The 2018 Teen Choice Awards.

The 2018 Teen Choice Awards on August 12th, 2018 (E! News). Were broadcast live from The Forum at 8 p.m. ET on FOX. Nick Cannon hosted the annual award ceremony, where Lele Pons served as his co-host.

Candace Cameron Bure, Sabrina Carpenter, Auli'i Cravalho, Noah Cyrus, Nina Dobrev, Grant Gustin, Lucy Hale, Olivia Holt, Lauren Jauregui, Anna Kendrick, Chloe Kim, Chloë Grace Moretz, Normani, Chris Pratt, Nick Robinson, Troye Sivan and Maddie Ziegler all walked the pink carpet. Performers included Khalid, Lauv, Evvie McKinney, Bebe Rexha and Meghan Trainor.

This article will be updated in real time as the winners are announced.

MOVIES

Choice Action Movie
Avengers: Infinity War — WINNER 

Choice Action Movie Actor
Robert Downey Jr., Avengers: Infinity War — WINNER

Choice Action Movie Actress
Scarlett Johansson, Avengers: Infinity War — WINNER

Choice Sci-Fi Movie
Black Panther — WINNER

Choice Sci-Fi Movie Actor
Chris Hemsworth, Thor: Ragnarok — WINNER

Choice Sci-Fi Movie Actress
Letitia Wright, Black Panther — WINNER 

Choice Fantasy Movie
Coco — WINNER

Choice Fantasy Movie Actor
Anthony Gonzalez, Coco — WINNER

Choice Fantasy Movie Actress
Carrie Fisher, Star Wars: The Last Jedi — WINNER

Choice Drama Movie
The Greatest Showman — WINNER

Choice Drama Movie Actor
Zac Efron, The Greatest Showman — WINNER 

Choice Drama Movie Actress
Zendaya, The Greatest Showman — WINNER

Choice Comedy Movie
Love, Simon — WINNER

Choice Comedy Movie Actor
Dwayne Johnson, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle — WINNER

Choice Comedy Movie Actress
Anna Kendrick, Pitch Perfect 3 — WINNER

Choice Movie Villain
Michael B. Jordan, Black Panther — WINNER

Choice Breakout Movie Star
Nick Robinson, Love, Simon — WINNER

Choice Movie Ship
Zac Efron and Zendaya, The Greatest Showman — WINNERS

Choice Summer Movie
Incredibles 2 — WINNER

Choice Summer Movie Actor
Chris Pratt, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom — WINNER

Choice Summer Movie Actress
Bryce Dallas Howard, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom — WINNER

MOVIES AND TELEVISION


Choice Liplock
Cole Sprouse and Lili Reinhart, Riverdale — WINNER

Choice Hissy Fit
Madelaine Petsch, Riverdale — WINNER

Choice Scene Stealer
Vanessa Morgan, Riverdale — WINNER


TELEVISION

Choice Drama TV Show
Riverdale — WINNER

 











Choice Drama TV Actor
Cole Sprouse, Riverdale — WINNER 

Choice Drama TV Actress
Lili Reinhart Riverdale — WINNER
 
Choice Sci-Fi/Fantasy TV Show
Shadowhunters: The Mortal Instruments — WINNER

Choice Sci-Fi/Fantasy TV Actor
Matthew Daddario, Shadowhunters: The Mortal Instruments — WINNER 

Choice Sci-Fi/Fantasy TV Actress
Millie Bobby Brown, Stranger Things — WINNER

Choice Action TV Show
The Flash — WINNER

Choice Action TV Actor
Grant Gustin, The Flash — WINNER

Choice Action TV Actress
Melissa Benoist, Supergirl — WINNER

Choice Comedy TV Show
The Big Bang Theory — WINNER

Choice Comedy TV Actor
Jaime Camil, Jane the Virgin — WINNER

Choice Comedy TV Actress
Gina Rodriguez, Jane the Virgin — WINNER

Choice Animated TV Show
Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir — WINNER

Choice Reality TV Show
Keeping Up with the Kardashians — WINNER

Choice Throwback TV Show
Friends — WINNER

Choice TV Personality
Chrissy Teigen, Lip Sync Battle — WINNER

Choice TV Villain
Mark Consuelos, Riverdale — WINNER 

Choice Breakout TV Show
On My Block — WINNER

Choice Breakout TV Star
Vanessa Morgan, Riverdale — WINNER

Choice TV Ship
Cole Sprouse and Lili Reinhart, Riverdale — WINNER

Choice Summer TV Show
So You Think You Can Dance — WINNER

Choice Summer TV Star
Olivia Holt, Marvel's Cloak & Dagger — WINNER

MUSIC

Choice Male Artist

Louis Tomlinson — WINNER

Choice Female Artist

Camila Cabello — WINNER

Choice Music Group

5 Seconds of Summer — WINNER

Choice Country Artist

Carrie Underwood — WINNER

Choice Electronic/Dance Artist

The Chainsmokers — WINNER

Choice Latin Artist

CNCO — WINNER

Choice R&B/Hip-Hop Artist

Cardi B — WINNER

Choice Rock Artist

Imagine Dragons — WINNER

Choice Song: Female Artist

Camila Cabello, "Havana (feat. Young Thug)" — WINNER

Choice Song: Male Artist

Ed Sheeran, "Perfect" — WINNER

Choice Song: Group

5 Seconds of Summer, "Youngblood" — WINNER

Choice Collaboration

Zac Efron and Zendaya, "Rewrite the Stars" — WINNER

Choice Pop Song

Shawn Mendes, "In My Blood" — WINNER

Choice Country Song

Bebe Rexha, "Meant to Be (feat. Florida Georgia Line)" — WINNER

Choice Electronic/Dance Song

Steve Aoki and Lauren Jauregui, "All Night" — WINNERS

Choice Latin Song

Liam Payne and J Balvin, "Familiar" — WINNER

Choice R&B/Hip-Hop Song

Khalid and Normani, "Love Lies" — WINNER

Choice Rock/Alternative Song

Imagine Dragons, "Whatever It Takes" — WINNER

Choice Breakout Artist

Khalid — WINNER

Choice Next Big Thing

Jackson Wang — WINNER

Choice International Artist

BTS — WINNER

Choice Summer Song

Selena Gomez, "Back to You" — WINNER

Choice Summer Female Artist

Camila Cabello — WINNER

Choice Summer Male Artist

Shawn Mendes — WINNER

Choice Summer Group

5 Seconds of Summer — WINNER

Choice Summer Tour

Harry Styles, Live on Tour — WINNER

SPORTS

Choice Male Athlete

LeBron James — WINNER

Choice Female Athlete

Serena Williams — WINNER

DIGITAL

Choice Female Web Star

Liza Koshy — WINNER

Choice Male Web Star

The Dolan Twins — WINNERS

Choice Comedy Web Star

Liza Koshy — WINNER

Choice Music Web Star

Erika Costell — WINNER

Choice Fashion/Beauty Web Star

James Charles — WINNER

Choice Twit

Anna Kendrick — WINNER

Choice Instagrammer

Selena Gomez — WINNER

Choice Snapchatter

Ariana Grande — WINNER

Choice YouTuber

Liza Koshy — WINNER

Choice Muser

Mackenzie Ziegler — WINNER

MISCELLANEOUS

Choice Comedian

The Dolan Twins — WINNER

Choice Style Icon

Harry Styles — WINNER

Choice Female Hottie

Lauren Jauregui — WINNER

Choice Male Hottie

Cole Sprouse — WINNER

Choice Video Game

Fortnite — WINNER

Choice Fandom

#BTSArmy — WINNERS

Choice Dancer

Maddie Ziegler — WINNER

Choice Model

Gigi Hadid — WINNER

© 2018 ALL RIGTHS RESERVED
MSH WorldWide By Marcelo Santiago Hernández™.

2018 FIFA World Cup: France Champions #Russia.

 New York City July 15th, 2018 (FOX Sports). France clinched its second FIFA World Cup title after beating Croatia 4-2 in the finals on Sunday – in the highest-scoring final since 1966. Les Bleus led from the get-go courtesy of the first-half own-goal off the top of Mario Mandzukic's head. Croatia rallied to equalize with a terrific left-foot strike by Ivan Perisic; however France took the lead right back when Perisic handled the ball in his own penalty area.

 

Argentine referee Nestor Pitana initially didn't call the handball but awarded the spot kick after a video review – the first time in a World Cup final. Antoine Griezmann converted the penalty to put France back in front.The match was temporarily disrupted when four pitch invaders ran onto the field in the 52nd minute before being dragged away by security and police. Punk rock group Pussy Riot quickly claimed responsibility for the pitch invasion via social media, saying it was a protest aimed at ending illegal arrests of protesters and to allow political competition in Russia.


Play resumed and France quickly took a 4-1 lead with goals from Paul Pogba and Kylian Mbappe in the 59th and 65th minutes. Mbappe, at 19 years old, became only the second teenager to score in a World Cup final. He showed his electrifying speed before slotting a right-footed shot past Croatia goalkeeper Danijel Subasic. He was born months after France won the World Cup in 1998.The last teenager to score in a World Cup final was Pele, who scored two when Brazil beat Sweden 5-2 in 1958. Pele congratulated the teenager on Sunday, praising him for his performance."Only the second teenager to have scored a goal in a #WorldCupFinal! Welcome to the club, @Mbappe - it's great to have some company!” he wrote.

President Donald Trump tweeted his congratulations to the French National Team soon after the game ended.

“Congratulations to France, who played extraordinary soccer, on winning the 2018 World Cup. Additionally, congratulations to President Putin and Russia for putting on a truly great World Cup Tournament -- one of the best ever!” he wrote.

In France, crowds packed the lawns stretching out beneath the Eiffel Tower, frenetically waving French flags as police struggled to keep them squeezed in place.On the other side of the Seine River, more throngs poured onto streets around the Champs-Elysees and the Arc de Triomphe, where soldiers and military equipment paraded a day before on France's national Bastille Day holiday.

Croatia was playing in its first World Cup final.

© 2018 ALL RIGTHS RESERVED
MSH WorldWide By Marcelo Santiago Hernández™.

#MéxicoDecide Elección Presidencial 2018.

Mexico City July 1st, 2018 (The Washington Post). Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who rallied voters with his battle cry against corruption and promises to the poor, won a resounding victory Sunday night in Mexico’s presidential election, after the concession of his two top rivals. The victory makes him the first leftist president since Mexico began its transition to democracy more than 30 years ago. 

López Obrador triumphed with a party that didn’t exist at the time of the last election, against opponents from two parties that have ruled Mexico for nearly a century. The 64-year-old former mayor of Mexico City promises to bring his humble lifestyle and distaste for luxury to the top of a political establishment famous for self-enrichment. An official “quick count” from a national sampling of ballots showed López Obrador had about 53 percent of the vote, according to the national electoral agency. That put him far ahead of his main opponents, Ricardo Anaya and José Antonio Meade, who conceded and offered their congratulations.

In his victory speeches, López Obrador called on Mexicans to reconcile and said his government would not be a “committee in service to a minority” but would represent all citizens rich and poor, religious or nonbelievers, migrants, “human beings of all manner of thought and all sexual preferences.”

“We will respect everyone,” he said at a downtown hotel. “But we will give preference to the most humble and forgotten.” López Obrador’s supporters gathered by the thousands Sunday night in the Zocalo, Mexico City’s main plaza, chanting the president-elect’s name as mariachis performed. After López Obrador arrived, under a shower of confetti, he promised to increase subsidies to the elderly and handicapped.

“I want to go down in history as a good president of Mexico,” he said.

But many Mexicans were more sober.

“There is so much wrong. I think some people voted for López Obrador, but the majority voted for a change that we need,” said Fernando Torres, a 23-year-old publicity agent who was walking on Paseo de la Reforma, a major downtown boulevard. López Obrador’s victory represents an emphatic rejection of the traditional politicians whom he regularly calls the “mafia of power.” In recent decades, Mexico has been led by technocrats and pro-American politicians, while López Obrador’s role models are Mexican independence and revolutionary leaders who stood up to more powerful foreign countries.

President Trump loomed in the background of this vote. He was not a wedge issue in the election — all candidates opposed his immigration and trade policies and his anti-Mexican rhetoric — but the new Mexican president will have to manage cross-border relations that are unusually fraught. Trump tweeted his congratulations to López Obrador on Sunday night, adding: “I look very much forward to working with him. There is much to be done that will benefit both the United States and Mexico!”

Héctor Vasconcelos, who has been floated as a possible foreign minister, said in an interview that the candidate’s team was “very conscious of the enormity of the challenge. But someone has to try to turn this country toward profound change.”

[Who is Andrés Manuel López Obrador, the presidential candidate known as AMLO?]

López Obrador’s opponents sought to portray him as a dangerous populist who would lead Mexico back to failed economic models involving subsidies and state intervention, while provoking more tension with the Trump administration. But the unpopularity of President Enrique Peña Nieto and his Institutional Revolutionary Party — which ruled Mexico for most of the past century — hobbled the candidate from the long-dominant party and prompted voters to search for an alternative to traditional political candidates. (Peña Nieto did not run; Mexican presidents are limited to one term.)

López Obrador’s supporters attributed his victory to the longevity and personal charisma of a candidate who was running in his third consecutive presidential election and has campaigned in every municipality in the country. His message has remained largely consistent — eradicate corruption, invest in the poor, fight inequality — but got a warmer reception this year because of mounting frustration after a series of scandals in Peña Nieto’s administration and the ever-growing drug-war violence. “Voting is the only tool we have to ensure that this corrupt system changes,” said Luis Valdepeña Bastida, 51, who voted for López Obrador in Ecatepec, a densely populated city north of the capital that has high levels of crime. “The people are fed up.”

López Obrador grew up in a middle-class family in the Gulf Coast state of Tabasco and began his political career helping indigenous villagers with public works projects, which exposed him to Mexico’s glaring inequality. He broke away from the PRI in the late 1980s and joined a leftist opposition party. López Obrador grew famous as a leader of protests against voter fraud and the abuses of the state-owned oil industry. López Obrador had only one prior electoral victory. In 2000, he became mayor of Mexico City, where he boosted social spending for single mothers, the handicapped and the elderly. Major projects, such as an elevated highway through the city, and the revitalization of downtown neighborhoods, also boosted his popularity.

[Mexico’s next president could be a leftist demagogue or a practical reformer.]

After two failed presidential bids, López Obrador, whose nickname is AMLO, has tempered his message this year. While he still emphasizes the fight against extreme poverty, saying it will lead to less violence and a stronger economy, he has portrayed himself as more pro-business and pro-American than in the past. His critics worry he will roll back a recent reform to allow private investment in the oil industry and cancel a multibillion-dollar airport project in Mexico City.

“It’s difficult to know if he’s changed, if he’s now less radical, or if it’s just a political decision to become elected,” said Andrés Rozental, a retired Mexican diplomat. “AMLO, at least in his rhetoric, represents a shift much to the left of what we’ve ever seen nationally.” López Obrador’s critics warn that he will be more combative toward the United States than the current president, and that the U.S.-Mexico conflict could drastically escalate if he chooses to fight with Trump. In prior years, López Obrador was a critic of the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA, but he and his team have insisted they want to preserve it and maintain good relations with Trump.

Trump has regularly attacked Mexico for not doing enough to stop drugs, crime and undocumented immigrants from entering the United States. He has also initiated a renegotiation of NAFTA, saying Mexico has stolen U.S. jobs, and intends to build a border wall. López Obrador, who heads the National Regeneration Movement, or Morena, says he plans to cut government personnel and salaries and prevent funds from being squandered through corruption. He intends to use those resources to boost social programs for the poor. Corruption experts express skepticism about whether this plan is realistic.

Alfonso Romo, a wealthy businessman who has been chosen as López Obrador’s chief of staff, told reporters last week that the economic team had met with hundreds of hedge funds and institutional investors as it became increasingly clear he would win.

“Up to now the markets are tranquil,” Romo said, referring to the currency, bond and stock prices. “What does that say? They have believed our plan.” Sunday’s elections were the largest in Mexico’s history, with voters filling more than 3,200 positions at all levels of government. Among these were 628 members of the National Congress who will be able to be reelected for the first time in nearly a century, eight state governors and mayors of more than 1,500 cities, including Mexico City.

The campaign season has been marked by violence, with some 130 candidates and campaign staff assassinated across the country. López Obrador’s Morena is hoping to capture a majority in the congress, which would be a remarkable rise for a party he founded four years ago.

“This is a historic day,” López Obrador said as he voted Sunday. “We represent the possibility of a real change, of a transformation.” Election day began with seemingly high turnout and long lines at voting stations. There were reports that sites ran out of ballots before all those who were gathered outside could vote.

“They said it’s the biggest election ever, and they did not get enough ballots for everyone,” said Oscar Miguel Reyes Isidoro, 51, who couldn’t cast a vote in Atizapan de Zaragoza, in Mexico state. Mexico has a long history of voter fraud, although elections have dramatically improved in recent years. In the past two elections López Obrador has alleged fraud as a reason for his losses. Election officials insist the voting system is safe and secure.

López Obrador was competing against Anaya, an ambitious 39-year-old former president of the right-leaning National Action Party (PAN); and a 49-year-old Yale-trained economist, Meade, representing the PRI. Maya Averbuch in Ecatepec, Mexico, and Dudley Althaus, Kevin Sieff and Gabriela Martinez in Mexico City contributed to this report. 
 

© 2018 ALL RIGTHS RESERVED
MSH WorldWide By Marcelo Santiago Hernández™.

Los Presidenciables 2018.

Ciudad de México a 02 de Abril de 2018 (DW Germany). El próximo 1 de julio de 2018 México celebrará elecciones presidenciales, elegirá a 128 senadores, a 500 diputados y a 2.818 autoridades locales, entre ellas a 8 gobernadores y al jefe de Gobierno de la Ciudad de México. La campaña preelectoral ha estado acompañada por una profunda crisis en las relaciones con Estados Unidos bajo la administración Trump. El Estado mexicano está desbordado por la violencia, la incapacidad de combatir la corrupción y la impunidad. Por si fuera poco, la pobreza ha aumentado del 24.1 por ciento en el 2000 a 43,6 por ciento en 2017. Según cifras del Informe anual sobre la situación de pobreza y rezago social 2018, publicadas por la Secretaría de Desarrollo Social (SEDESOL), los estados con mayor porcentaje de población en situación de pobreza y marginación son Chiapas, Oaxaca, Guerrero, Veracruz y Puebla, con niveles que oscilan entre el 59 y el 77 por ciento, lo que hace más vulnerables a los ciudadanos de estos estados a vender su voto.

Con el triunfo del Partido Acción Nacional (PAN) en el 2000 llegó la celebrada transición política que puso fin a 70 años de gobierno ininterrumpido por parte del Partido Revolucionario Institucional (PRI). Después de una nueva, aunque estrecha victoria del PAN en 2006, el PRI volvió al poder en 2012 con el triunfo de Enrique Peña Nieto. "El PRI es un partido que está muy desacreditado, sus resultados han sido muy negativos.

José Antonio Meade, candidato de la coalición Todos por México, integrada por el PRI, el Partido Verde Ecologista de México (PVEM) y el Partido Nueva Alianza (PANAL). "Ante el imaginario popular, el PRI, al que él representa, aunque no es militante de sus filas, es sinónimo de corrupción".

El investigador recuerda que los aumentos a la gasolina por la reducción a los subsidios, la inflación del 6,69 por ciento anual y la devaluación del peso de más de un 60 por ciento durante la administración de Peña Nieto, en buena parte debido al efecto Trump, son cosas que la gente tiene muy presente. Todo ello pasa factura al candidato, que quedó rezagado en la intención de voto durante la precampaña. Meade ha ocupado durante los últimos 11 años distintas carteras, desde la Administración de Felipe Calderón (PAN) desde 2006 al 2012 hasta la de Peña Nieto (PRI) entre 2012 y 2018. México tiene un promedio mensual de más de dos mil asesinatos dolosos, un legado del que Meade no se ha logrado desmarcar.

Ricardo Anaya es el candidato de la coalición Por México al Frente, integrada por el conservador Partido Acción Nacional (PAN), el izquierdista Partido de la Revolución Democrática (PRD) y el aliado de éste, Movimiento Ciudadano. Anaya ocupa el segundo lugar en la intención de voto, por delante de Meade.

"Su alianza con la izquierda es algo inédito en la política mexicana. Es un tipo muy inteligente que sabe leer cuál es la situación actual del país, es el candidato revelación", afirma Zirahuén Villamar. Anaya ha prometido que hará valer la Justicia en México. Dice que destituirá de cargos públicos a políticos negligentes y corruptos, acabará con la colusión entre contratistas y gobernantes y enfrentará el crimen organizado. Pero no ha dicho cómo. Según la activista mexicana Olga Guzmán, representante de la Comisión Mexicana de Defensa y Promoción de los Derechos Humanos (CMDPDH), Anaya aseguró que respaldará la conformación de un Mecanismo Internacional contra la Impunidad en México, un reclamo de un centenar de organizaciones de Derechos Humanos del país. También ha prometido profesionalizar, capacitar y mejorar los salarios de policías.

El puntero en todas las encuestas a casi tres meses de las elecciones es el veterano Andrés Manuel López Obrador, de 64 años, que concurre por tercera ocasión como candidato a los comicios presidenciales. Tuvo un alto nivel de aceptación como jefe de gobierno de la Ciudad de México, cargo que ocupó entre 2000 y 2005. AMLO, el acrónimo de sus iniciales con el que es conocido, reclama que le robaron las elecciones del 2006 y del 2012. Ahora vuelve a la contienda al frente de la coalición Juntos Haremos Historia, integrada por el partido fundado por él, Movimiento de Regeneración Nacional (Morena), el Partido del Trabajo (PT) y el evangélico Partido Encuentro Social (PES).

AMLO propuso la creación de un mando único. Integraría al Ejército, la Marina y la Policía y crearía una guardia nacional que garantice la seguridad. De convertirse en presidente, él será el comandante supremo de las Fuerzas Armadas. "El debate sobre un mando único lo hemos tenido durante todo este sexenio y han fracasado los esfuerzos para introducir un mando único policial entre las corporaciones municipales, estatales y federales. 

Además la candidata Independiente Margarita Zavala ha expresado algunas de las propuestas económicas querealizaría de llegar a la Presidencia de la República en sus redes sociales y algunos mítines y conferencias.

La propuesta de Zavala para hacer frente a los feminicidios va en tres sentidos: homologar la línea de investigación de asesinatos de mujeres; asignar mayor presupuesto a las Alertas de Género; y crear un sistema nacional de datos.

“Es necesario que todos los asesinatos de mujeres sean investigados bajo la línea de feminicidio”, dijo Zavala.

"Es necesario activar Alertas de Género con verdaderos incentivos para que los gobiernos las acepten. (En su gobierno, estas alertas) tendrían mayor presupuesto, programas, seguridad especifica bien focalizada”, aseguró la candidata independiente.

Asimismo, se requiere implementar un sistema nacional de datos que permita dimensionar el tema del feminicidio para comprenderlo y poder atacarlo.

 
© 2018 ALL RIGTHS RESERVED
MSH WorldWide By Marcelo Santiago Hernández™.

 

2018 CPAC (Conservative Political Action Conference).

Conservative Political Action Conference Wednesday, February 21, 2018 – Saturday, February 24, 2018 (Slate) February 24th, 2018 Gaylord National Resort Camp; Convention Center: 201 Waterfront Street, National Harbor, MD 20745. There was much talk, throughout this year’s Conservative Political Action Conference, about the supposed crisis of free speech—the purported epidemic of conservative speakers being oppressed, suppressed, threatened, and silenced not only on college campuses but, as the NRA’s Dana Loesch reminded attendees during her speech Thursday, within the mainstream press. “I had to have a security detail to get out,” she said of her loudly jeered appearance during CNN’s town hall on the Stoneman Douglas shooting last week. “I wouldn’t be able to exit that if I didn’t have a private security detail.”


If so, Loesch can now commiserate with National Review’s Mona Charen, who was loudly booed for criticizing the Republican Party’s selective indifference to sexual misconduct during one of the last panels of the conference. “I’m disappointed in people on our side for being hypocrites about sexual harassers and abusers of women who are in or party, who are sitting in the White House,” she told a shocked audience. “This was a party that was ready to endorse—the Republican Party endorsed Roy Moore for the Senate in the state of Alabama even though he was a credibly accused child molester. You cannot claim that you stand for women and put up with that.” The shouts in response to this and, minutes later, her denunciation of CPAC speaker Marion LePen—“I think the only reason she was here was that she was named LePen And the LePen name is a disgrace. Her grandfather is a racist and a Nazi”—led to her being escorted out by three security personnel.


This was one of the few pulse-quickening moments of a dull but subtly remarkable conference. Two years ago, Trump, fearing a chilly reception, skipped CPAC to campaign in Kansas. By the time he took the stage last year, his capture of the conservative movement was mostly complete. Evidence of a new brazenness—a willingness to say the quiet parts loud—was on offer during the Ronald Reagan dinner on Friday night, where CPAC’s communications director, Ian Walters, recounting the past several years of turmoil on the right, criticized the selection of former RNC chairman Michael Steele. “We elected Mike Steele as chairman because he was a black guy,” he said. “That was the wrong thing to do.” This remark passed entirely without comment from American Conservative Union chairman and CPAC head Matt Schlapp, who was standing alongside Walters on the mainstage as he made his remarks. Steele later confronted Schlapp about the comments during a radio interview. “I don’t know what gave Ian, in his role as the communications director, the comfort to think that he could go before this body and—I’ll put it direct—disrespect you as its chairman, disrespect attendees,” Steele said. “Did he somehow think this was somehow going to be acceptable to say?”


Well, why wouldn’t he have? The conference was gripped this year by a force even stronger than support for Trump—a revulsion at political correctness and offense-taking broadly speaking. The loudest applause of the event came not for Trump or Vice President Mike Pence, but for Ben Shapiro, who warned that the new political correctness on the left was “contributing to the downfall of the greatest civilization in the history of mankind.” Young conservative activist Charlie Kirk, for his work antagonizing the campus left as head of the group Turning Point USA, was rewarded with a slot interviewing the president’s son, Eric Trump. In another speaking slot, he wedded criticism of the cultural left to the conservative movement’s domestic policy agenda. “Oh, you might have had something bad happen to you a hundred years ago, therefore here’s all these government benefits and people should feel sorry for you,” Kirk said. This is how the “neo-Marxists,” he warned, intend to take down, again, Western civilization.


As has always been the case, the demons to be exorcised aren’t the ones that led to screams at Mona Charen in defense of Roy Moore, but the animating principles of liberals and leftists, particularly young minorities and women battling racism and sexism. The reactionary impulses behind criticisms of political correctness have been complemented, in Shapiro and Kirk, by an evangelical fervor—the promise of deliverance and victory over a fallen and wicked people in a cultural war that righteous people ought to wage. It was hard to escape the feeling, listening to them, that the rhetoric of opposition to political correctness is expanding to fill the vacuum in conservative cultural politics left by the collapse of the Christian right. Ben Shapiro seems less a “cool-kid’s philosopher” than the new Billy Graham, whose death, incidentally, was mentioned not even a handful of times from the main stage during the conference.


These kinds of shifts are ultimately what makes CPAC, despite its circus-like atmosphere, important to follow. It remains a critical part of the conservative movement’s infrastructure, too. Thousands of young people and potential donors are funneled into various organizations and causes. Young activists are trained; there is a well-attended job fair. The question of whether Trumpism and the forces it has unleashed on the right will have a shelf-life beyond Trump—of whether the chaos can be organized—will be settled, in large part, here. It ultimately depends on how well those changes take within the think tanks and campus groups and publications and nonprofits that fill their ranks and coffers from the conference’s annual attendees. Apart from the Charen flare-up, the transition so far has been largely seamless. The NeverTrumpers and whatever “principled” religious conservatives are left in the movement have self-deported. The kids, the Sheriff Clarkes and Gorkas, Hannity and company—CPAC is their party now. So too is the GOP.

© 2018 ALL RIGTHS RESERVED
MSH WorldWide By Marcelo Santiago Hernández™.