Waching daily Jun 1 2017

Hello and welcome to PRIMETIME, watchmaking in the news and this edition is going to be

quite rich and intense.

We have an interesting selection of product launches to talk about, some general business

news, come back on some auction results and what they mean and still a few things to share

with you.

So let's not waste any time and let's immediately start with some "fireworky"

auction results.

Because yes we saw a new crazy record for a Rolex and what a record as the Reference 6062

known as the Boa Die was sold by Phillips in Geneva for a staggering 5.1 Million $.

This is twice more than any other Rolex sold before and I have to admit that this 1952 triple

calendar moonphase timepiece belonging to the last Emperor of Vietnam is really a stunning

looking watch, but these prices are really getting stratospheric.

It was purchased by an unknown private collector and I doubt we will see this watch back in

auctions rooms very soon, so quite nice for us to have been so close to it and being able

to share with you these nice and exclusive images.

Something by the way we had been able to do last year too with the ultimate wristwatch

record set by the Patek Philippe Ref. 1518 in steel sold for 11 Million $, yet another

little exclusive insider, we like those and count on us for some more.

Anyhow, there were other auctions during that same week and it was very surprising and disappointing

to see that Sotheby's was not able to find a buyer for the incredible Calibre 89 by Patek

Philippe, the brand's most complicated timepiece ever produced for its 150th anniversary back

in 1989.

For the record, its current owner had already put this watch for sale a couple of years

ago for a rather high fixed price, we are talking around 11-12 Million $, and it was

actually Christie's, the other important auction house, that was previously tasked

to do so in its Private Sale departement, but that didn't happen.

So the owner now went with Sotheby's, was ready to put it in public auction, was ready

to lower the price if we can say so, but never the less the reserve price was not reached.

All in all, I think this gives unfortunately a bad vibe to this timepiece, like a wrong

signal, so we'll see what will happen next, because it remains an extraordinary timepiece

with its 33 complications and what it represents in the history of the brand and for watchmaking

in general.

So quickly talking about the overall results, the 4 main auction houses sold for a bit more

than 60 Mio $ of vintage timepieces during this Geneva week, but one has to note that

Philipps represented 50% of this number, so clearly the market leader in the world of

watch auctions and I just wanted to mention a rather poor performance by Sotheby's,

ten times as less as Phillip's with approximately 3 Mio $ in sales and actually so poor that

I didn't even receive a press release from their part summarizing their results, something

you generally get quite automatically.

In terms of trends, Rolex definitely dominated these auctions, of course some Patek Philippe

also went for some pretty high figures, but it seems like collectors are slightly shifting

their interest from what used to be the blue chip lots of any watch auctions not even so

long ago.

So let's change subject and before talking about the main product launches and going

by the many comments regarding a special Nixie tube timepiece you've seen on the mantelpiece

of Mr Aurel Bacs, that's the watch auctioneer and great story teller of Phillips, well I

just wanted to tell you that we will come back on this original object very very shortly,

since it seems to stir quite a lot of interest!

So now let's talk about some new watches and we will start with Richard Mille as the

brand has used once again the start of the French Tennis Open to unveil the new Rafa

Nadal RM27, the dash 03.

With previous versions of this extreme tourbillon watch, the emphasis had been placed on its

ultra light weight characteristics: the second iteration, the RM27-01 weighing slightly less

than 20 grams, straps included and that will be a record hard to beat I think!

So for this new version, Richard Mille doesn't really talk about the weight, but have instead

focused on its shock resistance properties as it can resist shocks up to 10'000 Gs!!!

Well you can actually feel this sturdiness by looking at its construction, with for instance

the fact that the case and base plate are now one, like a monobloc construction, which

is made out of Carbon TPT and it is a machining achievement in itself, a rather clever one

and yet another parallel to ultra performance sport cars.

The titanium bridges have also been developed in that direction, on top of presenting some

kind of a bull head figure reminding of the spanish origins of Rafael Nadal, something

made even more obvious with the colors used on the Quartz TPT of the bezel and back case

cover with these yellow and red colours.

So this audacious tourbillon will again be limited to 50 timepieces and again its price

is rather flamboyant as it is set at 750'000 $. I know, quite crazy, but that's the price

to be part of a very small and special club of individuals around the planet.

Talking about some other exceptional timepieces or should I say timepiece, MB&F has just presented

an incredible and spectacular version of the HM6.

This is the all sapphire HM6 Alien Nation, limited to 4 pieces and they are all unique,

you have a blue, a light blue, a green and purple version, that's the colour of the

gasket and in each one of them you will find 6 minute hand engraved aliens that look like

they are kind of working and participating at the movement's good functioning.

And you have to realize that each alien require 34 hours of work by a very skilled and patient

craftsman and regarding the sapphire case, well it is made up of 12 different blocks

requiring a total of 510 hours of machining, so quite a lot of work put in this incredible

machine.

As a reminder, the HM6 was first introduced in 2014 and this flying tourbillon movement

was from the start limited to 100 movements split into 50 titanium versions, 18 pink gold

versions, 20 SVs, also in a sapphire case coming in two versions, these 4 unique Alien

Nation versions, so another 8 movements are still available for probably another quite

crazy final version.

And just to mention that the price of this Alien Nation version is set around the half

million mark and even though it's been introduced only yesterday, well they've already all

been sold, how crazy is that and again quite a demonstration of the hotness and appeal

of the brand.

Girard Perregaux reintroduced the Laureato this year, a collection first launched in

the 70's but which had unfortunately been put on pause for a few years.

You guys know I quite like this watch, this is an early 2000 titanium model I'd bought

at the time, the Evo3, and GP are really placing a lot of hope on the redevelopment of the

brand, in terms of business I mean, on this "new" collection seen at the SIHH this

year.

You had pretty simple models at some quite decent prices I think, but now GP has just

launched a skeletonized version coming in a steel or rose gold case.

Personally i think that both of these versions look really good, but the price for me seems

to be set a bit high: 32'000 $ in steel and 60'000 $ in gold…

Ok you have the new in-house GP1800 caliber with its a variable-inertia balance, it's

finely hand decorated, but still...

So in much more affordable territory, let's very quickly talk about another skeleton watch

as Corum have introduced a colorful open worked version of its Bubble watch.

It comes in three colors, green, blue and purple in its 47mm steel case and features

the caliber 39 manufactured by Eterna, the sister company, beating at 4Hz, and costs

approximately 6'500 $. Ok, I know it's something quite different, but still...

And finally, just wanted to come back on a new original wall clock made in collaboration

between Fiona Kruger, that's the brand behind some very cool skull like wristwatches, and

L'Epée, the clock manufacture we've seen on TheWATCHES.tv with some previous collaboration

with MB&F.

This wall clock comes in two versions, a black and white as well as a very colorful version

inspired by mexican style, and one of the originality is that the power reserve indicator

consist of the mouth opening as it uses its energy.

Ok, you have 35 days of power reserve, so it won't yawn on you just like that and

it's limited to 50 pieces for each version and comes at a price of approximately 30'000 $.

A very cool object.

Ok, so let's now talk about business matters and you have probably noticed that Omega is

the official Olympics timekeeper.

The brand has been linked with the Olympics game since 1932 and they have just announced

that they have pursued this partnership till 2032, so quite some long term commitment there,

but for the most viewed sport event in the world, this for sure brings them worldwide

visibility and also prevents any other brand to benefit from it, as we have heard that

Seiko was really pushing hard to take this spot, hence the long commitment.

During the last PRIMETIME, I mentioned that since a long time swiss watchmaking export

figures had finally marked a positive increase for the month of March, but I also mentioned

that I didn't believe that the overall decrease will stop there and the figures for the month

of April has just confirmed that.

Again, I still think this trend will continue, the size of the cake is gently and for sure

getting smaller and some brands still have to adjust to this new business environment

with new and better positioned products if they don't want their slice to transform

into little crumbs.

Well I'll say this again, but it doesn't take anything away for my love and appreciation

for this industry, but the good old days are definitely over for most of the brands.

I doubt many would disappear, but get smaller for sure and I just hope shareholders will

understand that instead just of aiming for continuous and unnecessary growth.

A watch is an emotional product and it doesn't follow the same strategy as car makers.

Regarding upcoming events, I just wanted to mention that we will be attending the geneva

trade fair dedicated to the suppliers of the industry between the 20th and 23rd of June.

This is called the EPHJ and it's always a good place to get a feel of the industry,

on top of often discovering some pretty interesting stuff that might end up in some watch collection

in the future.

And one last thing I wanted to add as a little teaser is that our next Who's Who of Watchmaking

will be dedicated to URWERK, a brand that is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year

and this brand has for sure open the way to many independent brands we know today with

their rather disruptive take on watchmaking.

So before going back on the big big independent brands, I thought it was very interesting

to come back on this small but iconic player of the watchmaking planet.

And one very final thing, I just wanted to say that we had to pause our boutique endeavor,

we need to get some stuff sorted first, this naturally really annoys me since it was a

way of financing our activity, so for any of you who want to give us a small hand, well

we still our Patreon campaign going on, so feel free to pledge a buck or two ;)

All the very best and see you real soon with some super cool reports coming ahead, I can

promise you that.

For more infomation >> PRIMETIME - Watchmaking in the News - May 2017 - Duration: 11:47.

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Manchester Attack & Facebook Police: VICE News Tonight Full Episode (HBO) - Duration: 25:06.

Tonight:

Horror in Manchester:

— This attack stands out...

...for its appalling, sickening cowardice.

— The new face of southern radicalism:

— Fuck the Klan!

— And...

What's really allowed on Facebook.

— President Trump may be overseas,

but his 2018 budget arrived at Congress today,

and it reflects the full suite of his administration's fiscal priorities—

calling for significant cuts to medical research and social programs for the poor, elderly and disabled.

Medicaid would be cut by more than $800-billion over 10 years.

Funding for the food stamp program would be reduced by a huge amount—

29% over the same timeframe.

— We're no longer going to measure compassion

by the number of programs,

or the number of people on those programs,

but by the number of people we help get off of those programs.

We're not going to measure compassion by the amount of money that we spend,

but by the number of people that we help.

— The White House claims the proposal balances the budget in 10 years.

But the document is purely aspirational:

It won't become law in its current form.

Former CIA Director John Brennan told the House Intelligence Committee

that the FBI investigation into contacts between the Trump campaign and the Russians

is, quote, "well-founded":

— I'm aware of information and intelligence

that revealed contacts and interactions

between Russian officials and U.S. persons involved in the Trump campaign.

— Uber admitted it has underpaid tens of thousands of its New York City drivers

for the past two and a half years,

an error that's likely to cost them tens of millions of dollars.

In a statement, Uber said they made a mistake and will pay, quote,

"every driver every penny they are owed, plus interest, as quickly as possible."

It's the second time in three months the company has acknowledged

it deprived workers of their proper earnings.

In an emergency spacewalk,

two U.S. astronauts successfully replaced a computer

that failed without warning on Saturday.

The 50-pound computer is one of two that are vital to operating

the International Space Station's solar panels, radiators and robotic equipment.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte arrived in Moscow to meet with Vladimir Putin—

but quickly cut the trip short to declare martial law for 60 days

on the southern island of Mindanao.

Security forces are battling two militant groups

who have vowed to carry out attacks across the predominantly Christian country.

— We are sending a signal not just to Manchester,

but across the world, that you can not defeat us,

because love, in the end, is always stronger than hate.

— The death toll from Monday night's attack in Manchester stands at 22.

And today, false alarms had the city on edge:

— Run! Go!

— Prime Minister Theresa May raised the country's threat level to critical,

indicating that another attack may in fact be coming.

Matthew Hewitt was at the concert.

He lives with his mother, Janet, in Sheffield:

— We heard the big explosion.

Everything shook.

We felt—it were like an earthquake.

It were just…

I can't explain.

— Every parent wants their child home.

I've been given that.

Other parents are going to get a body.

That could've quite easily have been me.

I could have been the one sat here with my son missing,

or presumed dead.

— Police identified the suspect as 22-year-old Salman Abedi,

who was born in the U.K. to immigrant parents, and who lived a few miles from the arena.

Authorities say Abedi died at the scene.

The question now is how he got so far undeterred.

— One thing we know about Salman Abedi is that he was well-prepared.

Police say his bomb was homemade.

Now, terror experts tell me getting your hands on the components needed to make bomb

is easier than it sounds—

you can get most of them in a hardware store: a pressure cooker, nuts and bolts.

Even improvised explosives can be found on the main street.

But this bomb had an effective detonator,

and that takes practice to make properly— if not formal training.

And it would have required surveillance to find a weak spot at the arena—

a point where a blast would have maximum damage,

but without Abedi having to pass through a security check.

The Islamic State has claimed responsibility.

Manchester police said Abedi acted alone,

but then arrested someone in connection with the attack.

Security analysts tell me it's likely he had support—

if not from a cell on the ground, then at least online.

At this point, it's just too early to be clear who exactly was involved;

this is what British security services are investigating now.

The more sensitive question is whether the authorities were aware of Abedi—

and if they were, why weren't they able to stop him?

British counterterrorism units are monitoring about 3,000 people in the U.K.

The common fear is that Brits radicalized in Iraq, Syria, or Pakistan are coming home to carry out attacks.

But, in fact, most of the terror suspects on this list haven't travelled outside the U.K.

The big threat here, and across Europe, comes from homegrown attackers,

acting more or less by themselves.

Britain has one of the best-resourced counterterrorism operations in Europe.

But most people on its terror watchlist are under light surveillance—

only a few are being watched 24-hours a day.

Security services just don't have the manpower to do more.

Senior anti-terror figures in the U.K.

say they've stopped more than 13 major attacks in the last five years.

There are arrests on terrorism charges on a weekly, if not near daily, basis.

So even with their limitations,

British security services are comparatively pretty efficient.

This morning,

E.U. officials approved a plan that will force social media companies

to take responsibility for offensive and violent content on their platforms.

Facebook already employs 4,500 content moderators around the world,

and our partners at The Guardian obtained more than a hundred leaked training manuals,

which, for the first time,

show exactly what's allowed on the world's largest social network...

...and what isn't.

Moderators work on a special page called the "Single Review Tool."

There's a menu of options to review millions of reports flagged by Facebook users.

Then, moderators say they sometimes have as little as 10 seconds to decide whether to ignore,

escalate to a manager,

or delete each post.

So how hard a job is it?

Let's start with the Holocaust.

Facebook is committed to free speech,

and, in the U.S., that covers Holocaust deniers.

But Holocaust denial is illegal in 14 countries,

although the manual says Facebook is only concerned

with four countries that actively pursue the issue with the company.

So moderators have to decide if a post questions the existence of the Holocaust,

or minimizes the number of victims.

If so?

Policing violence is far more complicated.

In one of the leaked documents,

Facebook acknowledges that "people use violent language to express frustration online."

So for instance…

That's allowed.

But threaten the President?

That's not okay,

because heads of state are in a protected category.

Animal abuse?

Uh... that's allowed.

Child abuse?

Amazingly, images of non-sexual child abuse are allowed, too.

Unless, the child abuse, quote, "is shared with sadism and celebration."

Judging the difference between an abused child

and a sadistically abused child?

That's up to the moderators and their managers.

Facebook allows some videos of violent deaths,

such as the Facebook Live police shooting of Philando Castile last year,

but asks moderators to mark them "Disturbing" to protect minors.

It also allows live streaming of suicide attempts,

and asks moderators to escalate each one.

Videos are to be deleted once the person has been rescued...

...or dies.

When a proposed suicide method is deemed unlikely to succeed?

And any suicide threat more than five days in the future?

If moderating violence is hard,

moderating sex seems impossible.

A 65-slide Facebook document titled "Sexual Activity" explains that these posts…

...are okay.

But add any detail about how, when, or where?

All "handmade" art showing nudity and sexual activity is allowed,

but digitally-made art about sexual activity is not—

even if a lot of handmade art is more pornographic than the real thing.

Facebook admits in the leaked documents that the line between the two is difficult to enforce,

but it asks the moderators to do so anyway.

Facebook processes 1.3-million posts per minute,

and the documents show that the company is at least trying

to come up with policies on everything from profanity to cannibalism.

It has automated systems to root out some extreme content,

and the company has promised to hire 3,000 more moderators.

It should hurry.

Sources say current moderators move on quickly

and suffer from anxiety and PTSD.

And it's no wonder why...

— President Trump wrapped up a four-day visit to the Middle East today,

sitting down with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas in Bethlehem.

Trump continued to project optimism about a peace deal.

In reality, peace is as far off as it's ever been.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

sits at the head of one of the most conservative, pro-settlement governments in years.

And Abbas presides over a fractured Palestinian electorate

openly critical of his leadership, and eager to fight back.

— Protests in the West Bank are common,

but, in recent weeks, around 1,500 Palestinian prisoners, in Israeli jails,

are on hunger strike for what they say is their mistreatment.

— Marwan Barghouti, a politician and a prominent figure in the Palestinian uprising in 2000,

is leading the hunger strikes from jail.

He was convicted of murder by an Israeli court back in 2002,

and handed five life sentences.

His supporters say he's innocent, and is a political prisoner.

In a time where Palestinian politics remains divided,

Islamist group Hamas rules Gaza, and here, in the West Bank, Fatah are in power.

Marwan Barghouti has become a symbol of unity.

His son, Sharaf, and his daughter-in-law, Nadeen,

say those frustrated with the status-quo see him as a potential future leader.

— People believe that he will not give up on them, you know?

Just like most politicians.

— And do you think that they think that political figures now, in Palestine, have given up on them?

— Definitely.

His whole life is about fighting for his people, you know?

You can't compare that with people in suits.

— After 12 years in power,

some Palestinians are doubtful that Mahmoud Abbas will bring about change.

Sharaf claims many are disillusioned with the peace process:

— It's been happening for 15 years, and it's repeating itself,

and it's becoming boring, and it's bullshit.

It hasn't achieved anything for us, as Palestinian people.

— Despite such skepticism,

Trump repeated his calls for negotiations during his visit.

But pointedly,

he made no public comment regarding plans to relocate the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem.

Such a controversial move would endorse Israel's claims to the entire city,

and dismiss international law,

which recognizes the east of the city as occupied Palestinian territory.

There was also no mention of the new nation-state bill,

which has been endorsed by Benjamin Netanyahu.

It proposes removing Arabic as an official language in Israel—

despite the fact that a fifth of the population are Arabs,

who identify as Palestinian citizens of Israel.

— In the village of Neve Shalom–Wahat al-Salam,

65 Arab and Israeli families live side-by-side,

and the local primary school is one of the few that teaches in both Hebrew and Arabic.

— So this new, upcoming law, you know,

it's stupid, racist, legalization process that we see happening in the recent decade,

actually, against the Arab population inside Israel.

It's not about the language— it's about the status.

It's about my identity, my religion, my traditions.

In order to have democracy, you have to have equality and justice.

And that means that I am here,

and I have the right to express myself.

— Those who live in the village believe that social movements like this

can fill in the void left by failed peace negotiations.

Nava is Israeli,

and one of the founders of the initiative.

She also works with potential future Israeli and Palestinian politicians:

— Those up-and-coming politicians that we work today with

will be the leaders of tomorrow and they will push another solution.

They will understand better,

they will not just think about the chairs they are sitting on,

and keeping the chair— like Netanyahu does.

And they will be interested in equality and in humane society.

— But there are Israelis who support the right-wing administration's more hardline approach.

— Can we see?

Is there anything Donald Trump can do to piss you off?

— Nothing.

— You just love him?

— Yeah, he's the Messiah.

Period.

— A supporter of Netanyahu's Likud Party,

25-year-old Nimrod is the cofounder of an Israeli Facebook group

which idolizes Donald Trump and has 50,000 followers.

— Here, you can see the God Emperor riding on a golden tank, okay?

Coincidentally, the tank is on the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

— So Donald Trump has put Israel and Palestine on the international agenda again,

and he's already talking about the "ultimate deal" in terms of peace.

— I don't believe a peace deal is possible.

— What's the alternative then?

— Peace through superior firepower, okay?

— So... attack the Palestinians?

— Uh... defend ourselves.

— And you think Trump supports that idea?

— I think that he understands the idea—

just once you show the world that the Arab side refuses peace,

by trying to make a deal and having the Palestinians refuse the conditions.

— So he's trying to make a fool out of Mahmoud Abbas?

— Yeah, the same way that Bibi is doing right now,

keep building the settlements, okay, doing what we already do best,

but without the retaliation from the nations of the world,

that will blame us for not wanting peace or anything.

— When the Ku Klux Klan announced it was planning to burn a cross

on a farm just outside Asheboro, North Carolina earlier this month,

residents were dismayed—

and the mayor of the small town told the hate group to stay away.

But one group of local radicals staged a counterprotest,

and they weren't exactly calling for peace and love.

Josh Hersh went to meet the armed forces of the Redneck Revolt.

— It was revealed that the Klan is having a klavern today at a separate location, privately.

They're doing a cross burning, right?

It's 2017.

Folks are still burning crosses, talking about genocide.

And they're trying to gain traction in our communities.

— This is the Redneck Revolt.

— One, two, three, four!

This is fucking class war!

Five, six, seven, eight!

Stop the Nazis, stop the state!

— They're part of a new face of a confrontational, even militant, left-wing activism,

who calls for a unified white working-class response

to the forces of right-wing aggression against Muslims, immigrants, and the LGBTQ community.

In less than a year,

Redneck Revolt has spread to 33 chapters across 20 states—

but it's the guns that have made them famous.

— This is a… pretty impressive show of force.

— In March, at a rally in Phoenix,

members of the local chapter brandished assault rifles,

and shoved a reporter who tried to film them:

— Excuse me, sir. — Excuse me!

— It's a public sidewalk.

— Oh, woah woah!

That's interesting!

I like to see the left-wing get feisty.

— What's a good Nazi?!

— A dead one!

— What's a good Nazi?!

— A dead one!

— In Asheboro, they left the guns at home.

North Carolina law prohibits open-carry at a protest.

— Tell me about this.

— "This machine kills fascists."

This is actually my buddy Preston's rifle—

that's a real rifle that belongs to our chapter.

— There's also a sort-of an aggressive feel to it, a little bit.

How come?

— This is the result of years and years of aggression,

and, you know, I'm tired of my community getting screwed over,

and I think that's where a lot of the anger is coming from.

— Whose street?!

— Our street!

— Whose street?!

— Our street!

— Mitch, who asked us not to use a last name,

is one of the leaders of the Asheboro chapter.

— We are a response to a rise in politically-motivated violence

and intimidation against vulnerable communities.

— But with guns.

— Right. Yeah, with guns.

That doesn't mean that we're, like, looking for a fight.

We're just trying to defend ourselves.

— Do you feel under threat?

— Yeah, of course I do.

— So, what d'you got here? — Alrighty, so these are our goats.

— Our goal is to be 100% self-sufficient here.

— Mitch, who grew up in the area,

discovered Redneck Revolt online a few months ago,

drawn to its eclectic mix of ideologies—

part militant survivalism, part communal utopianism.

— This year is radishes...

— At a time when the white working class seemed to be drifting towards right-wing extremism,

Redneck Revolt offered an authentic antidote:

a message of local empowerment, without the hate.

— A lot of that anger that people feel that leads them to

the kind of reactionary violence that we're seeing today

is really misdirected and misguided.

It's aimed at immigrants, and the LGBTQ community,

it's aimed at people of color.

And what we're trying to say is that those people aren't your enemies.

The folks who are the enemies are political and economic elites

who are creating the conditions for the things that you're upset about.

— Some people must think that this is crazy when they hear it, sometimes.

— People can have knee-jerk reactions.

And I think once we actually engage in conversation and go a little bit deeper,

people find out that there's a lot more commonality in our ideas.

I think you would see a huge decrease

in the kind of violence that we see in the United States

if everybody's needs were met—

if people could feed themselves,

if people weren't worried about losing their housing,

if people weren't like crushed by their jobs,

if people had access to good health care.

— Fuck the Klan!

— Fuck the Klan! Fuck the Klan!

— Redneck Revolt likes to say the guns aren't central to their mission.

But their aggressive posturing risks overshadowing everything else they stand for—

and alienating the very neighbors they hope to appeal to.

— I don't agree with the KKK, I'm against them,

but y'all are walking around saying, "F the police!"

That's hate too.

— This isn't an anti-police march... — But y'all are saying "F the police"...

— Not everyone here was saying "F the police"...

— Okay, so then why don't you get on your group who's saying that?

Because they represent all of y'all—

every single one of y'all who's wearing a red bandana,

whenever they see those people saying "F the police,"

they're thinking of all of y'all.

— Show me what community looks like!

— This is what community looks like!

— Some of the people didn't like that one of the chants started being "fuck the police."

— I don't have control of what chants do and don't happen.

To have fucking 12 riot cops come out, all padded up, it was insane.

I feel like that's the threat to the community, right?

— Racist, sexist, full of hate!

— America was never great!

— Traditionally, organizations trying to stand up for vulnerable groups

would say, "Our burden is to stay out of violence."

— Yeah, but we can't stay out of violence.

Violence comes to us.

— Man, you give a dark impression of what's happening in the country right now.

— Yeah.

I dunno, I think it's pretty dark.

— Goodbye, Countess.

— A ring-a-ding-ding!

Can y'all crank my tunes?

— Yeah!

Who's this?

— Paramore.

— I usually don't really know that many Paramore songs.

But this is jammin' like "Under the Sea."

This is very '80s, isn't it?

You now what I like to think about?

My 18-year-old niece—

but I like to think about her dancing to this…

like, with her, like, graduating class, like…

Oh, I love that!

Aw!

Aw, I like it!

The harmony's good.

The song is good.

Do you think they're really southern and country?

And I guess he grew up in the Appalachians or the Smokies,

because there's no snow at Christmas where I grew up.

Know what I mean?

Do you put this on at the gym?

Just, like, on the treadmill…

All the empowerment that's going on—

especially with, like, gender identity at all,

but like, female identity…

it's incredible, to see that happen and the way that it changes.

And the way that it wasn't that way five years ago—

I love it.

So, when I hear this song, it's just a part of that.

It makes me feel really happy.

That's why you do it!

— She's singin' about her shorty!

They tour together, have you seen this?

I've seen pictures.

Whoops!

And her girlfriend?

Their love is beautiful—

but hello, nurse?

Why don't we listen to this at home?

Probably 'cause my wife would be like,

"I don't think so!"

— That's VICE News Tonight for Tuesday, May 23rd.