Seth Meyers on Trump officials justifying Venezuela assault: ‘Lamest dorks on the planet’

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Late-night hosts mocked the Trump administration’s bullish rhetoric on Greenland after the surprise takeover of Nicolás Maduro’s regime in Venezuela.“If you were wondering how the rest of the world feels about Trump claiming he has unilateral power to attack a sovereign nation and kidnap its leader, it turns out they’re not exactly thrilled,” said Seth Meyers on Wednesday’s Late Night, five days after the Trump administration deposed Maduro and brought the Venezuelan president and his wife to New York to face federal drug-trafficking charges.Top UN officials warned that the shock military intervention most likely violated international law and constituted a dangerous precedent.“So there’s deep concern within the international community over Trump’s claim that the US now runs Venezuela,” Meyers explained.“This a fraught moment that requires sophisticated diplomacy from a seasoned and experienced statesman.

Mr President, you have the floor.This is your chance to put the world at ease.”Instead, during an address to congressional Republicans, Trump mocked transgender athletes and praised Franklin Delano Roosevelt as “elegant” in the US atomic bombing of Japan.“If Trump knew anything about America’s postwar history, he would know that the US spent decades carefully constructing an elaborate, rules-based international order,” Meyers explained.“Instead, he and his Maga allies have decided to junk that system of international laws and cooperation in favor of a very different, much less elegant philosophy.

”That philosophy basically amounts to the idea that “international law” is “fake”,“There is no such thing as international law,” said one Fox News anchor,“What rules the world and has ruled humanity is the law of the jungle,We are the jungle,We are the lion.

”“I’m sorry, but these guys are the lamest fucking dorks on the planet,” said Meyers.“The only place they should be talking like that is on their Call of Duty headsets.”“You’re grown-ass men, and you’re talking like the bad guys in Zootopia 2,” he added.“Don’t you feel a little embarrassed to say words like ‘we are the lion, we are the predator’ out loud on national television?“The conservative movement used to pretend it would be about ideas like duty and virtue,” he concluded, “and now they’re going full Roman empire and claiming they’re allowed to take whatever they want, by force if necessary.”On Jimmy Kimmel Live!, the host opened with an acknowledgement of it being exactly a year since the deadly wildfires in Los Angeles.

“We remain grateful to the first responders who risked their lives to protect us, especially the firefighters who got out there,” he said.“We also are grateful to the real hero: our president, Donald Trump, who turned on that giant spigot to allow all the beautiful water to flow bigly and freely from his imagination to save us from the fires only two weeks after they went out.Thank you, Mr President.Maybe next, you can turn that spigot to release the Epstein files?”Trump was busy, however, “now on day five of his side job of running Venezuela”.And “in case you were worried that this was some kind of a brazen money grab”, Kimmel noted, “Chevron Don” wrote on Truth Social that the “Interim Authorities in Venezuela” would “be turning over between 30 and 50 MILLION Barrels of High Quality, Sanctioned Oil, to the United States of America.

This Oil will be sold at its Market Price, and that money will be controlled by me.“Oh good, don’t worry, the oil money will be controlled by him, that way we know it will be spent honestly,” Kimmel laughed.“And I’m sure this has nothing to do with the fact that oil companies spent over half a billion dollars to get him elected.I’m sure if the windmill people had just asked, he would’ve invaded Holland instead.”On The Late Show, Stephen Colbert opened with Trump refusing to rule out using the military to acquire Greenland.

“Fun fact, Greenland is a Nato ally, because it’s part of Denmark.And Article 5 of the Nato charter clearly states that an attack against one Nato member shall be considered an attack against them all,” he said.“So if we attack Greenland, we’ll have to fight all of Nato, and you know who else is in Nato? The United States.And we don’t want to fight them – they’re insane.”Asked about potential military action in Greenland, Mike Johnson, the speaker of the House, demurred, saying: “I don’t think that’s appropriate.

”“It’s not ‘appropriate’?!” Colbert exclaimed.“We’re talking about attacking an ally, not wearing jeans to a wedding.”In a closed-door meeting this week, Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, assured lawmakers that the administration’s recent threats about Greenland didn’t signal an imminent invasion, and that the goal was to purchase the landmass from Denmark.“That does not sound better,” said Colbert.“It actually sounds weirder because – and I don’t know if you knew this – people don’t buy and sell countries any more.

“Apparently our foreign policy is from the 19th century.So is our vaccine schedule.”“For those Venezuelans looking for advice on how to get rid of Donald Trump: we have no idea,” said Ronny Chieng on The Daily Show.“But I can tell you one thing that doesn’t work: satire.Doesn’t do shiiiiiiiit.

But if you’re in a country in the area and this sounds like a good deal – well, good news! You’re next.”Chieng played a clip of a Republican lawmaker detailing his wish list for US intervention in Latin American counties with oppressive regimes: Honduras, Nicaragua, Colombia.“Look, the world is a messed-up place,” said Chieng.“If an oil rampage is what it takes to spread democracy, maybe that’s what it takes, OK? Stop being such babies.So which of these tyrannical dictators are we targeting next?”That would be Greenland, an independent Arctic territory controlled by US ally Denmark.

“That’s right, Greenland, because the only thing we hate more than a brutal authoritarian regime is whatever the complete opposite of that is,” Chieng joked.“The point is: we need Greenland.Why? For their freedom, or their oil, or for national defense – look, I don’t remember what excuse we’re using,” he said, before rolling a clip of yet another Republican lawmaker, who argued that “it’s important that we have a stake in Greenland.We are the dominant predator, quite frankly, force in the western hemisphere.”“Yes, Trump is the dominant predator in the western hemisphere – at least, now that Jeffrey Epstein is dead,” Chieng quipped.

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How to turn excess hard veg into fridge-raid sauerkraut – recipe | Waste not

The dry-salting fermentation method used to make sauerkraut works brilliantly on almost any firm vegetable, so you can happily explore beyond the traditional cabbage. I had a couple of carrots and a piece of squash that needed saving, so I turned them into a golden kraut with ginger, turmeric and a little orange zest for brightness. Use whatever you have to hand and let the ingredients lead your creativity.Fermenting is an enjoyable way to make the most of a seasonal ingredient or to use up surplus produce. At our restaurant, whenever we had a glut that needed using up, we used to rely on fermentation, because not only did it saves us money in the long term, it also helped us to create imaginative, delicious new products to cook with

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Hurrah for veganism and Victorian sewers | Letters

As a vegan of nearly 40 years, I agree with much of what Dean Weston says about animal welfare (Letters, 30 December). But as a former civil engineer, I cannot overlook the massive category mistakes in his assertion that the government’s animal welfare strategy “treats animal suffering the way Victorian engineers treated cholera. Add a valve here, a filter there, and never question the sewer itself.”Victorian engineers did not “treat” cholera, but were arguably more effective than the medical profession in dealing with the disease. They reduced the prevalence of cholera precisely by constructing adequate sanitation

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What can I use in vegetarian curries instead of coconut milk? | Kitchen aide

I want to make more vegetarian curries, but most call for a tin of coconut milk and I’m trying to cut down on saturated fats. What can I use instead? Jill, via emailCoconut milk brings silkiness and sweet richness to curries, and also mellows spices, so any substitute will likely change the nature of the dish. That said, if you really want to avoid the white stuff, Karan Gokani, author of Indian 101, would simply replace it with vegetable stock. Another easy swap (if you’re not averse to dairy) is yoghurt, says John Chantarasak, chef and co-owner of AngloThai in London, which is handy, because “that’s normally hanging about in the fridge”.Not all curries involve coconut milk, however, and it’s these that perhaps offer a better solution to Jill’s conundrum

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Kenji Morimoto’s recipe for root vegetable rösti with crisp chickpeas

I’m a sucker for a rösti, and I truly believe it makes the best breakfast, brunch – or any meal, really. This one leans into the amazing varieties of root vegetables we have at our disposal, and it is especially stunning when layered and presented with all of the other elements: a bold mustard aïoli, crisp curried chickpeas, and an easy parsley and red onion salad that is quick-pickled to provide an acidic finish to a satisfying dish.These rösti are easy to customise (although I’d suggest going for a combination of at least two root vegetables); they freeze well, too, making those lazy weekend brunches that much easier.Prep 30 min Cook 30 min Serves 2-4For the chickpeas400g tin chickpeas, drained 2 tbsp olive oil ½ tsp salt 1 tsp curry powder 1 tsp smoked paprikaFor the salad80g red onion, peeled and thinly sliced 10g parsley leaves Zest of 1 lemon, plus juice of ½ 1 tsp sumac 1 pinch saltFor the mustard aïoli 100g mayonnaise 1 tbsp English mustard Juice of ½ lemonFor the rösti300g root vegetables (such as beetroot, sweet potato, parsnip), peeled and grated80g red onion, peeled and thinly sliced 2 tbsp plain flour 1 egg Neutral oil, for cookingHeat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6 and line a baking sheet with baking paper. Pat the drained chickpeas dry with kitchen towel, then tip them on to the lined sheet

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Adults in England eating as much salt a day as in 22 bags of crisps, study shows

Adults in England eat the same amount of salt every week as is found in 155 bags of crisps, according to analysis by a leading health charity.The British Heart Foundation, which carried out the study, said this also equated to 22 bags a day of ready salted, lightly salted or sea salt crisps.“Most of the salt we eat is hidden in the food we buy, such as bread, cereals, pre-made sauces and ready meals, so it’s hard to know how much salt we’re consuming,” said Dell Stanford, a senior BHF dietitian.“This is bad news for our heart health, as eating too much salt significantly increases the risk of high blood pressure, a major cause of heart attacks, strokes and other serious diseases.”It is estimated that eating dangerously high amounts of salt contributes to at least 5,000 deaths a year in the UK from heart attacks, strokes and other cardiovascular conditions

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Rukmini Iyer’s quick and easy recipe for roast sweet potato, feta and butter bean traybake | Quick and easy

A brilliant, warming 30-minute traybake, all in one tin. I love the combination of roast sweet potatoes with crumbled feta and a bright, fresh pesto; adding butter beans to the mix brings another hit of protein, as well as getting more legumes into your diet – win-win! A jar or tin of chickpeas would work just as well, if that’s what you have in, and feel free to substitute the parsley for other soft herbs, should you wish.Prep 15 min Cook 30 min Serves 22 large sweet potatoes, scrubbed or peeled (up to you) and cut into 1½cm chunks570g jar butter beans (or 400g tin butter beans), drained and rinsed2 tbsp olive oil 2 tsp smoked paprika2 tsp flaky sea salt 200g block feta, crumbledFor the spring onion pesto 25g flat-leaf parsley, leaves and tender stems3 spring onions, trimmed and roughly chopped50g almonds, or pine nuts 50ml extra-virgin olive oilJuice of ½ lemonHeat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6. Tip the sweet potato chunks, butter beans, olive oil, smoked paprika and a teaspoon of sea salt into a roasting tin or tray large enough to hold everything in almost one layer, mix well, then roast for 30 minutes.Meanwhile, blitz the parsley, spring onions, nuts, olive oil, lemon juice and half a teaspoon of salt in a high-speed blender or chopper