John Ross

Los Angeles

West Coast Director, Editorial Projects at Vanity Fair

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Articles

David Hogg Is Not a Threat to the Democratic Establishment

2 weeks ago | currentaffairs.org | John Ross

The Vice Chair of the DNC wants to primary incumbents who are “asleep at the wheel” but still backs Hakeem Jeffries and Nancy Pelosi. He’s offering the appearance of change without the substance. You might think that, after losing another election to Donald Trump in spectacular fashion, top Democrats would realize their party needs sweeping reforms. But apparently not.
Parris Goebel, Lady Gaga’s Coachella Choreographer, Talks Operas, Alexander McQueen, and Those Rihanna Rumors

2 weeks ago | vanityfair.com | John Ross

Parris Goebel, the New Zealand–born co-creative director and choreographer behind Lady Gaga’s Coachella performance, is no stranger to working with major pop stars. She was responsible for choreographing Rihanna’s Super Bowl halftime show in 2023 and Doja Cat’s headlining set at last year’s Coachella.
The ‘Godfather’ director was honored with the 50th AFI Lifetime Achievement Award on Saturday night, bringing out an impressive array of A-listers.

2 weeks ago | vanityfair.com | John Ross

An A-list group of filmmakers and actors turned out in support of Francis Ford Coppola on Saturday night, as the legendary director received the 50th AFI Lifetime Achievement Award. At 86, Coppola joins an elite group of filmmakers who have received the honor that includes Alfred Hitchcock, Martin Scorsese, and Mel Brooks. The ceremony was a celebration of Coppola's career, the six decades over which he fundamentally reshaped American filmmaking.
How Screwed Is Hollywood Now That Trump Is Playing Chicken With China?

1 month ago | vanityfair.com | John Ross

It’s official: China is reducing the number of Hollywood films allowed to play in the country as part of its ongoing trade war with Donald Trump. Earlier this week, Bloomberg reported that China was considering a full-out ban on all Hollywood films, so maybe movie executives here should feel lucky that it will only “moderately reduce,” as Bloomberg reports, the number of US movies it imports.
Sundance Is Officially Ditching Park City for Colorado

1 month ago | vanityfair.com | John Ross

It’s official: Starting in 2027, Sundance will move to Boulder, Colorado—and luckily, not Cincinnati, the possibility of which was a major concern for attendees this year. After an extensive search that started in April of 2024, the festival revealed Boulder, Cincinnati, and nearby Salt Lake City as its three potential new host cities. Of those, the Colorado hamlet won out.
Jeffrey Goldberg Betrayed Journalism

1 month ago | currentaffairs.org | Stephen Prager |John Ross |Nathan J. Robinson |Kyle Kulinski

Atlantic editor Jeffrey Goldberg was given a once in a lifetime opportunity to show us how the powerful act when nobody is watching. Instead, he left the room. On Monday, The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg revealed that a member of the Trump administration unexpectedly added him to a group text chain in which top national security officials were discussing immediate plans to carry out airstrikes against Yemen’s Houthis (Ansar Allah).
The Right Doesn’t Actually Care About Antisemitism

1 month ago | currentaffairs.org | Stephen Prager |Alex Skopic |Nathan J. Robinson |John Ross

Donald Trump is cynically using the idea of Jewish safety to launch a regime of political persecution. But he and his allies barely disguise their own antisemitism. [Content warning: Antisemitism, misogyny]The Trump administration has begun arresting political prisoners, and it’s using a supposed crackdown on antisemitism as a pretext to do it. Last week, ICE detained Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian graduate of Columbia University who is in the United States as a lawful permanent resident.
Let’s Not Kill 450,000 Owls

1 month ago | currentaffairs.org | Alex Skopic |Nathan J. Robinson |John Ross

It’s a testament to human arrogance and cruelty that this is even being considered. Can you imagine what it would be like to kill an owl? To look down the barrel of a rifle or shotgun, pull the trigger, and watch a feathery body fall to the ground with a dull thud? Probably not. Owls are fascinating, beautiful creatures, and they’ve done nothing to harm humans, so the thought of murdering one in cold blood is repellent. But not, apparently, to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Trust Me, You Want Due Process

1 month ago | currentaffairs.org | Nathan J. Robinson |John Ross

A quick refresher on a principle that everyone should fight to protect. In 2002, Ahmed Rabbani was working as a taxi driver in Karachi when he was arrested by the Pakistani authorities. They beat him with wire and sticks and accused him of being “a wanted terrorist called Hassan Ghul.” The Pakistani government then sold Rabbani to the CIA for a $5,000 bounty.
Could Tax Protests Defund the American War Machine?

1 month ago | currentaffairs.org | Lauren Fadiman |Alex Skopic |Nathan J. Robinson |John Ross

Originally published in our magazine’s hallowed print edition 2025 Jan/Feb Details The refusal to pay taxes has been a powerful form of resistance against war and imperialism in North America since before the United States even existed. It may provide a potential mode of resistance against American funding for violence in Gaza, too.