Some news items for you as we head over Hump Day:
• NBC News: Two men have been charged with felony assault and hate crime enhancements in connection with an attack on a San Jose State University student. Prosecutors allege the victim and two female friends were walking on campus when the suspects – a 19-year-old and a 20-year-old – approached them, asked the student whether he was gay and shouted anti-gay slurs.
When the group attempted to walk away, prosecutors say the suspects attacked the student, punching and kicking him. Prosecutors say it was all caught on surveillance cameras.
• New York Times: As expected, a federal judge has ruled said that Donald Trump’s order barring CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House was likely unconstitutional and ordered the administration to restore access to the three news outlets.
• Kenneth-in-the-212: Check out this week’s round-up of LGBTQ (and adjacent) publications including the Pride issue of the Dallas Voice.
• Wall Street Journal: Conservative content creators appear to be losing interest in Donald Trump. Using a new AI tool, the Journal analyzed nearly 70,000 hours of podcasts and found mentions of Trump’s name on conservative podcasts have fallen nearly 70% from their peak in the run-up to the 2024 election.
• The Daily Beast: A creepy political ad telling Americans to “love” Donald Trump has aired on Fox News. Throughout the spot, the words “love me” from JMSN’s song “Love Me” are repeated over MAGA-esque patriotic imagery of flags and Trump. Toward the end of the ad, a disclaimer appears stating that it was “paid for by the U.S. government.”
So I was just watching Fox News and this commercial played during Jesse Watters show. It says “Paid for by the US Government.”
This is clearly a campaign ad. And the singers are just singing over and over again, “Love me” – over images of Trump. @CBSMiami @CBSNews pic.twitter.com/eCkEZpipWx— Jim DeFede (@DeFede) September 24, 2026
• People: Dolly Parton’s estate has been granted a restraining order against her nephew over threats.
• Variety: Taylor Swift’s new single is titled, “Patient Zero.” The phrase immediately conjures up memories of Gaëtan Dugas, the Canadian flight attendant who was erroneously labeled the Patient Zero of AIDS. I may be weird, but as a gay man having heard the phrase since the 80s, it’s hard to disconnect it.
Taylor Swift has announced her new single, “Patient Zero,” out Sept. 25, along with three limited-edition CDs of the single set to ship Oct. 13.
“I’ve been impatiently waiting to tell you that my brand new single ‘Patient Zero’ will be out on September 25 (!!!!!!!!!!!!) and it’s… pic.twitter.com/UvgvlLFOyh
— Variety (@Variety) September 22, 2026
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