Author: Randy Slovacek

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Beto Beats Bernie In First Day Campaign Donations

Beto O’Rourke raised more than $6 million online in the first 24 hours after announcing his presidential campaign last week, according to his campaign, outpacing his rivals for the Democratic nomination and making an emphatic statement about his grass-roots financial strength.
Beto O’Rourke

From the New York Times:

Beto O’Rourke raised more than $6 million online in the first 24 hours after announcing his presidential campaign last week, according to his campaign, outpacing his rivals for the Democratic nomination and making an emphatic statement about his grass-roots financial strength.

Mr. O’Rourke brought in $6,136,736 after declaring his long-anticipated bid with a web video and trip to Iowa on Thursday morning, raising the sum entirely online and from all 50 states, the campaign said.

Beto’s one day total tops the $5.9 million one-day total for Sen. Bernie Sanders after he launched, and the first-day fundraising total for Sen. Kamala Harris at $1.5 million

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Trump Tweets: The New Zealand Shooting Isn’t My Fault!!!

In the aftermath of the Christchurch shooting in New Zealand which left 50 people dead, it was discovered that a manifesto was sent to the Prime Minister of New Zealand as well as media outlets. In the documents, the accused gunman hailed Donald Trump as “a symbol of renewed white identity and common purpose” although he did not support his policies. Donald Trump has since tweeted angry rebuttals for being 'blamed' for the shooting.
Donald Trump

In the aftermath of the Christchurch shooting in New Zealand which left 50 people dead, it was discovered that a manifesto was sent to the Prime Minister of New Zealand as well as media outlets.

In the documents, the accused gunman hailed Donald Trump as “a symbol of renewed white identity and common purpose” although he did not support his policies.

Donald Trump has since tweeted angry rebuttals for being ‘blamed’ for the shooting.

Although he tweeted his ‘warmest sympathies’ and ‘best wishes’ to New Zealand, he refused to criticize the white supremacist ideology behind the shooting. This has been contrasted with his quick responses to Islamist terror attacks in the past.

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Podcast: The Equality Act, Utah’s hate crimes law, Pete Buttigieg, Out Recording Artist NIKO Releases New EP

In this week’s podcast:

• The Equality Act is reintroduced in Congress

• Donald Trump finally fills appointments to the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS

• Utah moves towards a more effective hate crimes law

• Openly gay Mayor Pete Buttigieg qualifies for the first Democratic presidential debate

• Ireland’s gay prime minister meets with uber-anti-gay Vice President Mike Pence

• Out recording artist NIKO releases his new EP

All that and more in this episode of The Randy Report

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Hideous Human Of The Day

A hideous woman literally spit and hurled racial slurs (you know which ones) at a black family in a Shop Rite in East Haven, Connecticut.

Wait until you see this. And she does all of it in front of her children.

And it appears the woman has been ‘separated’ from service at Hamden High. #good.

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First Trailer For ‘Avengers: Endgame’

Marvel dropped the trailer for the upcoming Avengers: Endgame flick which lands in theaters April 24.

With half of the Avengers really gone after super-bad guy Thanos obliterated them with a snap of his fingers in the last installment, Chris Evans’s Captain America (back to a clean-shaven twunk) leads the remaining heroes on a mission to bring everyone back from the dead.

Chris Evans in ‘Avengers: Endgame’

I was digging Evans’ beard, though…

Joining the good captain are Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), plus Nebula (Karen Gillian), Rocket Raccoon (Bradley Cooper), Okoye (Danai Gurira), Ant Man (Paul Rudd), War Machine (Don Cheadle) and newly-minted Marvel box office champ, Brie Larson as Captain Marvel.

Watch the trailer below.

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Jeanine Pirro Suspended From Fox News For Anti-Muslim Comments

CNN is reporting that Fox News has suspended TV host Jeanine Pirro after she questioned the patriotism of a member of Congress.
Jeanine Pirro

CNN is reporting that Fox News has suspended TV host Jeanine Pirro after she questioned the patriotism of a member of Congress.

Pirro, whose show did not air on Saturday night, was suspended by Fox News after her widely criticized commentary doubting Congresswoman Ilhan Omar’s patriotism.

Last Saturday night Pirro questioned whether Congresswoman Ilhan Omar’s Islamic religious beliefs stand in opposition to the US Constitution, prompting Fox to say “we strongly condemn Jeanine Pirro’s comments.”

Pirro targeted Omar — one of the few Muslim members of Congress — by noting Omar’s religious head-covering called a hijab.

“Think about it: Omar wears a hijab,” Pirro said. “Is her adherence to this Islamic doctrine indicative of her adherence to Sharia law, which in itself is antithetical to the United States Constitution?”

Advertisers have since distanced themselves from Pirro’s weekly show.

The show did not appear on this weekend’s cable schedule guide. The network aired a documentary in its place.

Pirro is a staunch defender of Donald Trump, so it’s no surprise he took to Twitter to order his state television network to return her to the airwaves.

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Only Two Democrats Refuse To Support The Equality Act

With much fanfare, the Equality Act – which would add LGBT protections to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 – was reintroduced in Congress this week.

Sponsored by Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., Senate Bill 788 has 43 Democratic sponsors, two Independent sponsors, and one Republican sponsor, Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine.

Only one Democrat in the Senate did not sign on to the legislation, Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia.

Manchin didn’t sponsor the legislation when it was introduced in 2017, either.

And when marriage equality became the law of the land in 2015, his office only issued a tepid one-sentence statement urging people to abide by the law.

Similarly, in the House of Representatives, the Equality Act has 239 cosponsors: 237 Democrats and 2 Republicans – Rep. Brian K. Fitzpatrick (R-PA) and Rep. John Katko (R-NY).

Rep. Dan Lipinski (D-IL) is the lone Democrat who did not sign on for the bill.

Lipinski has a squirrel-y history as a Democrat.

He was the only Democrat to sponsor the First Amendment Defense Act, which seeks to legalize anti-LGBT discrimination nationwide. And, he voted FOR the hateful Defense of Marriage Act.

When the Equality Act was last introduced in the House in 2017, he voted against it.

The Equality Act adds LGBT protections to the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which ended segregation in public places and prohibited employment discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin, as well as the Fair Housing Act of 1968, which prohibited discrimination concerning the sale, rental and financing of housing based on race, religion, national origin or sex.

Recent polling shows a supermajority of Americans support the legislation.

Additionally, 165 major American businesses have issued a statement of support for the Equality Act.

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News Round-Up: March 16, 2019

Some news items you might have missed:

• Finally, a public bathroom sign (above) that makes sense.

• The Advocate takes a look at newly-announced presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke’s history on LGBTQ issues.

• GOP Sen. Ted Cruz has been fined $35,000 for failing to disclose $1 million in campaign funds.

• Michael Jackson fans are suing his alleged victims for taking part in the recent HBO documentary Leaving Neverland for sullying the memory of the pop star.

• Having surpassed over 65,000 donors, out White House hopeful Pete Buttigieg has qualified for the 2020 Democratic presidential debates.

• Indie singer/songwriter/producer Lauv (nominated for “Best New Pop Artist at the 2019 iHeart Radio Music Awards) drops his stripped-down video of hit single “i’m so tired…” with Troye Sivan.

Lauv said on the stripped performance, “Troye and I went to Henson Recording Studios to make this acoustic version of ‘i’m so tired…’ and we ended up including the infamous bridge. Also, Troye is an angel…go check it out and enjoy.”

Troye added, “I’ve had the insane joy of playing this song live now for the last few weeks and have never felt a ground swell like this for a song I’m on before. So excited to put out this acoustic version of ‘i’m so tired…’ with Lauv!”

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Student Blames Chelsea Clinton For New Zealand Massacre?

Chelsea Clinton (image via Twitter)

A video showing a Muslim student blaming a very pregnant Chelsea Clinton for the anti-Muslim massacre of 49 people in New Zealand instantly went viral.

The moment took place at a vigil to honor the victims gunned down at two New Zealand mosques.

Clinton, pregnant with her third child, displays extraordinary composure while an angry student alleges Clinton’s recent commentary about anti-Semitic comments by Rep. Ilhan Omar about a pro-Israel lobby, helped cause the massacre in New Zealand.

“This, right here, is a result of a massacre stoked by people like you and the words that you put out into the world,” the student tells Clinton. “And I want you to know that and I want you to feel that deep down inside. Forty-nine people died because of the rhetoric you put out there.”

“I’m so sorry you feel that way,” Clinton replies in the video. “Certainly, it was never my intention. I do believe words matter. I believe we have to show solidarity.”

Another student snaps at Chelsea: “What does ‘I’m sorry you feel that way’ mean? What does that mean?”

So, now, it’s Chelsea Clinton’s fault a violent gun massacre took place in New Zealand???

The girl in the video shut down her Twitter for a while, but apparently reactivated it today.

It seems she’s something of a homophobe and racist. These tweets were culled from her account.

She also appears to be a Bernie Sanders supporter which might explain things a bit more.

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Out Music: Matt Zarley “He Used To Be Mine”

Out singer/songwriter Matt Zarley’s new music video takes on Sara Bareilles’ masterwork, “She Used To Be Mine.”

As we all know, life is not neat, life is not a straight line.

The road may stretch out in front of us, but every now and then, we do glance at the rearview mirror:

He’s imperfect, but he tries
He is good, but he lies
He is hard on himself
He is broken and won’t ask for help
He is messy, but he’s kind
He is lonely most of the time
He is all of this mixed up and baked in a beautiful pie
He is gone, but he used to be mine

Matt Zarley

Coming from this introspective viewpoint, Zarley finds himself weighing some past decisions.

Zarley writes:

Before I started recording, I spent several really wonderful years doing theatre in New York. When I first heard this song, it reminded me of those experiences and how close I hold them to my heart.

I miss them.

I think any of us can relate to this song and it’s message. I think most of us have regrets to an extent. I know there are times when I reflect on my life and think to myself that this is not where I envisioned myself. Not to say that I am not grateful for my life… cuz I am.

But, if I could go back and have a do-over, there are definitely some things I would change.

There are days when I really miss the guy I used to be…he used to be mine.

The guitar-driven approach to the track, with a lovely yet pensive viola at just the right time, makes a perfect frame for Zarley’s muscular vocals.

The track is available on iTunes here. Hit play below.