Biggest unanswered questions from ‘Game of Thrones’ Season 8 finale

Game of Thrones came to an end on Sunday, but we still have plenty of burning questions.

From plot holes to cliff hangers, the loose ends left in Westeros after Season 8 are frustratingly numerous. Whole seasons seem pointless, important character arcs lack conclusions, and that feeling that we need a Season 9 remains as strong as ever.

Here are the dangling Game of Thrones plot points destined to plague us forever — or y’know, at least until the book comes out.

What was the point of Jon being Aegon Targaryen?

The story of Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark drove Game of Thrones from its very first episode, yet seemed to lose all its importance the moment Jon learned his true identity.

It was the subject of pivotal reveals in the Seasons 6 and 7 finales, and of multiple anticlimactic conversations in Season 8 that ultimately led to nothing. The secret spreads faster than Gendry running to Eastwatch from north of the wall, but the knowledge does nothing to destabilize the monarchy, threaten Daenerys, or even stop Jon from dating his aunt.

After all that buildup, the truth about Aegon felt like an item on the final season checklist — something to be dealt with and then never thought of again. – Proma Khosla, Entertainment Reporter

Well, that was a whole lotta flashbacks for nothin'. — Well, that was a whole lotta flashbacks for nothin’.

What about the Second Sons?

Daenerys dumped and demoted Daario Naharis in Season 6 to have him command Meereen with the Second Sons, but something like a battle with the ARMY OF THE DEAD feels like grounds for texting your ex and asking him to bring his best soldiers to Winterfell.

We could’ve had a supremely awkward scene between Daario, Jon, and Daenerys (summed up by Tyrion and/or Varys at the end with a crisp “they fucked”) and the Second Sons could’ve helped fight the dead and contributed to the living’s sad shell of a battle strategy. – Proma Khosla, Entertainment Reporter

Where did Drogon even go?

After Drogon picked up the body of Daenerys and flew out of King’s Landing, it’s pretty much left to our imagination where Drogon is headed. The only clue we get is from Sam Tarly during the small council meeting, who says Drogon was seen flying east. It sounds like Sam is saying “toward Volantis” when he’s cut off by Bronn.

So, Drogon is headed to Volantis? Volantis is directly on the way to Valyria, the destroyed city of legend from which dragons and Targaryens first came from hundreds of years ago. Drogon may be headed back there now that there’s nothing left for him in Westeros or the rest of Essos.

In Season 5, when Tyrion and Jorah were traveling to Mereen, they came near Valyria and saw Drogon flying overhead, so it’s possible that the dragon could be returning to where he once visited. There’s also the account from the Targaryen history book Fire and Blood wherein Aerea Targaryen left with the dragon Balerion for two years and possibly visited Valyria. When they returned, Aerea was afflicted with horrible worm-like creatures and Balerion, somehow, was wounded.

If Drogon is off to Valyria, it probably doesn’t bode well for him. If he decides to live out his days on the plains of Essos, that doesn’t bode well for the sheep or people of Essos. – Kellen Beck, Entertainment Reporter

Arya’s faceless men training was… pointless?

Game of Thrones introduced an epic form of magic via the Faceless Men, made Arya go through rigorous (and let’s face it, mostly boring) training for it for two WHOLE seasons, only for her to use this insanely special skill to kill the Freys… something that was never mentioned again?

She did not use her face-changing ability ever again, even though Season 8 featured the two biggest wars of the show. Yes, she killed the Night King as her own badass self but don’t you tell me she couldn’t swap faces with Jaime or anyone else for a clandestine, epic Cersei face-off. It would have been better than the rocks. – Saloni Gajjar, Entertainment Fellow

Is Ellaria Sand still trapped in a basement somewhere?

Sigh. Somewhere under the rubble from Dany’s rampage, Ellaria Sand is still chilling with her daughter’s dead corpse.

In Season 7, Euron Greyjoy delivered the Dornish assassin, her daughter Tyrene, and Yara Greyjoy to Cersei as a sign of allegiance. As punishment for killing Myrcella, Cersei then poisoned Tyrene and sentenced Ellaria to watch her dead daughter’s body decompose, promising to keep her alive long enough to see “that beautiful face collapse to bone and dust.”

How long Ellaria remained Cersei’s prisoner is unknown — but it easily could have been long enough that she was still alive in the dungeons during Dany’s hellish takeover.

Whether she was crushed by debris or starved to death, it seems unlikely that the new Prince of Dorne (seen when Bran was chosen as King) wouldn’t bother to follow up on her and Tyrene’s kidnappings. I mean, Dorne isn’t the most historically chill of the Seven Kingdoms, and Cersei did Ellaria real dirty. There’d be hell to pay for someone. – Alison Foreman, Entertainment Reporter

How could they do Ellaria dirty like that?

Did Yara Greyjoy forget to finish getting independence for the Iron Islands?

Yara Greyjoy is an intelligent leader. So there’s no way Game of Thrones wanted us to buy that she wouldn’t demand freedom for the Iron Islands as soon as Sansa demanded it for the North and received it, right?

That was literally her one ask from Daenerys when she sailed all the way to Essos to ally with her. She pledged her fleet to Dany and fully expected to rule from Pyke after their win.

Dany might be gone but that doesn’t mean she couldn’t have asked for independence from the new King and his council. Yara contradicting her own smartness just does not track, sorry! – Saloni Gajjar, Entertainment Fellow

What’s the point of the Night’s Watch now?

To be fair, Jon ending up Beyond the Wall feels right in many ways — especially because Ghost finally got the pat on the head he deserved. But in every other way imaginable, Jon coming back to the Night’s Watch made absolutely zero sense.

When the prospect is presented to him, Jon immediately asks the important question of whether the Night’s Watch even still exists. Tyrion waves away the logistics of answering by saying they still need a place to send their bastards and broken things.

OK, so is it just straight up prison now?

While that became a secondary function of the Night’s Watch, its true millennia-spanning purpose was protecting the Wall from White Walkers after the first Long Night. Or when the White Walkers became stuff of legends, it was to keep back the wildling threat.

But now the White Walkers are defeated. And far from being scary enemies, the few Free Folk left are mostly women and children (and Tormund). What’s the point of the Night’s Watch if there’s not even a functioning Wall anymore?

In Jon’s final scene, we see him riding Beyond the Wall with the wildlings, presumably so he can help them rebuild. There are plenty of castles along the Wall that could be restored so the Free Folk could have somewhere safe. But that’s counter to everything the nomadic tribes stand for.

Also if the North is independent now, what does that mean for the land Beyond the Wall? Before there was a physical border between the two places. Now, there’s just more North. Will Sansa be considered ruler of those lands too? Would the Free Folk ever kneel to her? – Jess Joho, Staff Writer

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Christchurch mosques attacker Tarrant charged with terrorism

New Zealand police have charged the Australian man accused of killing 51 people and wounding dozens of others in two Christchurch mosques in March with terrorism.

In a statement released on Tuesday, police said a charge of engaging in a terrorist act under section 6A of the Terrorism Suppression Act 2002 had been filed against 28-year-old Brenton Tarrant.

An additional murder charge over the death of a Turkish national, who died earlier this month, and two additional attempted murder charges have also been filed, bringing the total number of murder charges against him to 51 and 40 of attempted murder.

The self-confessed white supremacist is accused of opening fire in the al-Noor and Linwood mosques on March 15 in the worst mass shooting in New Zealand’s recent history.

Women and children were among those killed.

Until now, the charges against him were less expansive. Police said the decision to lay the terror charge was made after consultations with prosecutors and government legal experts.

In April, Tarrant appeared at Christchurch High Court via video link from New Zealand’s only maximum security prison in Auckland more than 1,000 kilometres north of Christchurch.

He is next due to appear in court on June 14, after being remanded in custody and ordered to undergo psychiatric assessment to determine if he was fit to stand trial.

Fighting ‘extremism’

Police notified roughly 200 family members of attack victims and survivors about the additional charges at a meeting on Tuesday, the statement added.

“Police are committed to providing all the support necessary for what will be a challenging and emotional court process to come for the victim’s families and survivors of the attack,” they said.

WATCH: Christchurch mosque reopens amid call for action on Islamophobia

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has characterised the mosque killings a well-planned “terrorist attack” on one of the country’s “darkest days”.

The attack was live-streamed on Facebook – and the footage was widely shared – sparking wide-ranging condemnation of social media networks’ ability to control the content shared on their platforms.

Since then, technology giants, including Amazon, Facebook, Google, Microsoft and Twitter, have agreed to fight violent and “extremist” online content on several new fronts.

A nine-point action plan was adopted at the “Christchurch Call to Action” summit with world leaders in Paris last week.

Last month, New Zealand’s parliament also voted overwhelmingly in favour of legislation to ban semi-automatic and military-style weapons.

Tarrant had purchased his weapons legally online and modified their capacity by using 30-round magazines.

Earlier this month, New Zealand’s major media organisations pledged not to promote Tarrant’s white supremacist ideology while covering his trial.

The five organisations signed an agreement saying they were aware he might try to use the trial as a platform to promote white supremacist or “terrorist” views.

Will the ‘Christchurch Call’ eliminate violent content online?

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Huawei’s founder says the company is well-prepared for U.S. restrictions

Huawei's CEO and founder isn't so fussed about the U.S. trade restrictions. — Huawei’s CEO and founder isn’t so fussed about the U.S. trade restrictions.

By Johnny Lieu2019-05-21 06:41:24 UTC

It’s been a tricky few days for Huawei, but its leader remains defiant.

Ren Zhengfei, the Chinese tech giant’s CEO and founder, told state media outlet the Global Times on Tuesday that the company is well-prepared for U.S. sanctions, adding that temporary relief from those trade restrictions doesn’t mean much to the company.

Huawei has reportedly stockpiled components and parts to ride out potential restrictions, which would be enough to last three months.

Major U.S. suppliers to the company, including Intel and Qualcomm, had reportedly stopped supply to Huawei in light of Trump’s executive order — but Ren said these companies have also tried to assist Huawei in the dispute.

“In such a critical moment, I’m grateful to U.S. companies, as they’ve contributed a lot to Huawei’s development and showed their conscientiousness on the matter,” Ren said.

“As far as I know, U.S. companies have been making efforts to persuade the U.S. government to let them cooperate with Huawei.”

Ren added that his company would always need U.S.-developed chipsets, and that it “can’t exclude American products with a narrow mind.”

In another report by the South China Morning Post, Ren also said that the conflict with the U.S. was inevitable.

“We sacrificed [the interests of] individuals and families for the sake of an ideal, to stand at the top of the world,” he said, according to the newspaper. “For this ideal, there will be conflict with the United States sooner or later.”

On Monday, the U.S. Department of Commerce issued a 90-day exemption on the trade restrictions, which prevented Huawei from purchasing products from U.S. companies unless it had U.S. government approval.

Huawei can continue to function normally, for now.

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Steph Curry, Draymond Green Buy Warriors Time to Get Whole Before NBA Finals

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry reacts at the end of Game 4 of the NBA basketball playoffs Western Conference finals against the Portland Trail Blazers, Monday, May 20, 2019, in Portland, Ore. The Warriors won 119-117 in overtime. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

Ted S. Warren/Associated Press

The Golden State Warriors didn’t play like they wanted to beat the Portland Trail Blazers Monday night. They played liked they needed to, as if a Western Conference Finals sweep was mission critical to winning their third straight championship, because, well, it just might be.

That urgency paid off. The Warriors got their Game 4 victory and their series sweep with a 119-117 overtime triumph. Now they’ll get everything that comes with it: nine days of rest and, most importantly, the chance to enter the NBA Finals whole again.

Both DeMarcus Cousins (torn left quad) and Kevin Durant (strained right calf) remained on the shelf for Game 4. They were joined by Andre Iguodala, who sat with a left calf injury suffered in Game 3.

Battling without key players isn’t anything new for Golden State. Durant has missed each of the past five tilts, and Cousins hasn’t taken the court since Game 2 of the first round. But losing Iguodala added even more strain, giving the Warriors rotation the look and feel of a skeleton crew.

They felt the personnel squeeze right away. Alfonzo McKinnie started in place of Iguodala, and head coach Steve Kerr went 11 players deep by the end of the first quarter:

Paolo Uggetti @PaoloUggetti

Steve Kerr is treating this game like he’s gotta get the player ratings up for every Warrior in his 2K franchise.

At a time of the year when most teams shorten their rotations, the Warriors expanded theirs—not because they could, but because they didn’t have a choice.

“We had to,” Kerr told reporters afterward on NBA TV. “When you’re missing Kevin Durant…you can’t replace Kevin with one guy. You had to replace him with three or four night after night. And then tonight without Andre, we had to find more minutes.”

Some of those minutes were found within Stephen Curry. He played the entire second half, including all of overtime, while Golden State sought to erase Portland’s 17-point advantage.

It wasn’t always pretty. Curry shot 4-of-16 from the floor over the final 29 minutes (2-of-9 from three) and was called for a travel late in the fourth quarter after inexplicably five-stepping his way out of an open two.

As usual, he still put pressure on the defense by way of sheer existence. He stayed in constant motion off the ball, dished out seven assists and grabbed 10 rebounds during his restless stretch. By the end of the night, he turned in 36 points and made a little history:

Justin Kubatko @jkubatko

Most points in NBA postseason history by a player in a four-game sweep:

146 – Stephen Curry, 2019 WCF
145 – Shaquille O’Neal, 2002 FIN
144 – LeBron James, 2017 ECS
140 – Kobe Bryant, 2001 WCS

He was also completely gassed.

When Draymond Green buried a dagger three in overtime to put the Warriors up four inside 40 seconds to play, Curry needed to stop and catch his breath before continuing to bask in the revels of the moment. Logging over 47 minutes, the second-most of his postseason career, will do that to a player:

Tom Haberstroh @tomhaberstroh

Think Steve Kerr wanted that game? Steph Curry player more minutes than he ever has under Kerr in a playoff game, entire second half and OT.

Going that hard after Game 4 looks much different if the Warriors lose. They wouldn’t be in danger of forfeiting the series, but chasing a victory at full bore when you’re down 17, already shorthanded and will get another three bites at the apple can be spun as reckless by the day-after revisionists.

It looks even more bizarre given how much energy the Warriors expended to get here. They overcame an 18-point deficit in Game 3 and a 17-point hole in Game 2, all without Cousins and Durant. This series sweep could very easily be a 2-2 deadlock—or, had Portland figured out how to score in the second half of Game 3, a 3-1 shortfall.

But the Warriors weren’t in that situation. They were in this one, up 3-0 and in full control of their destiny despite all the injuries and hangups. They chose to assign actual stakes and potential implications to Game 4, and they deserve to be commended for it.

Never mind the win. The Warriors’ logic supersedes their comfy position. It shows a larger understanding of what they’re trying to do and how much they still need those they don’t currently have.

Dispatching Portland might, on some level, suggest Golden State’s missing persons are somehow inessential. Curry was masterful overall, averaging 36.5 points, 8.3 rebounds and 7.3 assists while slashing 46.9/42.6/93.8 for the series. Green’s triple-double in Game 4 was a microcosm of his activity since Durant went down.

Klay Thompson is still Klay Thompson—sometimes a little too thirsty at the offensive end, but a defensive gnat and momentum-shifting three waiting to happen. Kevon Looney has stepped up his presence on the glass and become integral to their defensive survival without Durant.

Jordan Bell, once a resident of Kerr’s doghouse, has given the Warriors quality minutes the past few games. McKinnie grabbed a couple of pivotal offensive rebounds in Game 4. Shaun Livingston cannot play too many extended minutes, but his baby jumpers and runners are once again automatic.

Are the Warriors underrated without Durant? Maybe.

Andy Bailey @AndrewDBailey

The Warriors were down Kevin Durant, Iguodala and Boogie. Klay Thompson went 7-of-21. They still won a game in which Meyers Leonard randomly scored 30 and McCollum and Lillard combined for 54.

Somehow, two-time MVP Stephen Curry is still underrated. Draymond might be too.

Dare we say they’re better? Not at all.

This current model is not sustainable—not beyond doubt anyway. Either the Milwaukee Bucks or Toronto Raptors await in the NBA Finals, and both pose tougher tasks than the Blazers. The Warriors need whatever advantages they can carve out.

Earning this next week-and-half of rest isn’t just about giving Durant and Iguodala—and potentially Cousins—time to get right. It’s about giving a much-needed break to the players who have carried the team in their absence.

Curry needs the time off. Ditto for Green and Thompson. Really, the entire team needs to come up for air.

Five consecutive NBA Finals appearances is a lot. And by busting their butts to take down the Blazers in four games, the Warriors have given themselves time to prepare for what’s next—not just physically, and not just for the officially absent, but mentally, too.

Unless otherwise noted, stats courtesy of NBA.com, Basketball Reference or Cleaning the Glass. Salary and cap-hold information via Basketball Insiders and RealGM.

Dan Favale covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter (@danfavale) and listen to his Hardwood Knocks podcast, co-hosted by B/R’s Andrew Bailey.

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‘Game of Thrones’ meets ‘Full House’ in the most cringeworthy crossover ever

By Shannon Connellan2019-05-21 04:59:33 UTC

Uncle Joey can’t get a pickle jar open. Danny Tanner throws down some life advice. Uncle Jaime won’t stop bangin’ his sister. All the Full House elements are here!

In the crossover special you never saw coming, Game of Thrones meets Full House — thanks to Jimmy Kimmel.

Starring very good sport Nikolaj Coster-Waldau alongside Dave Coulier and Bob Saget, it’s one of the most cringeworthy things you’ll see this week. “Cut it… off.”

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Céline Dion has the perfect ‘Titanic’ tribute in ‘Carpool Karaoke’

Céline Dion has a song for every moment, as you’ll see in her appearance on another episode of Carpool Karaoke.

The Canadian singer joined James Corden for a cruise through Las Vegas, where they sang her biggest hits including “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now,” “Because You Loved Me,” “The Power Of Love,” and love it or hate it, a cover of “Baby Shark.”

The pair also perform a full-blown Titanic tribute singing “My Heart Will Go On” in the middle of the Bellagio fountain, so buckle up.

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Steve Kerr on Warriors’ 5th Straight NBA Finals: Hope It’s Not Underrated

PORTLAND, OR - MAY 20: Steve Kerr of the Golden State Warriors speaks to the media prior to Game Four of the Western Conference Finals on May 20, 2019 at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images)

Noah Graham/Getty Images

It is easy to take the Golden State Warriors for granted.

After all, they have potential Hall of Famers all over the roster with Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and even Andre Iguodala. They’re simply more talented than any other team in the league.

Still, reaching five consecutive NBA Finals is quite the accomplishment, and head coach Steve Kerr hopes it won’t be underrated in the league history books following Monday’s 119-117 overtime win over the Portland Trail Blazers to finish the Western Conference Finals sweep:

NBA TV @NBATV

“I hope it doesn’t go unnoticed or underrated.”

Steve Kerr is proud of what his @warriors squad has been able to accomplish as they head to their fifth straight NBA Finals. #NBAPlayoffs https://t.co/UXOqHP6t4G

Kerr spoke to the grueling difficulties of battling through injuries, building a culture conducive to winning and maintaining competitiveness even after reaching the mountain top while explaining why no team has been able to reach five straight Finals since the Boston Celtics of the 1960s.

He would know how difficult it is to remain a champion once a team has achieved the ultimate goal; he was a member of the Chicago Bulls team that three-peated from 1996 through 1998.

The Warriors are four victories away from joining those Bulls on the list of teams to win three straight championships. The Los Angeles Lakers (2000-02) were the last to do so.

Golden State cruised through the Western Conference Finals even with Durant sidelined by injury thanks to a brilliant showing from Curry. He notched a triple-double in Monday’s clincher and scored at least 36 points in each of the four games.

Due to those efforts, the Warriors have time to rest while the Milwaukee Bucks and Toronto Raptors battle in the Eastern Conference Finals. That time could be key to getting Durant healthy before Kerr’s squad looks to further cement its place in NBA history.

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Huawei founder defiant in escalating dispute with United States

Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei has struck a defiant tone in the Chinese technology giant’s battle over 5G technology with the United States, as Washington temporarily eased some trade restrictions on the company in an attempt to minimise the effect on customers.

Speaking to China‘s state media on Tuesday, Ren said the US was underestimating Huawei, the world’s biggest manufacturer of telecommunications equipment and the its second-biggest smartphone maker.

“The current practice of US politicians underestimates our strength,” Ren said in an interview with state broadcaster CCTV.

Last week, US President Donald Trump declared a “national emergency” that enabled him to blacklist companies seen as “an unacceptable risk to the national security of the United States” – a move analysts said was clearly aimed at Huawei.

At the same time, the US Commerce Department announced an effective ban on US companies selling or transferring technology to Huawei.

Ren insisted the move would have no effect.

Trump executive order enables ban on Huawei telecom gear

“Huawei’s 5G will absolutely not be affected,” he said. “In terms of 5G technologies, others won’t be able to catch up with Huawei in two or three years,” he said.

Smartphones

US internet giant Google, whose Android mobile operating system powers most of the world’s smartphones, said this week it was beginning to cut some ties with Huawei in light of the US blacklisting.

The move could have dramatic implications for people who use Huawei phones because the telecoms giant would no longer have access to Google’s proprietary services, including Gmail and Google Maps.

Ren told state media that Huawei was in discussions with Google on how to deal with the ban.

On Monday, the US Commerce Department issued a 90-day reprieve on the transfer of technology to give Huawei a temporary licence to buy US-made goods in order to maintain existing networks and provide software updates to existing phones.

The reprieve is intended to give telecommunications operators that rely on Huawei equipment time to make alternative arrangements, US Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross said in a statement.

“In short, this license will allow operations to continue for existing Huawei mobile phone users and rural broadband networks,” he said.

The licence, which is in effect until August 19, suggests changes to Huawei’s supply chain may have immediate, far-reaching and unintended consequences for its customers.

“The goal seems to be to prevent internet, computer and cell phone systems from crashing,” lawyer Kevin Wolf, a former Commerce Department official, told Reuters news agency. “This is not a capitulation. This is housekeeping.”

Speaking to Chinese state media, Ren said Huawei was prepared.

“The US 90-day temporary licence does not have much impact on us, we are ready,” Ren said.

Half the chips used in Huawei equipment come from the US and the other half are made by the Chinese company, he said.

“We cannot be isolated from the world,” Ren said, stressing that he did not see a situation where Huawei would be cut off completely from US supply.

Justin Trudeau ‘concerned’ as China suspects Canadians of spying

Escalating tensions

The dispute over Huawei has added to tensions in an escalating trade war between the world’s top two economies, with both sides exchanging steep increases in tariffs as negotiations have faltered.

Einar Tangen, a political analyst who advises the Chinese government on economics and development, said the US was trying to destroy the competition.

“Basically, this is a very clear attempt to cripple Huawei,” he told Al Jazeera from Beijing, warning, however, of potential “disastrous consequences” for the profits of some US tech giants.

“You could see Apple’s sales plummet – one of the other realities of this trade war is that this type of international stories are going to impact more and more nationalist, China and they will shy away from buying Apple and other US products,” said Tangen.

“Remember, this is an over $350bn-a-year market where US companies are selling in China and that could have disastrous consequences for American businesses, especially down the profit lines.”

The spat has also drawn in Canada after Huawei’s Chief Financial Oficer Meng Wanzhou, who is also Ren’s daughter, was detained there in December following a US extradition request related to alleged violations of Washington’s sanctions on Iran.

Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, two Canadians working in China, were detained shortly afterwards. The two were formally charged with spying last week, in a move Prime Minister Justin Trudeau described as “unacceptable“.

Kovrig is a former diplomat who now works with the International Crisis Group, a global think-tank, as its senior adviser on Northeast Asia, while Spavor is a businessman. The men have been allowed to meet consular officials only once a month and refused access to a lawyer.

Meng is out on bail and living in her Vancouver mansion.

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Trump rallies in Pennsylvania ‘deep state’ territory

Donald Trump and rally attendees — President Donald Trump’s supporters cheer at a rally Monday in Montoursville, Pa. | Evan Vucci/AP Photo

2020 elections

A town’s brush with 1990s internet conspiracies traces roots of mogul’s political rise.

MONTOURSVILLE, Pa. — President Donald Trump alleged fake “suppression polls” had been used to discourage his Pennsylvania supporters from voting in 2016 and accused those responsible for investigating him of “treason.” It was not an unusual message for Trump, but he picked an unusually fitting setting to deliver it in on Monday night.

The president came here to rally supporters from an airport hangar to juice turnout ahead of Tuesday’s special House election in central Pennsylvania’s 12th District. But Montoursville was an appropriate stop for another reason: Two decades ago, the town became an early center of the same potent mix — of internet theorizing, disdain for national media and distrust of the federal government — that today fuels Trump’s populist insurgency. The mogul gained political prominence by promoting false internet conspiracy theories about Barack Obama’s birthplace and won the presidency by channeling the worldviews of disaffected voters who had become profoundly alienated from the nation’s power centers.

Story Continued Below

In places like Montoursville, the conditions for that rise were on display long before Trump himself arrived to capitalize on them. In July 1996, a Paris-bound Boeing 747 taking off from John F. Kennedy Airport exploded and plunged into the Atlantic Ocean off Long Island. Among those killed were 16 student members of the Montoursville High School French club and five of their chaperones. The mysterious crash became an instant national news phenomenon with a novel twist: Internet adoption was just becoming mainstream in the U.S.

It also rocked the town to its core.

On Monday, as she sold pizza to rallygoers out on Broad Street, the town’s main drag, Montoursville native Tia Fisher, 46, recalled the aftermath of the crash. At the time, she worked for an early, local internet business called Penn Net, which helped customers use email. She said the business fielded a torrent of emailed condolences from around the world after the tragedy, relaying them to others in the town of 5,000.

The internet did not just allow well-wishers to reach Montoursville. It also allowed a new sort of freewheeling conspiracy theorizing and questioning of official narratives to take hold. The crash was initially assumed to be an act of terrorism, and some eyewitnesses reported seeing a projectile rising from the sea just before the plane exploded. But the exact cause was a mystery that became a source of international fascination. While the primitive websites for national media outlets enjoyed sustained traffic boosts from their coverage of the event, obscure message boards burst with alternative interpretations of events.

Among the most popular ideas was the theory that the U.S. military accidentally shot down the plane and then scrambled to cover up the fatal mistake. At one point, Pierre Salinger — a former John F. Kennedy press secretary who was then in his 70s and working as a journalist for ABC — went public with allegations that the Navy had shot down the plane. Salinger said he based the assertion on what he’d heard from a French intelligence source, but also on documents he had found online that turned out to be fake.

Today, many in the town remain hazy about where exactly the officially explanation ended up.

“There was so many accusations,” Fisher recalled. “It was a missile. It was fuel tanks. It was sabotage.”

Fisher said she was unaware that in 2000, the National Transportation Safety Board had officially concluded that the probable cause of the disaster was an accidental short-circuit that caused a fuel tank to explode. “I don’t believe that,” she said. “Someone was firing out missiles, and one hit the plane.”

A friend helping Fisher sell pizza, Christopher Janusis, wore a shirt that depicted a cartoon Trump urinating on CNN’s logo — a popular style among Monday’s rallygoers.

Such anti-media sentiment also echoes Montoursville’s experience with the TWA crash.

Sitting on a folding chair in the shade nearby, Kathy Shipton, the retired proprietor of a sub shop and a hairdresser, recounted her disgust at seeing the arrival of news vans the morning after crash. “How are you invading our town like this?” she recalled thinking to herself.

Shipton also does not believe mainstream media successfully got to the bottom of the incident. “I still think the real truth didn’t come out,” she said.

Shipton and a friend, 48-year-old Wendi Sterner, did believe in what they said they saw with their own eyes: On the Sunday following the crash, a cluster of clouds shaped like an angel formed in the sky over the town. “That gave a lot of people comfort,” Shipton said.

On a peaceful plot next to the town’s high school, blocks away from the road where thousands of rallygoers lined up Monday, a statue of an angel stands as a memorial to the town’s 21 victims. An inscription at its base describes the original celestial apparition, adding, “At the angel’s feet were 21 smaller white clouds, at first in a circle then appearing in two straight rows.”

Today, few in the town remain eager to relitigate the cause of the crash. But as late as 2016 — when Trump won 70 percent of the vote in Lycoming County, besting Mitt Romney’s 2012 total here — one father of a Montoursville girl killed on the flight, Don Nibert, continued to act as a prominent public skeptic of the official explanation. That year, he told local news site Penn Live that he believed there had been attempts to kill him over his investigation of the accident.

Meanwhile, as Trump’s “witch hunt” response to scrutiny of his Russia ties fuels rising suspicion of the national security establishment on the populist right, some have looked back to TWA Flight 800 as an episode deserving more scrutiny.

In September, a piece published on the Federalist, a pro-Trump political opinion site, called on the president to reopen the investigation of the crash. The piece claims that it closely resembled Trump-era investigations perceived as deep state plots or cover-ups. “The political and investigative similarities between the TWA 800 and Hillary Clinton server cases, as well as the anti-Trump investigation, are eerie and deeply disturbing,” the piece argued.

Since the ‘90s, the power of the internet to fill the vacuum left by distrust of media and government has reached new heights. In the Trump era, millions of Americans have been drawn to QAnon, a sort of mother-of-all internet conspiracy theories, which posits Trumps and Robert Mueller are secretly working together to thwart an attempted coup by elite pedophiles and other nefarious deep state actors, among other fantastical claims.

QAnon has gained popularity — in some cases marked by an obsession verging on religious fervor — far from power centers in many of the same rural areas where Trump’s support is strongest.

“I don’t listen to mainstream media anymore,” said Christine Witmer, 61, a part-time gym worker who drove 100 miles north from Reading, Pa., and wore a Q-shaped button imprinted with an American flag pattern on her chest. She has instead become a devotee of Q, she explained after discovering a YouTube channel on which a woman who goes by the pseudonym “Red Pill” compares the pronouncements of Q — the anonymous author of QAnon — to Bible passages.

Indeed, at a time when Americans are struggling to come to a coherent consensus understanding of public affairs, the rally was a magnet for skeptics of the official line from all over.

On Monday afternoon, a topless rallygoer with shoulder-length hair and a gray goatee pulled up to Broad Street in a red Mercedes convertible.

The man, who declined to provide any identifying information, said he was not familiar with the TWA crash. He had just driven 150 miles from Johnstown, Pa. The plane crash he was most familiar with was the downing of United Flight 93 on Sept. 11, 2001, in Somerset County, near his home.

“Where the flight went down and where they have it marked as going down, is two different areas,” the man volunteered, claiming government authorities have misplaced markers of the crash site by about 300 yards. “I was there when it went down, and I was there later, and it was two different places.”

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Stephen Curry, Warriors Sweep Blazers; Advance to 5th Straight NBA Finals

PORTLAND, OR - MAY 20: Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors handles the ball against the Portland Trail Blazers during Game Four of the Western Conference Finals on May 20, 2019 at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Sam Forencich/NBAE via Getty Images)

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The Golden State Warriors completed their sweep of the Portland Trail Blazers in the 2019 Western Conference Finals with a 119-117 overtime victory in Monday’s Game 4 at the Moda Center.

Golden State is headed to the NBA Finals for the fifth straight year and has an opportunity to be the first team to three-peat as champions since the Los Angeles Lakers did so in 2002.

Stephen Curry played the entire second half and overtime with Kevin Durant, Andre Iguodala and DeMarcus Cousins all sidelined and led the way with a triple-double of 37 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists. Draymond Green (18 points, 14 rebounds and 11 dimes) also added a triple-double and a monster three in the extra period, while Klay Thompson chipped in 17 points.

The Trail Blazers received a head-turning performance from Meyers Leonard (30 points, 12 rebounds and five three-pointers) and a solid showing from the backcourt combination of Damian Lillard (28 points and 12 assists) and CJ McCollum (26 points and seven assists). Even that wasn’t enough against the mighty Warriors, although Lillard had the chance to win it at the buzzer but came up just short.

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Despite Sweep, Blazers Exceeded Season Expectations

It would have been easy for the Trail Blazers to fold up and accept their fate heading into Monday’s Game 4. After all, no team in NBA history has overcome a 3-0 deficit, and they were tasked with trying to be the first against arguably the top team ever to lace it up.

Instead, they put up a fight and gave their fans one last show in a season that has exceeded all expectations.

Leonard played the role of unexpected hero for much of the game, pouring in 25 points in the first half alone and pulling Golden State’s bigs away from the basket with his perimeter shooting. That, in turn, gave Lillard and McCollum more room to operate, which helped Portland build a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter before the Warriors came charging back.

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Bleacher Report @BleacherReport

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The Trail Blazers were also more effective by taking Lillard off the ball so he didn’t have to deal with Golden State’s constant trapping the moment he crossed half court like he did earlier in the series. That allowed him to pick his spot to attack and pull the defense in closer to the basket, which freed up open looks on the wings and in the corner when he facilitated.

It was a way of Portland dictating terms when the team had the ball instead of the other way around with the Warriors forcing Lillard out of the play near half court.

Still, even that wasn’t enough, as the two-time defending champions forced overtime by holding the home team to 16 points in the final quarter and finishing the sweep in the extra period.

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The Trail Blazers battling to the end with timely adjustments and a sense of desperation was one final act in a memorable season. This team won one combined playoff series the last four years and hadn’t advanced to the Western Conference Finals since 2000 but treated its fans to iconic moments and a series against the Warriors that was closer than the sweep indicates.

Portland held double-digit leads in Games 2, 3 and 4 and perhaps could have battled to a different result if Jusuf Nurkic was healthy enough to play, Enes Kanter didn’t have a separated shoulder and Lillard wasn’t battling through an injury.

Hardwood Paroxysm @HPbasketball

Phenomenal season for Portland. Great run, awesome memories. 37 feet, winning a Game 7 on the road, Meyers Leonard scored 25 in a half.

Chris Herring @Herring_NBA

Was clear all along Portland wasn’t going to win this series. But props to them on a season I definitely didn’t see them having after losing in first-round sweep last year. Especially after bringing back same roster, and losing Nurkic.

Yaya Dubin @JADubin5

No shame in losing to this team. Big ups to Portland.

This team still beat the Oklahoma City Thunder in an emotional first round that included Lillard’s incredible buzzer-beater to finish the series. The team still fought back from 3-2 down against the Denver Nuggets in the second round and won a Game 7 on the road while clawing back from its own double-digit deficit.

And the team still played the Warriors tight enough that three of the games were there for the taking late in the second half.

Sweep or not, there is absolutely nothing to be ashamed of for the 2018-19 Portland Trail Blazers.

What’s Next?

The Warriors will face either the Milwaukee Bucks or Toronto Raptors in the NBA Finals and are four wins away from lifting their third straight Larry O’Brien Trophy.

This article will be updated to provide more information soon.

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