hack Takes Over Hollywood, Zendaya Has A Message For Her Haters, And More

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Find out what happened with your favorite celebs this week.

Looks like Josh Duggar isn't the only well-known name revealed from the Ashley Madison leak. This week we also learned that Josh Taekman, husband of Real Housewife Kristen Taekman, also signed up for an account. But that's not it — it was reported that Jionni LaValle, who's the husband of Jersey Shore alum Nicole Polizzi aka Snooki appears to have had an account on the website, which Snooki has vehemently denied.

Janette Pellegrini / Via Getty Images

Note to self: If you mess with Zendaya, she will come for you. Earlier this week, some Twitter users decided to use the platform to make fun of Zendaya's parents. But since Zendaya is a badass, she wrote a heartfelt message defending them.

Jason Merritt / Via Getty Images

Julianne Hough is a dancer, actress, singer, and can now call herself a... bride to be! The Dancing with the Stars star is engaged to boyfriend Brooks Laich. No word yet on whether the first dance will be a cha cha, rumba, samba, or jive.

Araya Diaz / Via Getty Images

Amy Purdy is married! The Dancing with the Stars finalist exchanged vows with fiancé Daniel Gale in Idaho on Saturday.

It was revealed this week that reality star Jill Connors was arrested way back on Aug. 13 for alleged battery involving her husband John Connors. The two appear on the current season of Married to Medicine, which is awkward, considering the fact that Jill reportedly filed for divorce from the doctor six days after the incident.

In devastating news, Broadway star Kyle Jean-Baptise passed away after falling from a fire escape at the age of 21. Kyle was the first African American to play Jean Valjean in a Broadway production of Les Misérables.

Actors Robin Wright and Ben Foster have called it quits... again. The on-again off-again couple are apparently very off now, ending their engagement.

Ballin'! NBA player Russell Westbrook married love Nina Earl this past weekend in Beverly Hills. Guessing that the shortest person there was 6 feet.

Awkward... Reality star Tila Tequila was kicked off of Celebrity Big Brother in the U.K. after producers learned she had some interesting tweets back in 2013. What were they about? Oh, just praising a dude named Adolf Hitler.

Legendary horror auteur Wes Craven passed away Sunday of brain cancer. He was 76 years old.


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5 Great Books To Read In September

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A roundup of recent favorites we’ve reviewed in the BuzzFeed Books newsletter.

Mollie Shafer-Schweig / BuzzFeed

Harper

Graham Webster


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For Everyone Who Was Obsessed With "My So-Called Life"

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The most underrated teen show ever.

For those that don't know, My So-Called Life, starring a baby Claire Danes and a young, brooding Jared Leto, was goddamn iconic in the '90s.

For those that don't know, My So-Called Life, starring a baby Claire Danes and a young, brooding Jared Leto, was goddamn iconic in the '90s.

ABC

The show touched on major issues for teens, in an educational, heartfelt and emotional way.

ABC


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A Girl Got A Clever Tattoo To Get The Conversation Going About Depression

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A great way to get the conversation started.

Bekah Miles, a 20-year-old student at George Fox University in Newberg, Oregon, has made a big splash by helping to bring attention to a pressing mental health issue.

Bekah Miles, a 20-year-old student at George Fox University in Newberg, Oregon, has made a big splash by helping to bring attention to a pressing mental health issue.

Facebook: bekahbearrr

After being diagnosed with depression last year, Miles decided she wanted to do something to get a conversation started about the condition.

instagram.com

Last week, she got a tattoo that at first appears to read "I'm fine." But when you look at it from her perspective from above, it reads "Save me." The picture was accompanied by some of her thoughts on depression.

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Facebook: bekahbearrr

Last year, I was diagnosed with depression. And in all honesty, I believe it was a problem for quite a while before that, but I think it just got worse to the point of hardly functioning.

So today, I got this tattoo. I feel that my leg was the best place for the meaning behind it. When everyone else sees it, they see "I'm fine," but from my viewpoint, it reads "save me." To me, it means that others see this person that seems okay, but, in reality, is not okay at all. It reminds me that people who may appear happy, may be at battle with themselves.


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The 27 Absolute Best Moments From The 2015 VMAs

This Woman Faced A Torrent Of Abuse After Her Tinder Profile Was Uploaded To Facebook

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“It’s people like you who make it clear women should never have been given rights.”

This is Olivia Melville. Last week Olivia was the subject of a torrent of online abuse after a screenshot of her Tinder profile was uploaded to a stranger's Facebook.

This is Olivia Melville. Last week Olivia was the subject of a torrent of online abuse after a screenshot of her Tinder profile was uploaded to a stranger's Facebook.

Facebook

Most of the attention came because of Olivia's Tinder bio, "Type of girl that will suck you dry and then eat some lunch with you", which is a quote from a Drake song. The abuse that followed was both vile and extreme.

Olivia was made aware of her profile being shared on Facebook by a mutual friend, and as she alerted her own friends they came to her defence.

Olivia was made aware of her profile being shared on Facebook by a mutual friend, and as she alerted her own friends they came to her defence.

Facebook / Via newmatilda.com

But as the post was shared and liked across Facebook, more and more people got involved.

But as the post was shared and liked across Facebook, more and more people got involved.

Facebook / Via newmatilda.com


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