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The carefully calibrated unity of the Democratic Party lasted about six months. After a summer when moderates and progressives joined together to elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. president, his victory has now given permission for the party to expend time and energy on the difficult task of sorting out its ideological core.

House Democrats, reeling from unexpected losses in competitive races, wasted no time. Moderates have blamed progressives for pushing policies such as Medicare for all and defunding the police, which are unpopular in swing districts.

But progressives, rallying to influence Mr. Biden on cabinet appointments and initial policy, have pushed back. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York has pinned those House losses on poor digital campaigning, saying members made themselves sitting ducks for Republicans.

Conor Lamb, the 36-year-old Pennsylvania Democrat who beat back a Republican challenge in a district that President Trump won in 2016, is one of those moderates who believes the left is costing Democrats in key areas. In an interview with The New York Times, Mr. Lamb said he expected the incoming administration to govern as it had campaigned: with progressives at arms length.

This interview has been condensed and lightly edited for clarity.

Q. Whats your expectation of Joe Bidens Democratic Party? How do you expect him to fall on the moderate vs. progressive divisions we see in the House?

A. I think that he means what he says when he says, I ran a Democrat, but Im going to serve as an American president. And what that means, I believe, is that every single day, and on every issue, hes going to be working to get as many people around the table and singing from the same sheet music as you can. And sometimes that will be everyone in the Democratic caucus. Sometimes it will be some people in the Democratic caucus and some Republicans. I think thats going to change by the issue, but hes a person that really believes our actual job in Washington, D.C., is to work with each other, compromise to get the best deal we can and then get the thing done. And I believe that too.

What went wrong for House Democrats when they were supposed to pick up seats?

Im giving you an honest account of what Im hearing from my own constituents, which is that they are extremely frustrated by the message of defunding the police and banning fracking. And I, as a Democrat, am just as frustrated. Because those things arent just unpopular, theyre completely unrealistic, and they arent going to happen. And they amount to false promises by the people that call for them.

If someone in your family makes their living in some way connected to natural gas, whether on the pipeline itself, or you know, even in a restaurant that serves natural gas workers, this isnt something to joke around about or be casual about in your language.

Thats what were trying to say: that the rhetoric and the policies and all that stuff it has gone way too far. It needs to be dialed back. It needs to be rooted in common sense, in reality, and yes, politics. Because we need districts like mine to stay in the majority and get something done for the people that we care about the most.

Lets take that issue. Joe Biden did not support defunding the police. Almost all the members of the Democratic Congress, even folks like Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, came out against it. What is the party supposed to do that it didnt?

I think we can do it much more clearly and repetitively and show it with our actions. We need to have a unified Democratic message about good law enforcement and how to keep people safe, while addressing the systemic racism that I do believe exists and the racial inequities that absolutely do exist. And when we passed the George Floyd Justice and Policing Act, thats exactly what we did.

But the people that I was on the phone with, when we were passing that at the time, were not the freshmen members who are criticizing us today. It was Karen Bass and Cedric Richmond and Colin Allred and I was listening to them. And, you know, pretty much most of our moderate conservative Democrats all voted for that bill. We listened, we compromised and we got something done. And thats what this job is really about.

Is it the view of moderate Democrats that the progressives or the so-called Squad has taken up too much space in the national conversation?

I wouldnt put it that way. Because that really focuses on them as individuals and their personalities. And that is not what were trying to do. Were trying to have a discussion about policy, not personality. And I want to be really clear on that, because I respect every one of those members and how hard they worked to get elected and how hard they have worked to stay elected and represent their constituencies. But the fact is that they and others are advocating policies that are unworkable and extremely unpopular.

So I would just say that our view is more that we want to have a clearer, sharper, more unified message on policy itself, regardless of who gets the credit or who is in the limelight for that.

In the Democratic primary, even as progressive candidates lost, polling showed that their issues remained popular among Democrats. Even things like single-payer health insurance or things like the Green New Deal. Whats your response to that?

At the end of the day, its individual candidates that have to win races, and then work with their fellow officeholders to pass bills into law and change peoples lives. So you can tell me all the polling you want, but you have to win elections.

And Ive now been through three very difficult elections in a Republican-leaning district, with the president personally campaigning against me. And I can tell you that people are not clamoring for the two policies that you just asked about. So, thats just what probably separates a winner from a loser in a district like mine.

On Saturday, I interviewed Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez and she mentioned you and how some House moderates ran their campaigns. I wanted to get a fact check quickly: Did you all spend just $2,000 on Facebook the week before the election?

She doesnt have any idea how we ran our campaign, or what we spent, to be honest with you. So yeah, her statement was wrong. But theres a deeper truth there, which is this that our districts and our campaigns are extremely different. You know, I just leave it at that.

She said the way moderates ran their campaigns left them as sitting ducks. What was your reaction?

I have to be honest and say that I was surprised about the whole interview on the day when Vice President and now President-Elect Biden was having the election called for him. I just dont think it was a day for people to be sniping at other members, especially in districts that are so different from their own.

I respect her and how hard she works. And what she did in an extremely low-turnout Democratic primary. But the fact is that in general elections in these districts particularly in the ones where President Trump himself campaigns over and over and over again, and attacks members within their own Republican-leaning districts, like me and Representative Slotkin and Representative Spanberger its the message that matters. Its not a question of door knocking, or Facebook. It matters what policies you stand for, and which ones you dont. And that is all that we are trying to say.

The American people just showed us in massive numbers, generally, which side of these issues that they are on. They sent us a Republican Senate and a Democratic president; were going have to do things that we can compromise over.

You mentioned sniping. Are progressives leading that or are moderates also doing so? Im thinking of all the anonymous quotes attacking members of the left, something that she mentioned.

Thats just honestly a hard question to answer, because I dont know who the anonymous people are. I believe we should put your name behind those types of comments and thats generally what I do.

But I got to say, as youve talked a lot about Representative Ocasio-Cortez, she can put her name behind stuff and thats I guess courageous, but when its a damaging idea or bad policy, like her tweeting out that fracking is bad in the middle of a presidential debate when were trying to win western Pennsylvania thats not being anything like a team player. And its honestly giving a false and ineffective promise to people that makes it very difficult to win the areas where President Trump is most popular in campaigns.

You and Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez are on different sides of the ideological spectrum, but the same side of a generational divide among Democrats. House party leadership has said they plan to run again. Does there need to be more youth among Democratic leadership?

The most important thing is that the leadership we have has to listen to the newer, younger members and actually give us some input and help us get accomplishments at the policy level.

But what seems to happen sometimes is when push comes to shove, the younger members who have come from these really tough districts and tough races dont always feel that the leadership takes our input as seriously as we would like. And I think thats something they need to improve, and I would bet that Representative Ocasio-Cortez would feel similarly even if it was on different issues.

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Conor Lamb, House Moderate, on Bidens Win, the Squad and the Future of the Democratic Party - The New York Times

Why so glum? I asked a sullen group of Democrats who were expressing despair as they reviewed the results of the Nov. 3 elections.

They explained their gloominess. Democrats had lost seats in the state House and Senate, losing any chance to expand Medicaid or have a hand in the redistricting of seats in the state legislature and the states congressional delegation.

They continued. Republican candidates beat Democrats, appearing to win the chief justices seat and other positions on the states Supreme Court and all the open seats on the Council of State, including the lieutenant governors race in which an unknown and far-out Republican candidate beat an attractive, well-liked and experienced woman state legislator.

What about Bidens victory over Donald Trump? Surely this should have made my Democratic friends happy. No, they responded. It was supposed to be a blue wave. But it was not a blowout, not even close, they said, noting that they did not even win control of the U.S. Senate and lost seats in the U.S. House.

I confess that I lost my cool. I asked whether they would choose to be Republicans today rather than gloomy Democrats?

Would you really like to go to bed tonight and wake up as a Republican? Maybe you could help bring that party back to its historic principles, which its current leadership has abandoned. More likely you would have to carry the burdens of being a member of todays Republican Party, tied as it is tightly to Donald Trump and his loyal backers, dependent on all those peoples support to win primaries and elections as a Republican.

Like other present-day Republicans, you would be so dependent that you would have to subordinate your principles and good sense to a cult figure and his other followers, to their alarmist conspiracy stories, and the inaccurate alternate facts that they propound.

If you woke up as a Republican, I said, you would be tied to a party of aging white people in a state and nation that are rapidly diversifying. You would be stuck with a vision of our country that rejects the multi-ethnic American traditions of equality and fairness for everyone, regardless of gender, racial and ethnic background, or sexual orientation.

You would have to reject the American commitment of true religious liberty and respect for differing religious views. You would have to reject the true patriotism that includes respect for our history of painful battles to expand equality and opportunity without covering up our countrys imperfections. You would have to put aside any continuing commitment to expanding opportunities for every citizen.

Our great country, I said, was not served up on a platter to or by our forebears. Every battle, including its war for independence, the end of slavery, the expansion of the right to vote, the opening of public schools to people of all races, the opening of public facilities to those of all different races and other battles for equality and fairness are battles that continue today.

You can be happy now, I told the group, that you are free to work for a better country, supported by high ideals and carefully discovered scientific facts rather than being bound to the inconsistent and deadly poisons prescribed by a haughty autocrat and his inconsistent dogma.

More than that, I said, you should be happy that your partys candidates for president and vice president are on the verge of a momentous victory, and North Carolina will soon be joining its neighbors Virginia and Georgia in becoming a place where both Democrats and Republicans have a fair chance to win political contests.

After my passionate ramblings, my friends nodded, smiled, and continued their gloomy conversations.

D.G. Martin hosts North Carolina Bookwatch, Sundays at 3:30 p.m. and Tuesdays at 5 p.m. on UNC-TV.

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Column: Democrats See Only the Losses From Election, Not the Progress - Southern Pines Pilot

Chris Arnade, Opinion contributor Published 6:01 a.m. ET Nov. 14, 2020 | Updated 9:11 a.m. ET Nov. 14, 2020

Over the past few decades, Democrats have become the professorial party of the educated elite. Republicans are learning what the working class wants.

Democrats are right to be celebrating a JoeBiden presidency, but the details of his win should worry them. In particular, President Donald Trump increased his vote share in once solidly Democratic counties, like Starr County, Texas,and Robeson County, North Carolina,and from traditional Democratic groups like Mexican Americans.

What connects all these different communities? All have fewercollege graduates, indicating that while the racial gap is decreasing, the education gap is solidifying, and becoming multi-racial.

This means the Democrats, in numbers and attitude, continuedits evolution into the party of highly educated college graduates, while Republicans, despite having a very long way to go, shifted towards a more racially diverse coalition of non-graduates.

That doesnt surprise me, because I spent eight years driving 300,000 miles all over America listening to people, and what I found was the biggest divide in our country was education. We have become two very different countries, with communities like Austin, Texas, and Madison, Wisconsin,filled with college graduates, and communities like Portsmouth, Ohio, and Bakersfield, California,filled with non-college graduates.

My book "Dignity" focused on those communities without college graduates, both rural and urban, both majority white like Portsmouth, Ohio,and highly Black or Latino like rural Mississippi or Texas.Places ignored by the media, except for when something bad happens.

What I found was decent, hardworking people dealing with the loss of good jobs and filling with drugs. I also found an overwhelming sense of frustration, especially towards Washington, D.C.

Suzette Hackney: Black voters steer America toward moral clarity in presidential race

In these communities, there is a belief that the politicians have left them behind, and only bother to listen to them, or talk to them,when they need their votes every few years.

The result is, most people I met didnt vote, or vote only now and then. That is backed up by the numbers.Almost 100 million peoplewho could vote didnt, a far larger number than either Donald Trump or Joe Biden got.

Why do so many people not vote? Because they dont feel much good ever comes out of voting. As a Black man in Lumberton, North Carolina,who voted for President Obama told me in 2016, people like him arefed up with the whole thing. When Obama left office,it seemed likenothing changed for him or hisneighborhood. It doesn't matter who is on the ballot.

I heard the attitude all over the country, in big towns and small towns. In red state and blue states. From Blacks, Mexican Americans, whites, Asian Americans. Everyone.

This election, some of those people who usually dont vote, did vote, and many surprisingly chose Trump. How can it be that hard working people, who are scrambling to pay their bills, many of them new immigrants, chose to vote for an ivy league billionaire who wants to limit immigration? Because how we think about politics and voting is all wrong.

Victory for equality: Deep blue and overwhelmingly against racial preferences: What's going on in California

The details of politics and policy that political pundits on TV fight over are lost on most Americans. Not because they are too stupid to understand them, but because they are too busy to focus on something that rarely affects them.

That doesnt mean they dont have views on politics, but it means politics to them is a sport. While they will never be players, they can be fans.

So who they support is more about which social group to join. It is more about whose supporters would they rather hang out with at a bar, not what policies they want. In the last few decades, Democrats have shiftedtowards being the party of the highly educated. They resemblecollege professorsin how they talk to votersand how they present themselvesand, consequently,how they are viewed by many Americans. While Trump has shifted the GOP towards being a party that maybe, just maybe, might get who they are.

While Democrats can sound too much like wonks, Trump talks their language, in simple, often blunt terms, that avoids details about policy, but gets a few big things right like understanding that frustration with D.C.

President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden debate in September at Case Western University in Cleveland.(Photo: Patrick Semansky, AP Images)

Trump also gets smaller things right that college professors and journalists in D.C. find unimportant and embarrassing, but really matters in how people view politics, like celebrating a big win with a big spread from McDonalds, or hugging the United Statesflag. Based on my experience and reporting, thisis especially true of newer immigrants, including those from Mexico, who are proud to be here and love America in an unflinching and emotional way.

They believe in faith, family, the flag, and the American dream, and are not embarrassed aboutthat.

I titled my book "Dignity" because that is what I found every American wants, now matter how much education they have, or how poor they are. Yet giving people dignity means not only listening to them, but also not talking down to them. It means understanding and respecting who they really are, rather than assuming you know what is best for them because you read about them in astudy somewhere.

If Democrats want to be the working class party, that is the team they need to remember to be.

Chris Arnade is a writer and photographer covering addiction and poverty in America. He is also the author of "Dignity: Seeking Respect in Back Row America." Follow him on Twitter: @Chris_arnade

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2020 exit polls: As the racial gap closes, the Democrat-Republican education gap widens - USA TODAY

Theaters are open at limited capacity in Southeast Michigan. The following list includes movies available at local theaters, and movies that are available to watch through online streaming subscription services including: Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Google Play, Hulu, Vudu, FandangoNow, YouTube, Disney+, HBO Max and more.

Freaky (R): Millie Kessler is just trying to survive her senior year of high school when she becomes a victim of The Butcher, the towns infamous serial killer and his mystical ancient dagger, which causes him and Millie to wake up in each others bodies. Millie has just 24 hours to get her body back before the switch becomes permanent. Meanwhile, The Butcher looks like her and takes his appetite for carnage to Homecoming. Starring Vince Vaughn, Kathryn Newton and Celeste OConnor.

The Climb (R): Film about a tumultuous but enduring relationship between two men- Kyle and Mike- who are best friends with a close bond, until Mike sleeps with Kyle's fiance. Starring Michael Covino, Kyle Marvin and Gayle Rankin.

True to the Game 2 (R): A journalist becomes the target of a criminal. Starring Erica Peoples, Vivica A. Fox, Jeremy Meeks, Andra Fuller and Tamar Braxton.

"Let Him Go" (R): After losing their son, retired sheriff George Blackledge (Kevin Costner) and his wife Margaret (Diane Lane) leave their Montana ranch to rescue their young grandson from the clutches of a dangerous family living off the grid.

Come Play (PG-13): Horror film starring Azhy Robertson as Oliver, a lonely young boy who seeks solace in his cell phone and tablet. When a mysterious creature uses Olivers devices to enter the world, Olivers parents (Gillian Jacobs and John Gallagher Jr.) fight to save their son.

The Kid Detective (R): A down-and-out detective teams up with a teenager to solve the mysterious murder of her boyfriend. Starring Adam Brody and Sophie Nelisse.

2 Hearts (PG-13): A story about two romances: a college student in love with a classmate, and a wealthy Cuban exile in love with a flight attendant. Starring Jacob Elordi, Tiera Skovbye and Adan Canto.

Infidel (R): A desperate woman tries to save her husband after he's kidnapped and put on trial for espionage in Iran. Starring Jim Caviezel, Claudia Karvan and Hal Ozsan.

Honest Thief (PG-13): A professional bank robber agrees to return all the money he stole in exchange for a reduced sentence, but two FBI agents set him up for murder. Starring Liam Neeson, Kate Walsh, Jai Courtney, Anthony Ramos and Jeffrey Donovan.

"The War with Grandpa" (PG): Comedy about a sixth-grader named Peter (Oakes Fegley) who is forced to give up his bedroom when his recently widowed grandfather Ed (Robert De Niro) moves in. Peter tries to drive out grandpa with elaborate pranks, but grandpa resists. Based on the award-winning book by Robert Kimmel Smith. Also starring Christopher Walken, Uma Thurman, Rob Riggle, Cheech Marin, Laura Marano and Jane Seymour.

"Tenet" (PG-13): Action epic from the world of international espionage, directed by Christopher Nolan. It is a co-production between the United Kingdom and United States, filmed on location across seven countries. Starring John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, Dimple Kapadia and Michael Caine.

The Witches (PG): Remake of a 1990 movie based on Roald Dahls book of the same name about a young orphaned boy who goes to live with his loving grandma in Alabama. The boy and his grandmother encounter deceptively glamorous witches. Starring Anne Hathaway, Octavia Spencer, Stanley Tucci and Chris Rock. Available on HBO Max.

Spell (R): While flying a plane to his father's funeral in rural Appalachia, an intense storm causes Marquis to lose control of the plane carrying himself and his family. He awakens wounded, alone and trapped in the attic of Ms. Eloise, a Hoodoo practitioner, who claims she can nurse him back to health. Unable to call for help, Marquis tries to break free and save his family from a sinister ritual. Starring Omari Hardwick, Loretta Devine and Andre Jacobs. Available on Fandango Now and Vudu.

Borat-Subsequent Movie Film (R): Kazakh funnyman Borat is released from prison for bringing shame to his country, and then returns to America with his 15-year-old daughter. Starring Sacha Baron Cohen and Maria Bakalova. Available on Amazon Prime Video.

Rebecca (PG-13): Psychological thriller based on Daphne du Mauriers 1938 gothic novel about a newly married young woman who moves into her new husband s family estate, battling the shadow of his first wife, the elegant and urbane Rebecca. Starring Lily James, Armie Hammer and Kristin Scott Thomas. Available on Netflix.

The Trial of the Chicago 7 (R): What was intended to be a peaceful protest at the 1968 Democratic National Convention turned violent. The organizers of the protest were charged with conspiracy to incite a riot. Starring Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Sacha Baron Cohen, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Michael Keaton. Available on Netflix. limited theaters.

The Broken Hearts Gallery (PG-13): Lucy, a 20-something art gallery assistant living in New York City, saves a souvenir from each past relationship. Starring Dacre Montgomery, Geraldine Viswanathan and Phillipa Soo.

The New Mutants (PG-13): Film based on the Marvel comic series about five young people who demonstrate special powers and are brought to a secret institution to undergo treatments they are told will cure them of the dangers of their powers. Starring Blu Hunt, Maisie Williams, Charlie Heaton, Henry Zaga, Anya Taylor-Joy and Alice Braga.

Unhinged (R): Russell Crowe stars in this psychological thriller that takes road rage to a terrifying conclusion. Rachel (Caren Pistorius) is running late getting to work when she crosses paths with a stranger (Crowe) at a traffic light. Soon, Rachel finds herself and everyone she loves the target of a man who feels invisible and is looking to make one last mark upon the world by teaching her a series of deadly lessons.

"Hubie Halloween" (PG-13): Family comedy film about Hubie Dubois, who thanklessly spends every Halloween making sure the residents of his hometown, Salem stay safe. But this year, an escaped criminal and a mysterious new neighbor have Hubie on high alert. Starring Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Julie Bowen, Ray Liotta and Rob Schneider. Available on Netflix.

"Cut Throat City" (R): Action heist movie, set in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina devastation. Starring Demetrius Shipp Jr., Shameik Moore, Kat Graham, Eiza Gonzlez and Wesley Snipes. Available for video rent or to buy.

The Glorias (R): Biopic about Gloria Steinem, journalist, fighter, and feminist, based on Steinems own biographical book My Life on the Road. Starring Julianne Moore, Alicia Vikander, Bette Midler, Lulu Wilson and Ryan Keira Armstrong. Available on Amazon Prime Video.

The Boys in the Band (R): Based on Mart Crowley's play about a group of gay men who meet for a birthday party in 1968 New York City. Starring Jim Parsons, Zachary Quinto, Matt Bomer, Andrew Rannells and Charlie Carver. Available on Netflix.

Enola Holmes (PG-13): Based on the book series by Nancy Springer, the film is set in England, 1884. Enola Holmes (Millie Bobby Brown) wakes on her 16th birthday, to find that her mother (Helena Bonham Carter) has disappeared, leaving behind an odd assortment of gifts. Placed under the care of her brothers Sherlock (Henry Cavill) and Mycroft (Sam Claflin), Enola escapes to search for her mother in London. Available on Netflix.

The Devil All the Time (R): A young man is devoted to protecting his loved ones in a town full of corruption. Starring Tom Holland II, Bill Skarsgrd and Riley Keough.

The Garden Left Behind: A Mexican trans woman struggles to build a life for herself as an undocumented immigrant in New York City. Starring Michael Madsen, Ed Asner, Carlie Guevara and Danny Flaherty.

"Antebellum" (R): Thriller about a successful author who finds herself trapped in a horrifying reality. Starring Janelle Mone, Eric Lange and Jena Malone.

I am Woman (NR): Story of Helen Reddy, a single mother from Australia who rose to fame with the song, "I Am Woman," which became an anthem for the women's movement in the 1970s. Starring Tilda Cobham-Hervey, Danielle MacDonald and Evan Peters.

Mulan (PG-13): Live action remake of the 1999 animated Disney film of the same name about Hua Mulan, the eldest daughter of an honored warrior, who steps in to take the place of her ailing father, to serve in the Imperial Army. Starring Yifei Liu, Donnie Yen and Jason Scott Lee. Available on Disney+.

I'm Thinking of Ending Things (R): Based on novel by Ian Reid, the film stars Jessie Buckley as a young woman who takes a road trip with her boyfriend (Jesse Plemons) to his family farm. Also starring Toni Collette and David Thewlis. Available on Netflix.

Bill and Ted Face the Music (PG-13): Bill and Ted, now middle aged, set out on a new adventure when a visitor from the future warns them that only their song can save life as we know it. They are helped by their daughters and a few music legends. Starring Keanu Reeves, Alex Winter and Samara Weaving.

Get Duked (R): Dean, Duncan and DJ Beatroot are teenage pals from Glasgow who embark on the character-building camping trip -- based on a real-life program -- known as the Duke of Edinburgh Award. Starring Samuel Bottomley, Rian Gordon and Lewis Gribben. Available on Amazon Prime Video.

The One and Only Ivan (PG): Disney animated film based on a Newbery Medal-winning book about a gorilla named Ivan, who tries to piece together his past with the help of an elephant named Stella, starring Angelina Jolie, Sam Rockwell, Danny DeVito and Bryan Cranston. Available on Disney+.

The Sleepover (PG): Two siblings learn their mother is a highly trained former thief kidnapped for one last job, and only they can save her. Starring Sadie Stanley, Maxwell Simkins and Ken Marino. Available on Netflix.

She Dies Tomorrow (R): A woman is convinced that she is going to die tomorrow, and her life begins to unravel. Her delusions become contagious to those around her. Starring Kate Lyn Sheil, Kentucker Audley and Chris Messina.

"Words on Bathroom Walls" (PG-13): The story of Adam (Charlie Plummer), who appears to be a typical young adult with aspirations to become a chef. Expelled halfway through his senior year, Adam is diagnosed with a mental illness and sent to a Catholic academy, where he meets outspoken Maya (Taylor Russell).

Project Power (R): A mysterious new pill on the streets of New Orleans unlocks superpowers unique to each user, but the effects are not known until after taking the pill. Starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Dominique Fishback and Jamie Foxx. Available on Netflix.

The Burnt Orange Heresy (R): Art critic, James Figueras (Claes Bang), has fallen from grace, and goes to work in Milan lecturing tourists about art history. He is contacted by wealthy art dealer Joseph Cassidy (Mick Jagger) who asks him to steal a painting from a reclusive artist, Jerome Debney (Donald Sutherland). Also starring Elizabeth Debicki.

The Empty Man (R): On the trail of a missing girl, an ex-cop comes across a secretive group attempting to summon a supernatural entity. James Badge Dale, Joel Courtney and Stephen Root.

The Tax Collector(NR): Two longtime "tax collectors" for a crime lord face difficulties when a rival crime lord returns to the area, set in Los Angeles. Starring Shia LaBeouf, Bobby Soto and George Lopez.

I Used to Go Here (NR): An author becomes involved in the lives of a group of college students after being asked to speak at her alma mater. Starring Gillian Jacobs, Josh Wiggins and Jemaine Clement.

The Secret Garden (PG): Based on the classic novel written by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Set in England, the film follows a young orphan girl who is sent to live with her uncle, where she discovers a magical garden on his estate. Starring Colin Firth, Julie Walters and Dixie Egerickx.

The Secret-Dare To Dream (PG): Based on the best-selling book by Rhonda Byrne, about a young widow, Miranda (Katie Holmes), who is raising her three children and dating her boyfriend (Jerry OConnell). A devastating storm brings an enormous challenge and a mysterious man, Bray (Josh Lucas), into Mirandas life.

365 Days: Don Massimo Torricelli (Michele Morrone) is a member of the Sicilian Mafia family and Laura (AnnaMaria Sieklucka) is a sales director. While on a trip to Sicily trying to save her relationship, Massimo kidnaps her and gives her 365 days to fall in love with him.Available on Netflix.

The Rental (R): Two couples take a weekend trip at an oceanside getaway rental house and start to suspect the host may be spying on them. Starring Alison Brie, Dan Stevens, Jeremy Allen White, and Sheila Vand. Horror film, directed by Dave Franco.

The Kissing Booth 2 (NR): After a romantic summer with her reformed bad-boy boyfriend Elle Evans (Joey King) heads back to high school for her senior year. Also starring Jacob Elordi, Joel Courtney and Taylor Zakhar Perez. Available on Netflix.

"The Old Guard" (R): A group of immortal mercenaries, led by a warrior, Andy (Charlize Theron), have fought to protect the mortal world for centuries. When their extraordinary abilities are exposed, its up to Andy and Nile (Kiki Layne), the newest soldier to join their ranks, to protect their power. Based on the graphic novel by Greg Rucka. Available on Netflix.

Force of Nature (R): A group of thieves plan a major heist during a hurricane. Starring Mel Gibson, Kate Bosworth, Emile Hirsch and David Zayas.

"Hamilton" (PG-13): Broadway hit musical, live stage production recording, based on the story of Alexander Hamilton - politician, statesman and Founding Father. Starring Daveed Diggs, Jonathan Groff, Leslie Odom Jr., LinManuel Miranda and Anthony Ramos. Available on Disney Plus.

Miss Juneteenth: A former beauty queen and single mom prepares her teenage daughter for the "Miss Juneteenth" pageant. Starring Nicole Beharie, Kendrick Sampson and Alexis Chikaeze.

You Should Have Left (R): Psychological thriller based on a novel by Daniel Kehlmann. A successful middle-aged man (Kevin Bacon) and his much younger actress wife, (Amanda Seyfried) seek a restful vacation with their young daughter at a secluded countryside house, that has a dark past. Produced by Jason Blum.

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Movies playing in Southeast Michigan, new releases Nov. 13 - The Oakland Press

When do our First Amendment rights become wrongs?

Well, when it comes to exercising your rights of free speech, assembly and petition in Tennessee, be careful. Setting up a up a tent for an overnight stay during a protest could land you in prison for up to six years.

A new law signed quietly into effect on Nov. 5 by Gov. Bill Lee changes the crime of overnight camping on state property without a permit aimed at deterring protesters who have done that from a misdemeanor to the much more serious felony. It also provides for stricter penalties and minimum jail terms for such clear threats to the republic as drawing in chalk on state property or interrupting legislators or local officials who are in a meeting.

In recent years, police have resorted to sweeps during demonstrations that operate on the theory of arrest all and sort them out later, sometimes taking into custody non-protesters simply walking to lunch or shopping. The Volunteer States new anti-protest law advocates call it criminal justice reform requires a magistrates intervention to gain early release for anyone sooner than a mandatory 12-hour minimum stay behind bars.

A move in states to silence public protest began about a decade ago, around the time of the Occupy movement. The latest Tennessee statute was sparked by demonstrators who set up camp in Nashvilles War Memorial Plaza for nearly two months this year while seeking removal of a bust of Confederate Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest, first leader the Ku Klux Klan, from the state Capitol building.

By some reports, as many as 40 states have considered or adopted direct or backdoor attempts modeled on a draft law prepared by a conservative alliance of legislators and corporations to restrain public protest. Some proposals include providing legal immunity for motorists who essentially absent a declaration of intent to injure or kill strike demonstrators standing in a public thoroughfare.

Some proposed laws have been deemed outright to be unconstitutional for targeting certain groups or simply for being too broad or too vague. But government officials can enact lawful restrictions on time, place and manner in how we protest. If upheld by the courts, such laws can reasonably limit the hours and locations of public demonstrations or individual protests, the size of signs or the number of people who can gather in public spaces or on sidewalks.

Such laws nonetheless can chill free speech in ways seemingly distant from the 45 words of the First Amendment. Being convicted of a felony also may mean forfeiting the rights to vote, carry a gun or obtain a professional license and negatively can affect your ability to get a job or obtain a mortgage.

In Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis recently proposed not only felony charges on protestors, but also penalties on cities and towns deemed not to be taking appropriate law and order measures in response to demonstrations. If enacted and if the provisions survive court challenge Florida would have the harshest anti-protest laws in the nation.

DeSantis proposal, to be considered when the legislature meets in March, includes felony charges for obstructing traffic during an unauthorized protest or for toppling a monument; an initial no bail provision for those arrested during a demonstration, and a mandatory six-month jail term for anyone who strikes a law enforcement officer during a protest. Anyone who organizes or donates money to protesters would risk penalties under the states racketeering laws.

Tennessees chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union said that the new law in that state law requiring 12-hour holds upon arrest, putting in place mandatory minimums and enhancing petty crimes to felony-level offenses will send a message loud and clear that Tennessee is no place to exercise your constitutional rights if state or local government entities disagree with you. An op-ed writer in the Memphis Commercial Appeal noted in August about the then-proposal that In George Orwells novel 1984, the state transforms all manner of innocuous activities into the most serious crimes because in totalitarian societies, any deviation from even the smallest part of the system is perceived as a threat to the system as a whole.

U.S. Supreme Court decisions stretching back more than 140 years have upheld our rights to assemble and petition. In 1937, the US. Supreme Court ruled unanimously in De Jonge v. Oregon that that the right to peaceably assemble for lawful discussion, however unpopular the sponsorship, cannot be made a crime. And in 1939 the court held in Hague v. Committee for Industrial Organization that streets and parks have immemorially been held in trust for the use of the public and, time out of mind, have been used for purposes of assembly, communicating thoughts between citizens and discussing public questions.

Ten years later, Justice William O. Douglas, in Terminiello v. City of Chicago, wrote that free speech is intended to invite dispute. It may indeed best serve its high purpose when it induces a condition of unrest, creates dissatisfaction with conditions as they are, or even stirs people to anger It may strike at prejudices and preconceptions and have profound unsettling effects as it presses for acceptance of an idea.

More recent court rulings echo Douglas in acknowledgement that protest is inherently disruptive, may well be offensive or cause anguish to some, but is protected because of a need for robust public discussion around public policy and practices.

Yes, democracy is messy and public demonstrations at times may well inconvenience, insult or infuriate you and me. But legislative acts designed to restrain, remove or chill our rights to protest are not just unconstitutional, but unpatriotic.

As James Madison, author of the First Amendment, once observed about the new nation: The censorial power is in the people over the government, and not in the government over the people.

Gene Policinski is president and chief operating officer of the Freedom Forum Institute. He can be reached at gpolicinski@freedomforum.org, or follow him on Twitter at @genefac.

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