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Iranian filmmaker Farhadi condemns Middle East war, protest massacres
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'Better than the Oscar': John Travolta gets surprise Cannes prize
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Marsh muscle motors Lucknow to victory over Chennai
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Judge declares mistrial in Weinstein case as jury fails to reach verdict
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Eurovision finalists tune up as boycotting Spain digs in
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Indonesia's first giant panda is set to charm the public
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Cheer and tears as African refugee rap film 'Congo Boy' charms Cannes
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Norwegian Ruud rolls into Italian Open final, Sinner set for Medvedev clash
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Bolivia government says deal reached with protesting miners
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Showdowns and spycraft on Trump-Xi summit sidelines
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Smalley seizes PGA lead with Matsuyama making a charge
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Acosta quickest in practice for Catalan MotoGP
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Nuno wants VAR 'consistency' as West Ham fight to avoid relegation
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Vingegaard powers to maiden Giro stage victory
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Iran to hold pre-World Cup training camp in Turkey: media
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US scraps deployment of 4,000 troops to Poland
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Ukraine vows more strikes on Russia after attack on Kyiv kills 24
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Bayern veteran Neuer signs one-year contract extension
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Ukraine can down Russian drones en masse. But missiles are a problem
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Israeli strikes wound dozens in Lebanon as talks in US enter second day
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'Everybody wants Hearts to win', says Celtic's O'Neill ahead of title decider
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Scheffler stumbles from share of lead at windy PGA
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New deadly Ebola outbreak hits DR Congo
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Farke calls for Leeds owners to match his ambition
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Zverev pulls out of home event in Hamburg with back injury
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Xi, Trump eke small wins from talks but no major deals: analysts
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De Ligt to miss World Cup after back surgery
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England's Rice braces for 'hate and love' at World Cup
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Milan Fashion Week says will ask brands not to show fur
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French-German tank maker KNDS to push ahead with IPO
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Man City campaign a success regardless of trophies: Guardiola
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'World's oldest dog' contender dies in France aged 30
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No.1 Scheffler opens with bogey to fall from share of PGA lead
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Carrick says Man Utd future to be decided 'pretty soon'
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'Out of shape' Lukaku named in Belgium World Cup squad
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Hearts ready to 'rip up the script' in Celtic title showdown
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X pledges crackdown on illegal content in UK
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Possible contenders in UK Labour Party leadership race
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Germany's Merz says wouldn't advise young people to move to US
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Israel strikes Lebanon as talks in US enter second day
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Kyiv in mourning after 24 killed as Ukraine, Russia swap POWs
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Beckham becomes first British billionaire sportsman
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Aussie star, Danish clubbing ode through to Eurovision final
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German Oscar winner Huller feels war guilt 'every day'
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Thai lawmakers vote to revive clean air bill
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Bayern warn that Canada's Davies struggling to be fit for World Cup
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Long-serving Coleman to end Everton career at end of season
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Energy-hungry German industries in decline since Ukraine war: data
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Gordon may have made last Newcastle appearance: Howe
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Denmark's Queen Margrethe has angioplasty in hospital: palace
White House lashes out at 'South Park' Trump parody
The White House on Thursday lashed out at the creators of "South Park" after the bawdy satire skewered Donald Trump in an episode featuring an AI-generated version of the US president crawling naked through a desert.
In a no-holds-barred season premiere, the animated Trump character is also seen begging Satan for sex, only to be rebuffed -- in part because his penis is too small.
The White House was not amused.
"This show hasn't been relevant for over 20 years and is hanging on by a thread with uninspired ideas in a desperate attempt for attention," spokesperson Taylor Rogers said.
"President Trump has delivered on more promises in just six months than any other president in our country's history -- and no fourth-rate show can derail President Trump's hot streak."
The adult animated series, which frequently touches on hot-button issues in American life, is now in its 27th season and remains one of the world's most valuable TV shows.
The season premiere begins with the foul-mouthed Cartman appalled that NPR has been taken off the air by the president, while Randy, a parent, is disturbed by the presence of Jesus in public elementary school.
Complaints to the fictional White House receive only a threat from Trump to sue the mountain town of South Park for billions of dollars.
Meanwhile, animated Trump is threatening to bomb Canada "like I did Iraq."
"I thought you just bombed Iran," the Canadian prime minister replies.
"Iran, Iraq, what the hell's the difference?" replies Trump.
The episode, which sees the fictional Trump ride rough-shod over many aspects of American life, ends after the town of South Park makes a financial deal with the president that includes an agreement to make public service announcements.
The AI generated short that follows -- ostensibly one of those announcements -- shows an overweight Trump staggering through a desert as a narrator casts him as a latter-day Jesus.
The short ends with a naked Trump as the narrator says: "Trump. His penis is teeny-tiny, but his love for us is large."
- Merger -
The episode aired days after creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone reportedly penned a $1.5 billion streaming deal with Paramount that gives the company global rights.
The deal comes at a sensitive time for Paramount, which is trying to secure government approval for a multi-billion-dollar merger with entertainment company Skydance.
The CBS parent caused a furor this month when it agreed to pay $16 million to settle a lawsuit Trump had brought over an interview the storied "60 Minutes" current affairs program aired with Kamala Harris ahead of last November's election.
The payment was criticized by Democrats as little more than a bribe to help smooth the merger, with Paramount initially dismissing Trump's lawsuit as meritless.
Last week CBS sparked fury after it cancelled "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" whose host is a pointed critic of the president.
The network insisted it was a financial decision, but opponents have painted the move as the latest example of American institutions bowing to Trump.
I.Meyer--BTB