• Bill Maher's decision to book conservative provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos on his HBO show drew quick condemnation from another guest. Jeremy Scahill, a journalist who has appeared frequently on Real Time with Bill Maher, posted on Twitter that he won't appear as a panelist today because of Yiannopoulos and what he represents. "He has ample venues to spew his hateful diatribes. There is no value in 'debating' him," Scahill tweeted. Appearing on Maher's show will give Yiannopoulos a major platform for "his racist, anti-immigrant campaign," wrote Scahill, co-founding editor of The Intercept news website. Scahill said he respects Maher's show as an arena for debate and discussion but called Yiannopoulos "many bridges too far." HBO confirmed that Scahill had canceled. "If Mr. Yiannopoulos is indeed the monster Scahill claims -- and he might be -- nothing could serve the liberal cause better than having him exposed on Friday night," Maher said in a statement released late Wednesday. Yiannopoulos writes for Breitbart News, considered by many a platform for the so-called alt-right movement, an offshoot of conservatism that promotes white nationalism and populism. In an email Wednesday, Yiannopoulos wrote that "public shaming and grandstanding don't work any more. ... Thanks for proving my point for me, Jeremy Scahill! You can look forward to pulling out of a lot more shows in the next few decades." Yiannopoulos is scheduled as today's opening interview guest for Real Time. Others set for the show's panel discussion are Larry Wilmore and former Georgia Rep. Jack Kingston and, for a midshow interview, Leah Remini.
• Model Karlie Kloss is apologizing for appearing in a fashion spread in Vogue magazine's diversity issue styled as a geisha, calling it culturally insensitive. Kloss, who has Danish and German roots, was photographed by Mikael Jansson in a black wig and wears a kimono in one shot and poses beside a sumo wrestler in another. In its introduction, Vogue writes that the spread is "paying homage to geisha culture." But on Wednesday, Kloss took to Twitter to apologize for "participating in a shoot that was not culturally sensitive. My goal is, and always will be, to empower and inspire women. I will ensure my future shoots and projects reflect that mission." Vogue, published by Conde Nast, did not respond to requests for comment. The March issue already has generated some social media backlash. Intended to celebrate women's diversity, the cover features seven models of different ethnic backgrounds, drawing fire from some critics who said it isn't as inclusive as it could be.
A Section on 02/17/2017