Warner Bros. Discovery sends its discovery+ documentary Trump: Unprecedented to the Discovery Channel in Africa.

by Thinus Ferreira

The eyebrow-raising new discovery+ documentary, Trump: Unprecedented will be shown in South Africa as a three-part series, starting on Sunday 24 July on the Discovery Channel (DStv 121) at 20:55, with interviews with the former American president Donald Trump and his family members during that country's 2020 presidential campaign, leading up to America's inauguration day of president Biden.

The 3-part docuseries from AJH Films and Alex Holder features never-before-seen footage of Donald Trump during the 6 weeks before the 2020 presidential campaign - as well as the reactions of him and his close family members to the outcome of the American presidential election.

Since Warner Bros. Discovery has not yet rolled out either its HBO Max or discovery+ video streaming services in South Africa or in sub-Saharan Africa, WBD is placing the docuseries on its linear Discovery Channel for the territory after it was released on discovery+ on 10 July in America and in other global territories.

Trump: Unprecedented got unparalleled access to America's White House and Donald Trump, including the last interview Donald Trump gave during this time inside the White House. 

Also included are unfiltered sit-down interviews with Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka Trump and son-in-law Jared Kushner, his sons Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, as well as insights from the journalists who covered the events as they have unfolded.

BBC News wants a review of Donald Trump's rally security after BBC cameraman Ron Skeans is physically attacked at campaign rally in El Paso.

BBC News wants a review of the security at campaign events of the American president Donald Trump after the BBC News cameraman Ron Skeans was physically attacked at a campaign rally in El Paso, Texas in the United States on Monday.

Ron Skeans, covering Donald Trump's El Paso campaign rally for BBC News, told BBC News that the man wearing a red Make America Great Again cap, shoved and swore at him and other TV news crews. "I didn't know what was going on".

The man, allegedly drunk, almost knocked him and his camera over twice before he was wrestled away by a blogger.

Donald Trump witnessed the attack. He stopped his speech to ask if Ron Skeans was okay with a thumbs-up, and continued on with his speech after the cameraman returned the gesture.

The BBC says it has written to Sarah Sanders, the White House press secretary, asking for a review of security arrangements for the media attending the president's rallies following the attack on its cameraman.

The BBC's Washington correspondent Gary O'Donoghue was sitting in front of the camera and told the BBC in a radio interview that "it was an incredibly violent attack. This is a constant feature of these rallies - a goading of the crowds against the media".

The BBC Washington editor Eleanor Montague said: "The crowd had been whipped up into a frenzy against the media by Trump and other speakers all night."

Paul Danaher, the BBC’s Americas bureau editor said "Access into the media area was unsupervised. No one in law enforcement intervened before, during or after the attack. It is clearly unacceptable for any of our staff to be attacked for doing their job".

American president Donald Trump lashes out at 'vicious but not smart' Omarosa Manigault Newman.

In Monday's episode of the biggest unscripted reality show of our age, the Donald Trump's White House Survivor, the America president unleashed his latest tirade aimed at the most favourite reality TV villain of all time, Omarosa Manigault Newman, calling her "vicious but not smart".

The once-time Apprentice boss unleashed his latest Twitter-venom on Omarosa Manigault Newman after her latest tell-all book, Unhinged about her former White House boss, following her firing last year.

In tweets, Donald Trump slammed Omarosa, who worked as a former White House aide, saying "wacky Omarosa, who got fired 3 times on the Apprentice, now got fired for the last time".

"She never made it, never will. She begged me for a job, tears in her eyes. I said OK. People in the White House hated her. She was vicious, but not smart."

"I would rarely see her but heard really bad things. Nasty to people and would constantly miss meetings and word. When Gen. Kelly came on board he told me she was a loser and nothing but problems. I told him to try working it out, if possible, because she only said GREAT things about me - until she got fired!"

"While I know it's "not presidential" to take on a lowlife like Omarosa, and while I would rather not be doing so, this is a modern day form of communication and I know the Fake News Media will be working overtime to make even Wacky Omarosa look legitimate as possible. Sorry!"

Wacky Omarosa, who got fired 3 times on the Apprentice, now got fired for the last time. She never made it, never will. She begged me for a job, tears in her eyes, I said Ok. People in the White House hated her. She was vicious, but not smart. I would rarely see her but heard....

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 13, 2018

...really bad things. Nasty to people & would constantly miss meetings & work. When Gen. Kelly came on board he told me she was a loser & nothing but problems. I told him to try working it out, if possible, because she only said GREAT things about me - until she got fired!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 13, 2018

While I know it’s “not presidential” to take on a lowlife like Omarosa, and while I would rather not be doing so, this is a modern day form of communication and I know the Fake News Media will be working overtime to make even Wacky Omarosa look legitimate as possible. Sorry!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 13, 2018

IT'S NOT EVEN SHARK WEEK. Discovery Channel responds after American president Donald Trump says he wants all sharks to die: 'Sharks are important to the ecosystem'.

When will this long international nightmare be over?

The Discovery Channel (DStv 121) has decided to respond and weigh in after the American president Donald Trump has said he wants all sharks to die.

The Discovery Channel that annually celebrates "Shark Week" decided to comment after a new comment of Donald Trump became public that he made, from a 2011 interview that until now hasn't been published publicly.

According to reports the porn star Stormy Daniels was paid off by Donald Trump's lawyer Michael Cohen with $130 000 to stay silent after a sexual encounter that she allegedly had with Donald Trump.

In a 2011 interview that was done with Stormy Daniels, Donald Trump - according to her - revealed his hatred of sharks.

Stormy Daniels says Donald Trump said he wants all sharks to die.

“Shark Week celebrates the wonder of these majestic creatures and their critical importance to the ecosystem. Their safety and conservation is the most important message conveyed throughout the week," said Discovery Channel in a statement.

America's In Touch magazine published the interview with Stormy Daniels (whose real name is Stephanie Clifford), who said she and Donald Trump were having dinner while a shark episode was on television that formed part of the Discovery Channel's Shark Week.

Donald Trump then said that he hoped “all the sharks die.”

“You could see the television from the little dining room table and he was watching Shark Week and he was watching a special about the USS something and it sank and it was like the worst shark attack in history”.

“He is obsessed with sharks,” Stormy Daniels told In Touch. “Terrified of sharks. He was like, 'I donate to all these charities, and I would never donate to any charity that helps sharks. I hope all the sharks die.’ … It’s so strange, I know.”

CNN wins the most awards in American president Donald Trump's Fakies.

The American president Donald Trump finally announced his inaugural “The Most Dishonest & Corrupt Media Awards of the Year” with TV news channel CNN (DStv 401) winning the most "categories" and with mentions also going to The New York Times, ABC News and The Washington Post.

The Fox News channel, Breitbart and Drudge got shut out and won no mentions at the "awards" that was quickly nicknamed the "Fakies".

The American GOP political party's website crashed on Thursday where the list was published while Donald Trump failed to have a ceremony or hand out actual awards.

Donald Trump originally announced that his 2017 Fake News Awards would be taking place after the Golden Globe Awards.

The American late night host Stephen Colbert immediately started a "For Your Consideration" campaign like what producers and studios do for the Emmys, Globes and Oscars, and created and rented a massive Times Square billboard in New York for his The Late Show, promoting the show to win in categories like “Fakest Dishonesty,” “Smallest Button” and “Least Breitbarty”.

He had competition.

The South African comedian Trevor Noah of The Daily Show on Comedy Central (DStv 122) responded by taking out a full-page ad in The New York Times and canvassing for The Daily Show as "most deserving" of a Fakie.

Then Donald Trump inexplicably postponed his Fakies to Wednesday, January 17. He explained that his fake news awards were moved since “interest in, and importance of, these awards is far greater than anyone could have anticipated!”

Wednesday also came and went and finally on Thursday a list was published. It had no categories and was just a badly done 11-point list:


1. The New York Times' Paul Krugman for claiming on the day of Donald Trump's election victory that the economy would never recover.

2. Brian Ross who was suspended and demoted by ABC News after inaccurately reporting that the ousted National Security Adviser Michael Flynn was going to testify that Donald Trump, while still a candidate, ordered Flynn to make contact with Russians.

3. CNN wrongly reporting that candidate Donald Trump and his son Donald Trump Jr. had access to hacked documents from WikiLeaks.

4. TIME magazine reporting that Donald Trump had removed the bust of Martin Luther King Jr. from the Oval office in the White House.

5.The Washington Post reporter Dave Weigel's photo of a Donald Trump rally suggesting low turnout.

6. CNN video showing Donald Trump overfeeding fish while visiting the Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe.

7. CNN wrongly reporting that Donald Trump's aide Anthony Scaramucci met with the chief executive at a Russian investment fund.

8. Newsweek reporting that the Polish first lady Agata Kornhauser-Duda declined to shake Donald Trump’s hand.

9. CNN reporting that the former FBI director James Comey would dispute Donald Trump’s claim of being told he’s not under investigation.

10. The New York Times article on Donald Trump's administration's climate report.

11. "And last, but not least: "RUSSIA COLLUSION!" Russian collusion is perhaps the greatest hoax perpetrated on the American people. THERE IS NO COLLUSION," says Donald Trump.


No laughing matter
In reality "awards" trashing the press are no laughing matter - a record number of journalists were jailed or killed worldwide in 2017, while journalists continue to be censored, abused, arrested, jailed and killed for their reporting around the globe.

The number of journalists globally in prison is at a record high.

In response to Donald Trump's "Fakies", The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) announced their own CPJ Global Press Oppressors Awards.

The Global Press Oppressors Awards recognise world leaders who have gone out of their way to attack the press and undermine the norms that support freedom of the media.

They are:

1. Most think-skinned: Turkey's president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Runner-up: American president Donald Trump.

2.Most outrageous use of terror laws against the press: Turkey's president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Runner-up: Egypt president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.

3. Tighest grip on media: China's president Xi Jinping.
Runner-up: Russia's president Vladimir Putin.

4. Biggest backslider in press freedom: Myanmar de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
Runner-up: Polish president Andrzej Duda.

5. Overall Achievement in Undermining Global Press Freedom: American president Donald Trump.

White House to Omarosa: 'You're fired', again, as villainous reality star tries to storm Donald Trump and is thrown out.

The villainous reality TV star and now White House aide Omarosa Manigault Newman (43) just got abruptly fired by Donald Trump. Again.

The pot-stirrer, infamous for whipping up a torrent of conflict and infighting in those around her wherever she goes, was dramatically thrown out of the White House in Washington D.C. and banned from the premises, although the White House is trying to put a nicer spin on it saying Omarosa has "resigned".

The truth is however that Omarosa - who rose to fame on the American version of The Apprentice in 2004 where she got fired by Donald Trump and again in the later Celebrity Apprentice and All-Star Celebrity Apprentice seasons - was dumped by the White House.

The ruthless Omarosa reportedly flew into a fit of rage - screaming and cursing in a tirade as she tried to make her way to Donald Trump himself to try and plead her case, just like she did in the TV show.

That's when things got physical and Omarosa was unceremoniously removed from the White House's West Wing and her access card cancelled.

While White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters on Wednesday that Omarosa has "resigned" and will be gone by 20 January 2018 to "pursue other opportunities", Omarosa was actually fired by Donald Trump's chief of staff, John Kelly.

The Daily News reports that according to sources, Omarosa "threw a tantrum in the White House and demanded she be allowed to speak with the president" on Tuesday.

"General Kelly didn't allow her to speak to him. That’s why she was cursing and threatening. Omarosa was then unceremoniously escorted from the West Wing. It got physical and she had to be removed".

White House reporter April Ryan who work for America's Urban Radio Networks, reported that Omarosa "acted very vulgar and cursed a lot and said she helped elect Donald Trump". General Kelly said "no, you did not".

General Kelly told Omarosa that "this was not like going to the principal's office".

According to The Wall Street Journal, a White House official said that Omarosa was "physically dragged and escorted off the campus".

Another White House official told The Daily Beast that the shocking incident "was actually the closest thing to reality TV I'd experienced since getting here".

According to insiders, Omarosa has been another one of the larger-than-life personalities inside the White House causing chaos as they all battled for supremacy, Apprentice-style, feeding Donald Trump gossip about each other, jockeying for position and telling Donald Trump bad news that would inflame situations and infuriate him.

Donald Trump appointed Omarosa as the director of communications for the White House Office of Public Liaison, although insiders say they were never sure what Omarosa in this PR post actually did or were responsible for and helped to create the same toxic and hostile environment inside the White House as she did on The Apprentice.

In August Omarosa made herself the focus of a chaotic National Association of Black Journalists Convention in New Orleans where things quickly got confrontational as the aggressive Omarosa refused to answer questions about the Trump administration and told journalists to "ask me a question about me".

Then there was her jaw-dropping, unannounced 39-person "bridal party" and extended lavish photo shoot at the White House that shocked White House security and caught everyone off guard.

America's Secret Service in a statement confirmed that Omarosa has effectively been banned from the White House and that it "deactivated the individual’s pass which grants access to the complex".

America's White House defends president Donald Trump's at National Prayer Breakfast asking to pray for The Apprentice ratings and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

America's president Donald Trump, who also remains in conflict of interest as a producer on the reality TV show The Apprentice, used the National Prayer Breakfast on Thursday in America to ask religious leaders and diplomats to pray for Arnold Schwarzenegger and The Apprentice.

Arnold Schwarzenneger took over Donald Trump's role in the show in the latest season of the Mark Burnett produced show broadcast on America's NBC network, although Donald Trump retains a TV producer credit on the show behind the scene.

At the National Prayer Breakfast Donald Trump said "We had tremendous success on The Apprentice and, when I ran for president, I had to leave the show".

"And they hired a big, big movie star, Arnold Schwarzenegger to take my place. And we know how that turned out. The ratings went right down the tubes. It's been a total disaster."

"Mark will never, ever bet against Trump again. And I want to just pray for Arnold, if we can. For those ratings. Okay?".

Arnold Schwarzenegger's publicist said: "Arnold is praying that president Trump can start improving his own approval ratings, which were the worst in history for an incoming president, by taking his job seriously and working inclusively."

At the White House press briefing, combative Sean Spicer who is now Donald Trump's press secretary, defended the American president's remarks when he was asked if the National Prayer Breakfast was an appropriate venue for Donald Trump to talk about The Apprentice.

Sean Spicer said the "totality of his remarks" at the National Prayer Breakfast "were absolutely beautiful".

Ellen DeGeneres slams Donald Trump's Muslim travel ban on her talk show, using Finding Dory: 'When you see someone in need - you help them'.

Talk show host Ellen DeGeneres used her talk show Ellen and her film Finding Dory to slam American president Donald Trump's misguided new Muslim travel ban which he signed on Friday and caused travel chaos over the weekend and led to worldwide condemnation.

On Ellen, seen weekdays on M-Net (DStv 101) at 17:00, Ellen DeGeneres used Finding Dory to explain why she doesn't agree with the way in which Donald Trump is banning Muslim refugees and immigrants entering America.

Ironically, Donald Trump watched Finding Dory over the weekend in the White House with his family after banning immigrants and refugees from several Muslim countries and nationalities from entering America.

M-Net is now just one day behind America with the current 14th season of Ellen episodes, with South African and African viewers who will be able to see Ellen DeGeneres' speech in Tuesday's episode on Wednesday afternoon.

"If you haven't heard, this is what happened over the weekend. On Friday the president gave an order banning people from seven countries from entering the United States, including people with green cards," said Ellen DeGeneres.

"Then on Saturday, the president screened Finding Dory at the White House. I don't get political, but I will say that I am against one of those two things."

"Finding Dory is about a fish named Dory. Dory lives in Australia and these are her parents, and they live in America. And I don't know what religion they are, but her dad sounds a little Jewish. It doesn't matter."

"Dory arrives in America with her friends Marlin and Nemo. She ends up at the Marine Life Institute behind a large wall. They all have to get over the wall and you won't believe it, but that wall has almost no effect in keeping them out," said Ellen DeGeneres.

"Even though Dory gets into America, she ends up separated from her family, but the other animals help Dory. Animals that don't even need her. Animals that don't have anything in common with her."

"They help her, even though they're completely different colors. Because that's what you do when you see someone in need - you help them. So that is what I hope everyone who's watching Finding Dory has learned."

On Monday Donald Trump fired America's attorney general and career prosecutor Sally Yates because she told the Justice department not to defend Donald Trump's Muslim immigration ban.

TV critic's synopsis in The Sunday Herald of Donald Trump's upcoming presidential inauguration draws attention.

A TV critic's creative synopsis in the TV listings of an upcoming TV programme - the presidential inauguration of Donald Trump in America on Friday afternoon - is drawing global attention after he likened it to The Twilight Zone and a science fiction show set in "an ongoing alternative present".

TV critic Damien Love's TV listing in Scotland's Sunday Herald is now drawing attention around the world after he described the upcoming Trump inauguration and the next four years of his presidency, broadcast as a TV show, as "one of the most ambitious, expensive and controversial productions in broadcast history".


President Trump: The Inauguration
After a long absence, The Twilight Zone returns with one of the most ambitious, expensive and controversial productions in broadcast history. Sci-fi writers have dabbled often with alternative history stories - among the most common is the "What If The Nazis Had Won The Second World War" setting - but this huge interactive virtual reality project, which will unfold on TV, in the press, and on Twitter over the next four years, sets out to build an ongoing alternative present.

The story begins in a nightmarish version of 2017 in which huge sections of the US electorate have somehow been duped into voting to make Donald Trump president. It sounds far-fetched, and it is, but as it goes on it becomes more and more chillingly plausible. Today's feature-length opener concentrates on the gaudy inauguration of President Trump, and the stirrings of protest and despair surrounding the ceremony, while pundits speculate gravely on what lies ahead. It's a flawed piece, but a disturbing glimpse of the horrors we could stumble into, if we're not careful.


In 2017 viewers can watch brilliant shows with people trapped in alternative realities - ranging from The Man in the High Castle on Amazon Prime Video to Emerald City on Vuzu AMP (DStv 103), Travelers and Parallels on Netflix, 12 Monkeys, Timeless, Beyond and the upcoming Time After Time.

Yet it's the real world with Donald Trump as an American president and things like a looming Brexit, that millions of people worldwide find hard to believe and difficult to understand and adapt to.

Damien Love's TV listing went viral when George Takei, famous for his role as Sulu in Star Trek, tweeted: "The Sunday Herald TV section wins today".


Where to watch Donald Trump's inauguration
South African viewers can tune in for President Trump: The Inauguration in Washington, D.C. that will be broadcast on BBC World News (DStv 400 / StarSat 256) on Friday from 17:00 to 21:00, anchored by Huw Edwards and Sophie Raworth.

CNN International (DStv 401) didn't release any details or programming times regarding the inauguration and the channel's EPG on MultiChoice's DStv shows no special coverage but CNN will likely also carry it live from sometime on Friday.

Sky News (DStv 402) will switch to inauguration coverage from 17:00 on Friday.

FOX News (StarSat 261) will switch to live Inauguration 2017 coverage from 18:00 anchored by Shepard Smith.

CNBC Africa (DStv 410) will broadcast The Inauguration of Donald Trump on Friday from 18:00 to 22:00 switching to the American CNBC feed with coverage anchored by Carl Quintanilla, Michelle Caruso-Cabrera and Kelly Evans.

MSNBC (StarSat 263) will start its inauguration coverage on Friday at 17:00 anchored by Rachel Maddow, Brian Williams and Chris Matthews in New York and NBC Nightly News anchor Lester Holt in Washington, D.C.

Bloomberg Television (DStv 411 / StarSat 264) under its Bloomberg Politics banner will also broadcast the inauguration on Friday from 17:00 to 20:00, as will India's NDTV (DStv 413 / StarSat 567) from 18:00 to 20:00.

Local TV news channels eNCA (DStv 403), SABC News (DStv 404) and ANN7 (DStv 405) didn't release schedules, programming notes or any coverage plans but are likely to dip into the live inauguration feed late on Friday afternoon as well.

eNCA says it will live stream the inauguration event online at enca.com from 19:00 on Friday.

The first American conservative candidates debate, with Donald Trump, live on FOX News Channel on StarSat on Thursday from 23:00.

South African viewers will be able to watch the first and highly-anticipated debate of the conservative candidates of America's Republican party on the FOX News Channel (StarSat 261) live on StarSat early on Friday morning.

The debate which will take place on Thursday night in Cleveland, America will include mogul Donald Trump now leading in the polls as GOP candidate after dominating headlines and news coverage with his remarks about immigration and job creation. His often outrageous remarks the past few months have resonated with a large part of the United State's conservative voters.

It's the first of several conservative candidates' debates to be shown on the FOX News Channel and South African viewers will be able to watch it live early on Friday morning on On Digital Media (ODM) and StarTimes Media SA's StarSat.

Bret Baier, Megyn Kelly and Chris Wallace will be the moderators of the debate which will definitely make for entertaining viewing, as everyone is wondering not just what Donald Trump is going to say and who he is going to attack, but how the other candidates are going to react.

Coverage will kick off on the FOX News Channel at 23:00 on Thursday night (South African time) with a live Republican presidential debate forum discussion, followed at midnight by an hour long Special Report with Bret Baier, live from the Quicken Loans Arena.

It will be followed at 01:00 on Friday morning by On The Record with Greta van Susteren done from Washington D.C., and then The O'Reilly Factor at 02:00 with both shows devoted to pre-coverage of the debate.

The Republican Presidential Candidates Debate starts live from the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland at 02:50 on Friday morning, until 05:00.

After the debate The Kelly File at 05:00 will come live from the arena, followed by Hannity at 06:00 on Friday morning, also done live from the arena with both programmes doing a wrap-up and getting reaction from the debate.