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Karl Ove Knausgaard Reads V. S. Naipaul

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Karl Ove Knausgaard joins Deborah Treisman to read and discuss V. S. Naipaul's “Jack's Garden,” from a 1986 issue of the magazine.


British lawmaker killed ahead of Brexit vote

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British Member of Parliament Jo Cox is seen in this 2015 file photo by Yui Mok/Press Association/Handout via Reuters

British Member of Parliament Jo Cox is seen in this 2015 file photo by Yui Mok/Press Association/Handout via Reuters

A British member of parliament, Jo Cox, was killed in northern England on Thursday, days ahead of a referendum on whether the UK should leave the European Union, known as “Brexit.”

Cox, 41, was shot twice and stabbed in Birstall, West Yorkshire, after attending a meeting with her constituents. She later died from her wounds.

A 52-year-old man was arrested in the area, police said. A witness told the Guardian that he heard the man shout “Britain first” before launching the attack.

Officials said it was unclear if the incident was related to the June 23 Brexit vote.

Both sides on the referendum said they would suspend campaigning. British Prime Minister David Cameron cancelled a speech he intended to make in Gibraltar.

Cox was described as a rising star in the Labor Party. She previously worked in the aid industry at Oxfam and reportedly often called for Britain to do more for the Syrian refugees.

She was married with two small children. Her husband Brendan Cox posted a tribute to her on Twitter:

The post British lawmaker killed ahead of Brexit vote appeared first on PBS NewsHour.

How Violence Changes the Brexit Debate

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Click on the 'Listen' button above to hear this interview.

A rising British politician was fatally stabbed and shot in the U.K. Thursday — just one week before citizens vote to determine if the United Kingdom remains in the European Union. The campaign for the "Brexit" referendum has become highly contentious and politically volatile.

Labor MP Jo Cox, 41, was elected just last year. Most of her career prior to politics had been spent in humanitarian work, and she was an outspoken supporter of immigration, refugees and civilians in Syria — a subject which is at the heart of the debate over whether the U.K. should stay or exit the European Union.

Her killer allegedly yelled "Britain First", the name of a far right group, before the attack.

Gun violence is rare in the U.K., and the incident has shocked the country.  In response, the campaign over Brexit has been suspended, at least temporarily as politicians, pundits, and citizens ponder if the brutal killing will quell the rhetoric surrounding the debate.

Simon Hix, a professor of political science at The London School of Economics, explains how the U.K. is moving forward, and how this act of violence may change the "Brexit" debate. Click on the 'Listen' button above to hear our full conversation.

A British Goodbye?

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Britons vote in a week whether to leave the E.U. ("Brexit") or to stay ("Remain"). John Cassidy, staff writer at the New Yorker, explains what's at stake for the countries involved, and the potential impact of Jo Cox's murder.

What's Next for Britain and the EU After Brexit?

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What's next for the United Kingdom, now that it has voted to leave the European Union?

Listeners from the UK and other parts of Europe call in to share their thoughts.

And Steven Erlanger, the London bureau chief for The New York Times, discusses what might happen as a result of the vote.

Was Brexit a generational vote? Very much so, said Erlanger. About 75% of those under 24 years old voted to remain in the EU, and 70% of those over 55 voted to leave. There was also a major differential in terms of city dwellers versus country dwellers and between the highly educated and the less educated, he said.

Brexit Regrets, NYC Pride and Other Monday Morning News

Brexit to Nexit: What happens now that the UK voted to leave the EU?

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A bar in Dublin, Ireland has made a special "Brexit" beer called Big Mistake after the results of the British referendum to leave the EU. Photo by Clodagh Kilcoyne/Reuters

A bar in Dublin, Ireland has made a special “Brexit” beer called Big Mistake after the results of the British referendum to leave the EU. Photo by Clodagh Kilcoyne/Reuters

A divided UK voted to leave the European Union last week, and Brits are coming to the realization of what it all means.

We spoke with Daniela Schwarzer, director of the Europe Program at the German Marshall Fund of the United States, to learn more about what comes next. The following Q&A was edited for clarity and length.

PBS NewsHour: What happens now?

Daniela Schwarzer: First of all, the UK will have to figure out how to move forward. The referendum is nonbinding, so the prime minister will have to decide what to make of it.

British Prime Minister David Cameron has already said he will step down from office in October and that he wants to leave the decision to invoke Article 50 — that’s the clause of the EU treaty to negotiate an exit from the European Union — to his successor. So there are probably at least four months during which the UK will not start negotiating its exit from the European Union.

There is a possibility that the political meltdown in the UK moves ahead at such a pace that general elections might come up in the fall, and that could potentially delay the invoking of Article 50 even further.

The country generally is deeply divided between generations — the older people voted for Brexit, and a vast majority of the younger generation voted to stay in the EU. Also, several regions of the UK voted to stay in the European Union, like Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales and London, and there are already discussions about the breakup of the United Kingdom.

The United Kingdom at this moment is in a deep political crisis, which may turn into a constitutional crisis.

Scottish leaders renew their push to exit the UK in order to stay in the EU. Video by PBS NewsHour Weekend

If Scotland, Northern Ireland or Wales voted to separate from the UK, would they need to apply for EU membership?

Schwarzer: Currently, that would be the procedure according to the EU treaty, because there’s no legal framework for a country to only partially leave, but we are really entering unchartered territory here.

There is a possibility that if this political situation continues to destabilize, a compromise could be found to keep a few regions within the European Union. But it’s too early to tell.

Could places like Northern Ireland keep using the euro as their currency?

Schwarzer: Yes. There are countries that are not part of the European Union and that de facto use the euro. But of course, every country, or part of the country, will have to decide whether it fares better with the national currency and central bank.

What happens to Americans or other foreigners working in the UK?

Schwarzer: The status of Americans wouldn’t change. What would change is if they live and work in the UK and the UK is no longer in the EU, if they want to move to the European Union it might mean new restrictions on the portability of their pension contributions or other things.

Immigrants feel uncertain about their future in the UK. Video by PBS NewsHour Weekend

Any chance for a do-over vote?

Schwarzer: While the vote was for Brexit, in my view the exit of the United Kingdom from the EU is no done deal.

It is highly likely that public opinion changes over the coming months, because the costs of leaving the European Union are felt so clearly already now over just a few days: the currency collapse, the stock market collapse, but also longer-term developments such as the loss of value of real estate in the United Kingdom.

Some companies have already announced they would no longer invest in the UK. Some financial institutions have said maybe London is no longer the place to be.

Also, the political landscape may change and if there are new general elections this fall, voters may show they favor undoing the referendum decision. If that were so, the new prime minister would be able to consult his parliament and tell the EU that the UK does not want to invoke Article 50.

That would be a complete turnaround, but it’s not the first time in recent EU history that a referendum that had clear results did not lead to the policy that was suggested. That was true for the Greek decision to leave the eurozone — that didn’t happen either.

Is this a wake-up call for the EU to change its ways?

Schwarzer: The Brexit vote is definitely a wake-up call for the European Union and leaders around EU members, because the reasons the British decided to go for Brexit are not just exclusive to Britain. Many of the fears apply to other countries as well, such as immigration concerns, socioeconomic insecurities and the questions of identity.

That’s why the phenomenon of anti-elite parties and far-right movements can be found all around the European Union and the United States. There’s a deeper problem of democracy under the conditions of globalization.

The post Brexit to Nexit: What happens now that the UK voted to leave the EU? appeared first on PBS NewsHour.

Brexit: The Fine Print in Europe

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Sebastian Mallaby, senior fellow for international economics at the Council on Foreign Relations and a contributing columnist for The Washington Post, joins us as the European Union begins a series of meetings about the impact of Brexit, to discuss what future he sees this decision having.


Watch this soccer announcer’s raucous takedown of England after Iceland victory

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Iceland's Ragnar Sigurdsson celebrates scoring the team's first goal in the 2-1 defeat of England in the Euro 2016 soccer tournament on June 27. Photo by Eric Gaillard Livepic via Reuters

Iceland’s Ragnar Sigurdsson celebrates scoring the team’s first goal in the 2-1 defeat of England in the Euro 2016 soccer tournament on June 27. Photo by Eric Gaillard Livepic via Reuters

The tiny country of Iceland has made it through to the quarterfinals of the Euro 2016 soccer tournament by beating a giant. The underdog team forced Portugal and Hungary to draws, defeated Austria, and to shocked soccer fans around the world, beat England 2-1 on Monday.

The loss caused England’s soccer manager – the highest paid at the Euro 2016 tournament – to quit, giving up a reported $4.6 million a year contract, while one of Iceland’s managers also works as a dentist.

The island country, with a population of 330,000 – about the size of Corpus Christi, Texas – has gone soccer-crazy. A reported 30,000 fans, a 10th of the population, descended on France to cheer on their team.

The man who may best represent the incredulity of the team’s success is announcer Gudmundur Benediktsson, whose reaction to Iceland’s victory over Austria last week went viral.

His commentary on his country’s stunning victory over England was just as colorful, even poking fun at the recent Brexit vote.

“Iceland is going to play France on Sunday. France Iceland!” he said, according to one translation, “You can go home. You can go out of Europe. You can go wherever the hell you want. … England 1 Iceland 2 is the closing score here in Nice. And the fairy tale continues.”

His reaction to England’s defeat (with subtitles):

Iceland is scheduled to play France on July 3.

The post Watch this soccer announcer’s raucous takedown of England after Iceland victory appeared first on PBS NewsHour.

All Hail Iceland: A Soccer Cinderella Story

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Iceland’s soccer team shocked the world this week by beating England and advancing to the Euro 2016 quarter finals.

George Vecsey, former sports columnist for The New York Times and author of Eight World Cups: My Journey through the Beauty and Dark Side of Soccer talks about what other teams can learn from this upstart football nation.

Boris Johnson will not run for UK prime minister

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Vote Leave campaign leader, Boris Johnson, waves as he finishes delivering his speech in London, Britain June 30, 2016. REUTERS/Toby Melville TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RTX2J0IT

Vote Leave campaign leader, Boris Johnson, waves as he finishes delivering a speech in London, Britain June 30, 2016. Photo by Toby Melville/Reuters

Boris Johnson, who was expected to be a leading candidate for prime minister of the United Kingdom following the contentious Brexit vote announced Thursday that he will not seek the office.

Johnson, a former London mayor, was also a leading voice in the “Vote Leave” movement on the referendum to leave the European Union. “Leave” won with 52 percent of the vote last week.

Johnson said he was not the right person to unite the country as it exits the EU.

“Having consulted colleagues and in view of the circumstances in Parliament, I have concluded that person cannot be me,” he told reporters. “My role will be to give every possible support to the next Conservative administration, to make sure that we properly fulfill the mandate of the people that was delivered at the referendum, and to champion the agenda I believe in.”

His decision came shortly after Justice Secretary Michael Gove — an ally of Johnson who had been expected to back him in the race — announced that he would run.

[Watch Video]

In announcing he would run, Gove politician conceded that he has “repeatedly” said before that he did not want to be prime minister. But he said he decided to seek office over concerns that Johnson would not be able to lead the country in the wake of the Brexit decision.

“I have come reluctantly to the conclusion that Boris [Johnson] cannot provide the leadership or build the team for the task ahead,” Gove said. “I have, therefore, decided to put my name forward for the leadership. I want there to be an open and positive debate about the path the country will now take.”

Gove now joins a race with five other candidates, including Home Secretary Theresa May, Minister Andrea Leadsom, MP Liam Fox and Work and Pensions Secretary Stephen Crabb.

The post Boris Johnson will not run for UK prime minister appeared first on PBS NewsHour.

#3570: New Music From England

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Hear new music from England, including brand-new off-world music from ”The Red Book,” the second record by the global chamber/world music group Penguin Café, (as led by Arthur Jeffes, the son of the late Simon Jeffes, founder of Penguin Café Orchestra).  These Penguin Café works were written for the International Space Orchestra and NASA Ames in 2012, and were beamed into space as part of NASA’s Kepler project. 

Also, there’s new music by Jocelyn Pook, from a new score for the dance-theatre piece “iTMOi (in the mind of igor)” by Akram Khan written for the centennial celebration of Igor Stravinsky in 2013.  Then, out of Newcastle, hear music from the Unthanks, which is anchored by Rachel and Becky Unthank, rendering a tune by Robert Wyatt, “Sea Song.” Plus, listen to music by the British composer, producer and multi-instrumentalist Max de Wardener for percussionist Joby Burgess, working as “Powerplant.”

PROGRAM #3570 New Music from England (First aired on 2/25/2014)  

ARTIST: Rachel Unthank & the Winterset
WORK: Robert Wyatt: Sea Song, excerpt
RECORDING: The Bairns 
SOURCE: Real World #158 
INFO: realworldrecords.com

ARTIST: Penguin Café
WORK: Aurora [5:00]
RECORDING: The Red Book
SOURCE/INFO: penguincafe.com

ARTIST: Penguin Café
WORK: 1420 [5:55]
RECORDING: The Red Book
SOURCE/INFO: penguincafe.com

ARTIST: Jocelyn Pook
WORK: Sacrfice [6:16]
RECORDING: iTMOi (in the mind of igor)
SOURCE: jocelynpook.com
INFO: Try Amazon.com or iTunes

ARTIST: Rachel Unthank & the Winterset
WORK: Sea Song (Robert Wyatt) [6:19]
RECORDING: The Bairns 
SOURCE: Real World #158 
INFO: realworldrecords.com

ARTIST: Powerplant
WORK: Max de Wardener: Until my blood is pure [6:34]
RECORDING: 24 Lies Per Second
SOURCE: Signum SIGCD313
INFO: signumrecords.com

ARTIST: Graham Fitkin /Smith Quartet
WORK: Slow, excerpt [12:16]
RECORDING: Slow/Huoah/Frame
SOURCE: Argo 433-690
INFO: Out of print, but try Amazon.com or auction sites

Why Brexit may be the best thing for Britain’s fishing industry

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Fish is seen on display at Billingsgate Market in London, Britain, July 6, 2016. Picture taken July 6, 2016.   REUTERS/Martinne Geller - RTSH57M

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JUDY WOODRUFF: But, first: There are reports that the United Kingdom’s process to begin leaving the European Union may not begin until later next year, delaying the U.K.’s so-called Brexit.

The June vote to leave may have surprised many there, but it came as welcome news to the island nation’s fishermen. They have long complained about European Union rules, and now they’re hoping Brexit will help them revitalize a fishing industry they say was damaged by E.U. policy.

From Southwest England, special correspondent Jennifer Glasse reports.

JENNIFER GLASSE: Fishermen have brought their catches into Brixham Harbor since the Middle Ages, when it was the biggest fishing port in Southwest England.

The harbor and the fleet have changed over the centuries. And skipper Mike Sharp hopes there are more changes to come. That’s why he voted for the U.K. to leave Europe.

MIKE SHARP, Skipper, “Emilia Jane”: We have all the Dutch, and the French, and the Belgian fishermen, and mainly the Spanish as well coming to land to take our fish out of our waters, which we want to — you know, I think we still can let them come in, but we can decide how many comes in.

JENNIFER GLASSE: European Union-mandated quotas stipulate what kind and how many fish the trawlers can bring in. Sharp and other fishermen here claim the quotas favor boats from continental Europe. E.U. rules also limited the size of fishing fleets.

MIKE SHARP: When I started fishing 30 years ago, there was 60 beam trawlers, and now there’s 17. So, I would like to see it built back up.

JENNIFER GLASSE: A larger fleet could mean hundreds more jobs for deck hands, engineers, welders and, onshore, processing, buying and selling fish.

Brixham Fish Market is already the largest on England’s South Coast, handling about $35 million of annual trade. This market itself was modernized in part with E.U. funds.

PAUL MORTIMER, Brixham Trawler Agents: A lot of the fish we sell in England, we sell from this market here actually goes abroad. I think just because we’re out of the E.U., I don’t think they’re going to stop buying our fish. They’re still going to want our fish.

JENNIFER GLASSE: Fish buyer Steve Farrar says his children voted to stay in Europe because they want to be able to study and work there.

STEVE FARRAR, Fish Buyer: Oh, I don’t want them that badly.

JENNIFER GLASSE: He voted to leave because he says it was a question of democracy vs. control from Europe.

STEVE FARRAR: I felt very much that if I couldn’t vote somebody, a politician, in or out, I didn’t want them making decisions over my life or my children’s lives or my grandchildren’s lives. And that was the fundamental issue, really.

JENNIFER GLASSE: Robert Simonetti exports fish and serves it at a local restaurant, including, what else, fish and chips. He doesn’t think his out vote to leave will change much for his businesses.

ROBERT SIMONETTI, Restauranteur: For me, it was all the immigration thing. I think that’s a big issue for everybody.

You know, we want control about who comes into our country, really, the people we don’t want, the criminals. If you’re coming here to work and you’re going to be part of the community, we don’t care what color you are, whether you’re white, black or yellow.

JENNIFER GLASSE: Waitress Wendy Lanyon says any sacrifices made to leave Europe will be worth it.

WENDY LANYON, Waitress: I do believe we’re going to — it’s going to be hard for us as a country, but nothing like what they made out it was going to be. But we have survived before without being in the European Union. And we will survive again. I’m sure we will.

JENNIFER GLASSE: Despite the anti-Europe sentiment here, this harbor town has deep historical ties with the continent.

Dutch Prince William of Orange landed here on the 5th of November, 1688, and he became the king of England, ruling alongside Queen Mary. Napoleon Bonaparte never actually set foot on land, but his ship was just offshore before he was sent into exile.

Over tea, local historian Edgar Lawrence says it’s no surprise Britons voted to leave.

EDGAR LAWRENCE, Historian: I’m old enough to have voted for the common market, but what we got wasn’t anything like what we had been told it was going to be. And it’s just got worse and worse.

JENNIFER GLASSE: And what do you think Brexit will do for Brixham and Devon and Cornwall?

EDGAR LAWRENCE: Depends very much on the politicians. We know what we want it to do. Will they agree to everything we want, which Europe doesn’t seem to want us to have?

JENNIFER GLASSE: The picturesque beaches of Devon and Cornwall counties attract tourists that bring in revenue, but not enough to keep the local economies afloat.

This area once produced tin and copper and china clay, but all you can see of the mines now are now abandoned shells. After the mines closed, there was a steady decline in manufacturing and other industries, leaving this one of the poorest areas in Europe.

Cornwall alone has received hundreds of millions of dollars in European aid, support that’s now at risk.

The E.U. had pledged $650 million through 20 to Cornwall to continue to support new businesses, build infrastructure and complete high-speed Internet access to the region.

The head of the local county commission is trying to ensure the money keeps flowing, whether from Europe or the U.K. government.

JOHN POLLARD, Leader, Cornwall Council: I don’t think the economic argument played a very big part in the decision. It was more on fear and a dislike of Brussels. People like to blame somebody for the ills of the country, and Brussels was getting the blame. So, it wasn’t, in that sense, economically logical. It was very much a reaction vote.

JENNIFER GLASSE: One of Cornwall’s poorest areas is Redruth. This food bank gives out free provisions to the needy.

Vikki Rostron and her partner are both unemployed and have six children between them. She has no interest in politics and didn’t vote.

VIKKI ROSTRON, Redruth, Cornwall Resident: I didn’t know enough about it to think about it, to be honest. It’s not — it wasn’t something I wanted to do, you know?

JENNIFER GLASSE: The food bank’s founder says the Brexit vote won’t hurt Cornwall because European money has not produced the right kind of jobs since the local economy has evolved.

DONOVAN GARDNER, Food Bank Founder: Those jobs are not here anymore. And that — and they’re still not here. Whether it’s European money or British government money, those cyber-jobs are not here in Cornwall. And that’s what we struggle with.

JENNIFER GLASSE: Some in Cornwall want the government to bring back heavy industry, not a viable prospect. And European funds have been spent to create 21st century solutions to Cornwall’s limitations.

JOHN POLLARD: A lot of that money is not visible, so it doesn’t build a school or a sports center. It builds a road, or it builds a business park, or it helps to develop a digital industry. And people, the man in the street doesn’t — they don’t see that.

JENNIFER GLASSE: Back in Brixham, the fishermen head out to sea. They say they have done their part, persuading the country to vote to get out of Europe. Now it’s up to the politicians.

Negotiations are expected to take two years or many more. The fishermen of Brixham hope officials in London and Brussels won’t leave them high and dry.

Reporting for the “PBS NewsHour,” I’m Jennifer Glasse in Brixham, England.

The post Why Brexit may be the best thing for Britain’s fishing industry appeared first on PBS NewsHour.

Reflecting on Life and Aging While on Holiday

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Director Austin Pendleton, actress Jill Tanner and artistic director Jonathan Bank discuss the Mint Theater revival of N.C. Hunter’s 1955 play, “A Day By the Sea.” The play follows the residents of a seaside resort in Dorset, England as they deal with personal disappointments and overall disillusionment with life at middle age.

"A Day By the Sea" has been extended through October 23rd at The Beckett Theatre at Theatre Row 410 West 42nd Street (between 9th and 10th Ave). For tickets and showtimes, click here

The Life of a Shepherd

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James Rebanks runs a family-owned farm in the Lake District in Northern England and also serves as an expert advisor to UNESCO on sustainable tourism. He also runs the popular Herdwick Shepherd account on Twitter (@herdyshepherd1). He joins us to discuss his second book, The Shepherd’s View: Modern Photographs From an Ancient Landscape, a collection of photography that chronicles the timeless rhythm of farm life in the Lake District.

Event: On Tuesday, November 1 at 7 p.m. James Rebanks will be appearing at House of Speakeasy's "Seriously Entertaining Razor's Edge" at Joe's Pub (425 Lafayette Street) alongside Phil Klay, Elizabeth Alexander and Madeline Thien. 

 


[Unedited] Michael Longley with Krista Tippett

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[Unedited] Michael Longley with Krista TippettMichael Longley has written more than 20 books of poetry including "Collected Poems," "Gorse Fires," and his most recent collection, "The Stairwell." This interview is edited and produced with music and other features in the On Being episode "Michael Longley — The Vitality of Ordinary Things." Find more at onbeing.org.

Michael Longley — The Vitality of Ordinary Things

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Michael Longley — The Vitality of Ordinary Things

To reassert the liveliness of ordinary things, precisely in the face of what is hardest and most broken in life and society — this has been Michael Longley’s gift to Northern Ireland as one of its foremost living poets. He is a voice for all of us now, wise and winsome about the force of words in a society that has moved away from sectarianism in living memory. A profound conversation before an adoring crowd at The MAC Belfast.

What George Michael’s career meant for music and sexuality

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Singer George Michael performs during the closing ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games at the Olympic Stadium August 12, 2012.     REUTERS/David Gray (BRITAIN  - Tags: SPORT OLYMPICS ENTERTAINMENT)   - RTR36SHR

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WILLIAM BRANGHAM: One of Michael’s important legacies over time was how he eventually came out and dealt with his sexuality and identity.

Tim Teeman wrote about that and more on The Daily Beast. He joins me now from New York.

Tim, before we get into that issue of his sexuality, I wonder if we could just talk a little bit about George Michael as a musician.

TIM TEEMAN, The Daily Beast: Yes.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: When you look back at his career, where do you put him in the pantheon of pop stars?

TIM TEEMAN: Oh, I put him — personally, I put him right up there.

I mean, if you grew up in England — and I’m sure he was very famous over here as well with Wham! and later on as a solo singer — but if you grew up in England in the ’70s and ’80s, as I did, he, along with Duran Duran and Spandau Ballet and Culture Club, Boy George, these were big, totemic cultural figures.

And Wham!, as Angus Walker described in his report there, were — they were almost the harbingers, the heralds of Thatcherism himself. The group was very anti-Thatcher, famously anti-Thatcher, but their brand of pop and the kind of aspiration and the brightness of that pop was radical and revolutionary.

And Britain, at that point in the early ’80s, emerging from a period of sort of late ’70s gray industrial decline, this was the kind of pop that heralded the big, brash ’80s.

And look at George’s hair, look at his clothes in that time. And those songs, you either — as I say in my article for The Daily Beast, you either hit the dance floor, and you just flailed like a windmill dancing crazily at them, and then for the slower songs, those slower songs still are the songs that are at weddings, the last song of the night, people weeping on each others’ shoulder.

They are slow dances. And they have remained. And they have transcended. If they were considered cheesy — and they were considered slightly cheesy back in the day — they have stood the test of time.

Look at “Last Christmas.” “Last Christmas” is right up there with “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” as a Christmas cultural classic.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: As we heard in that report, George Michael was rather rudely forced out of the closet by this arrest back in the ’90s.

And up until that point, he had been rather quiet about his sexuality. I wonder if you have a sense of why he wanted to keep that to himself.

TIM TEEMAN: I think, sometimes, especially now, with the acceleration of cultural change and acceptance, as it’s known, I think we sometimes forget what those times were like back in the ’80s and even into the ’90s, before he was forced out of the closet.

These were not times of large numbers of celebrities of any kind out of the closet at all. You might remember, in the very late ’90s, Ellen’s coming out over here was a big, big cultural moment.

And so I sometimes think we forget how, in those days, coming out of the closet, if you were famous, and, in fact, coming out of the closet if you were anybody was a very brave, wonderful act.

Harvey Milk, the wonderful Harvey Milk, had it exactly right when he said the most important and wonderful thing an LGBT person could do was come out. It was the most powerful statement they could make.

So, the interesting thing about George Michael is that, yes, he kept it quiet, though it always — I remember growing up in the era of tabloid bait and insinuation around stars like George Michael and his sexuality. He did play equality concerts. He donated and sang at HIV and AIDS benefits.

While he was in the closet, he fell in love for the first time. And his first lover died in 1993 of an AIDS-related brain hemorrhage. So he had a gay life, and he was coming to terms with something himself in that period.

And he talked later on about the complexity of his own sexuality. Maybe he wasn’t ready. Maybe there were commercial concerns. But then, in 1998, as you say, and as Angus Walker said in his report that you just played, came this arrest in Los Angeles.

And George Michael’s completely fantastic, wonderfully defiant, mischievous response to that, which wasn’t the usual contrite, yes, I have been bad, I have a few personal issues — it was to release a pop song which proudly celebrated sexuality and also…

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: This was “Outside.”

TIM TEEMAN: Sorry. This was “Outside,” absolutely. You’re right, yes.

It was a song that not only proudly celebrated sexuality, but also proudly and defiantly aimed itself squarely at law enforcement, which famously for years and years in your country and in Britain as well would entrap gay men in public lavatories just to arrest them, the use of pretty policemen, we called it in Britain.

And in this video, George skewers it all and also, if you listen to the lyrics, celebrates defiantly his own sexuality, which he spoke about in later years. He liked having public sex. He spoke about it openly. He had lovers. He fell in love. He had commitment issues. He was horny. He talked about all these things in his song, and occasionally in wonderful public interviews, which I talk about in my article.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: You said that the culture has changed quite a bit since that notorious arrest.

Do you think, if the next George Michael is coming along and knows his sexuality, that he could be more comfortable today being who he is?

TIM TEEMAN: That’s a very interesting question. And I have been talking about that with colleagues today.

I think we like to think things have moved on. And I think, for a certain level of celebrity, I think things have moved on, and I think careers are continuing. You look at Neil Patrick Harris, you look at Ellen, there are some people who are excelling. And it’s wonderful, and it’s a demonstration of how far we have come and how far we like to think we have come.

And then you look at the top tier maybe of the music industry and you look at the top tier of Hollywood, and there it remains, at that very top tier, fear, prejudice, a self-patrolling closet on the part of celebrities and their representation.

And I think we have yet to really breach that sort of top, top, A-list film star, music star moment. It’s happening. There are more stars out than ever before. And we should be happy about that.

I would hope, in the future, that the example of George Michael and the openness and fierceness and the defiance and the mischief and the big smile and the joy he took in some parts of his life and what he tried to convey to us in music and how he spoke about it all in interviews, I hope that younger stars and even established stars who haven’t felt able to come out will look at that and think, he did it, and he did it with such style, and such fierceness and with such grace, let’s do it.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: All right, Tim Teeman of The Daily Beast, thanks for this lovely remembrance.

TIM TEEMAN: Thank you so much.

The post What George Michael’s career meant for music and sexuality appeared first on PBS NewsHour.

Queen Elizabeth II turns 91 today. View photos of her as a young royal

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Queen Elizabeth II celebrated her 91st birthday on Friday. Here, in a 2016 photo in Poundbury, Dorset, she matches perfectly in a turquoise ensemble. Photo by Samir Hussein/WireImage via Getty Images

Queen Elizabeth II celebrated her 91st birthday on Friday. Here, in a 2016 photo in Poundbury, Dorset, she matches perfectly in a turquoise ensemble. Photo by Samir Hussein/WireImage via Getty Images

Britain’s longest-reigning monarch Queen Elizabeth II turned 91 years old Friday. The occassion was marked with gun salutes and birthday wishes on Twitter. View photos of the queen as she grew up in the royal family.

Baby princess

The Duke and Duchess of York (later King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother) pictured in 1926 with their daughter (later, Queen Elizabeth II) in a christening robe, which has been used in the Royal Family for generations. Photo by Popperfoto/Getty Images

The Duke and Duchess of York (later King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother) pictured in 1926 with their daughter (later, Queen Elizabeth II) in a christening robe, which has been used in the Royal Family for generations. Photo by Popperfoto/Getty Images

Ruffles and lace

The young Princess Elizabeth, seen here in 1928, already demonstrates a fancy for elaborate hats. Photo by Central Press/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

The young Princess Elizabeth, seen here in 1928, already demonstrates a fancy for elaborate hats. Photo by Central Press/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Corgi love

Princess Elizabeth holds a Corgi in this Jan. 1, 1936, photo by Lisa Sheridan/Getty Images

Princess Elizabeth holds a Corgi in this Jan. 1, 1936, photo by Lisa Sheridan/Getty Images

Turning 13

Then-Princess Elizabeth pats her pony in Windsor Great Park, Berkshire, on her 13th birthday on April 21, 1939. Photo by Central Press/Getty Images

Then-Princess Elizabeth pats her pony in Windsor Great Park, Berkshire, on her 13th birthday on April 21, 1939. Photo by Central Press/Getty Images

Girl Scouts

Princess Elizabeth poses in her girl guide (scouts) uniform in Frogmore, Windsor, England on April 11, 1942. Photo by Studio Lisa/Getty Images

Princess Elizabeth poses in her girl guide (scouts) uniform in Frogmore, Windsor, England on April 11, 1942. Photo by Studio Lisa/Getty Images

Royal wave

Princess Elizabeth arrives at the Norwegian Embassy in London for a dinner party hosted by King Haakon VII of Norway on June 6, 1951, giving the famous royal wave. Photo by Paul Popper/Popperfoto/Getty Images

Princess Elizabeth arrives at the Norwegian Embassy in London for a dinner party hosted by King Haakon VII of Norway on June 6, 1951, giving the famous royal wave. Photo by Paul Popper/Popperfoto/Getty Images

Young family

This photo taken in 1951 shows Queen Elizabeth II holding Princess Anne and Prince Charles in the arms of his father, Philip Mountbatten. Photo by Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images

This photo taken in 1951 shows Queen Elizabeth II holding Princess Anne and Prince Charles in the arms of his father, Philip Mountbatten. Photo by Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images

In the garden

Queen Elizabeth II, seen here in March 1953, has a particularly love of Corgis. UPI color slide via Getty Images

Queen Elizabeth II, seen here in March 1953, has a particular love of Corgis. UPI color slide via Getty Images

Belle of the ball

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip leave a banquet during their Commonwealth visit to Australia in 1954. Photo by Fox Photos/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip leave a banquet during their Commonwealth visit to Australia in 1954. Photo by Fox Photos/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Inspecting the troops

Queen Elizabeth II inspects men of the newly renamed Queen's Own Nigeria Regiment, Royal West African Frontier Force, at Kaduna Airport, Nigeria, during her Commonwealth Tour on Feb. 2, 1956. Photo by Fox Photos/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Queen Elizabeth II inspects men of the newly renamed Queen’s Own Nigeria Regiment, Royal West African Frontier Force, at Kaduna Airport, Nigeria, during her Commonwealth Tour on Feb. 2, 1956. Photo by Fox Photos/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Sunny at Sandringham

Queen Elizabeth II relaxes at Sandringham Estate with her Corgis in this undated photo by Anwar Hussein/Getty Images

Queen Elizabeth II relaxes at Sandringham Estate with her Corgis in this undated photo by Anwar Hussein/Getty Images

Royal wedding

The Prince and Princess of Wales pose on the balcony of Buckingham Palace on their wedding day, with the Queen and some of the bridesmaids on July 29, 1981. Photo by Terry Fincher/Princess Diana Archive/Getty Images

The Prince and Princess of Wales pose on the balcony of Buckingham Palace on their wedding day, with the Queen and some of the bridesmaids on July 29, 1981. Photo by Terry Fincher/Princess Diana Archive/Getty Images

Sporting event

Catherine, duchess of Cambridge (left), and Queen Elizabeth II share a laugh at a children's sports event in Nottingham, England, on June 13, 2012. Photo by Phil Noble - WPA Pool/Getty Images

Catherine, duchess of Cambridge (left), and Queen Elizabeth II share a laugh at a children’s sports event in Nottingham, England, on June 13, 2012. Photo by Phil Noble – WPA Pool/Getty Images

The post Queen Elizabeth II turns 91 today. View photos of her as a young royal appeared first on PBS NewsHour.

Bomb Blast at Manchester Leaves 19 Dead, Dozens Wounded

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An explosion struck an Ariana Grande concert in northern England late Monday, killing at least 19 people and injuring dozens in what police say they are treating as a terrorist attack.

Greater Manchester Police said 19 people were confirmed dead and roughly 50 were injured by the explosion at Manchester Arena. Emergency vehicles were helping the injured and bomb disposal units were later seen outside the venue.

There was mass panic after the explosion at the end of the concert, which was part of Grande's The Dangerous Woman Tour. The singer was not injured, according to a representative.

Britain's terrorist threat level has been set at "severe" in recent years indicating an attack is highly likely. Police said the explosion is being judged a terrorist attack unless new information proves otherwise.

Witnesses reported hearing two loud bangs coming from near the arena's bars at about 10:35 p.m. but there were few further details.

"A huge bomb-like bang went off that hugely panicked everyone and we were all trying to flee the arena," concertgoer Majid Khan, 22, told Britain's Press Association. "It was one bang and essentially everyone from the other side of the arena where the bang was heard from suddenly came running towards us as they were trying to exit."

Added Oliver Jones, 17: "The bang echoed around the foyer of the arena and people started to run."

Video from inside the arena showed concertgoers screaming as they made their way out amid a sea of pink balloons.

British Prime Minister Theresa May said the government is working to establish "the full details of what is being treated by the police as an appalling terrorist attack."

She said her thoughts are with the victims and the families of those who have been affected. The government is expected to call an emergency Cabinet meeting.

If the incident is confirmed as a terrorist attack it would be the most deadly in Britain since the London subway bombings in 2005.

Police advised the public to avoid the area around the Manchester Arena, and the train station near the arena, Victoria Station, was evacuated and all trains canceled.

Joseph Carozza, a representative from Grande's U.S. record label, said the singer is OK and they are investigating what happened.

The Dangerous Woman Tour is the third concert tour by Grande and supports her third studio album, "Dangerous Woman."

Grande's role as Cat Valentine on Nickelodeon's high school sitcom "Victorious" propelled her to teen idol status, starting in 2010.

The 23-year-old Grande, with her signature high ponytail, went on to also star in spinoffs that included "iCarly," as she worked to develop her recording career.

The tour began in Phoenix in February. After Manchester, Grande was to perform at venues in Europe, including Belgium, Poland, Germany, Switzerland and France, with concerts in Latin America and Asia to follow.

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