Author: Randy Slovacek

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Donald Trump Sides With Russia On 2016 Election Interference

Donald Trump continues to believe Vladimir Putin's assertion that Russia did not interfere in the 2016 elections
Donald Trump

Donald Trump sided with Russia yet again today via Twitter when the president tweeted, “Russia continues to say they had nothing to do with Meddling in our Election!”

The Trumpster then immediately pivoted to – what else? – email servers and Hillary Clinton.

He continued, “Where is the DNC Server, and why didn’t Shady James Comey and the now disgraced FBI agents take and closely examine it? Why isn’t Hillary/Russia being looked at? So many questions, so much corruption!”

Every law enforcement agency in the United States from the CIA to the FBI has confirmed that Russia did, indeed, interfere with the 2016 presidential election.

But Trump’s ego is so fragile any and everything that might take away from his election is seen as a threat.

Meanwhile, those same agencies tell us Russia plans to again meddle in our upcoming mid-term elections, but Trump hasn’t asked anyone to do anything about stopping the Russian interference.

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Mother’s Boyfriend Charged With Murder Of 10-Year-Old Boy

Anthony Avalos was found unresponsive after suffering major injuries. He died the next day. His mother's boyfriend has been charged with his muder. Authorities believe homophobia was a factor in Anthony's death.
Anthony Avalos

On June 20, 10-year-old Anthony Avalos was found unresponsive at his family’s home having suffered severe head injuries and cigarette burns covered his body.

He died on the Thursday 21st.

According to reports, the boy had recently come out as gay saying “I like boys.” Authorities believe homophobia played a part in his death.

The boyfriend of the boy’s mother, who’s a member of a violent gang in Southern California, has now been arrested and charged with the murder of the 10-year-old.

From NBC News:

Anthony Avalos was taken to a hospital on June 20 after his mother, Heather Barron, called 911 to report that he had been injured in a fall, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. He was not breathing and unresponsive when emergency workers found him in his Lancaster home, and he died the next day.

Anthony Avalos’ death bears a striking resemblance to a 2013 case in neighboring Palmdale, less than 10 minutes from Lancaster. Eight-year-old Gabriel Fernandez died in May 2013 after being routinely beaten and starved by his mother and her boyfriend. Prosecutors said Gabriel was systematically abused because his mother’s boyfriend thought the boy was gay.

At a news conference on Wednesday, Sheriff Jim McDonnell said Barron’s boyfriend, Kareem Leiva, 32, had been arrested on murder charges and was being held on $2 million bail.

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Donald Trump Ignores LGBTQ People On National HIV Testing Day

Even when it comes to observing National HIV Testing Day, Donald Trump’s White House continues to ignore the LGBTQ community.

The annual observance, founded in 1995, encourages Americans to get tested and know their HIV status.

While the Trump White House did issue a statement yesterday, it was completely void of any mention of LGBTQ people.

On National HIV Testing Day, we recognize the great progress we have made in the fight against Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), including our Nation’s efforts to spread awareness about the importance of getting tested. Early detection of HIV—using a simple and routine test—is instrumental in helping contain the advancement of the virus to Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS).

Today, medical advances are helping more than one million Americans affected by HIV live longer and healthier lives. Further, in June 2017, the Food and Drug Administration approved generic medications that dramatically reduce the risk of infection in the first place.

Despite this progress, in 2016, nearly 40,000 people were diagnosed with HIV in the United States. People between the ages of 20 and 29 received more than a third of those diagnoses. Even more troubling, 44 percent of people living with HIV between the ages of 13 and 24 were unaware that they were carrying the virus. National HIV Testing Day is an important reminder that those who are unaware they are carrying the disease are the most at risk for inadvertently infecting others and missing out on potentially life-saving treatments.

As we observe National HIV Testing Day, we celebrate the advancements we have made in medical science, and I encourage all Americans to invest in their health and be aware of their HIV status. Through greater awareness and education, we can all do our part to lead healthier and longer lives.

So, while acknowledging the disease and a few statistics based on age, what the statement clearly omits is any mention of the fact that the risk for HIV disproportionately affects LGBTQ people and people of color.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, gay and bisexual men are affected by HIV more than any other group in the United States. When you factor in race, the numbers skew even further.

Since taking office, Donald Trump and his administration have continually ignored and shown disrespect for the LGBTQ community.

Last December 1, Trump’s first World AIDS Day as president, the White House issued a proclamation that completely ignored LGBTQ folks.

Shortly after that, Trump fired the entire Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS without reason.

Both last year and this year, Trump took the time to observe June as National Ocean Month, National Caribbean-American Month and National Homeownership Month.

But complete silence about Pride Month.

Remember when Trump campaigned saying he would be ‘better for the gays’ than Hillary?

Yeah, not so much.

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Broadway Covers “We Are The World”

Broadway artists come together to cover "We Are The World"

In 1985, Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie gathered together a constellation of music stars at the time to record “We Are the World.”

The supergroup, dubbed United Support of Artists For Africa, sold over 20 million copies of the recording.

Now, a new crop artists across the Broadway spectrum have united to record a new version of the 1985 anthem.

Released by Broadway Records, the video calls for healing and unity in the world today.

“We, Broadway United, are calling on you to raise your voice and stand up for our planet and the future of humankind. Since we are the world, then we must be the ones to heal it. Step up, speak out, and do whatever you can to be the change.”

Participating artists include Christy Altomare, Kelli Barrett, Andrew Burns, Nikki Renee Daniels, Jordan Donica, Rachel Eskenazi-Gold, Justin Guarini, Derek Klena, Jeff Kready, Sydney Lucas, Beth Malone, Lesli Margherita, Constantine Maroulis, Orfeh, George Psomas, Anthony Rapp, Courtney Reed, Kate Rockwell, Jarrod Spector, Ephraim Sykes, and Jenna Ushkowitz.

Derek Klena of Anastasia

Also taking part are Tony Award winners Ben Vereen, Chita Rivera, Bebe Neuwirth, and Brian Stokes Mitchell.

Plus, there’s a terrific children’s chorus in the mix.

“More than ever, people need to know that their voices make a difference and their voices together are incredibly powerful,” said producer Yael Silver. “’We Are the World’ spoke to us universally and we wanted to share our united voices with the world.”

I have to admit, when I first saw news of the cover video I thought this could easily be hit or miss.

But the talent gathered here and the way the music directors assigned each voice in the perfect spot is perfection. Orfeh and Constantine Maroulis are particularly well-utilized in the more pop/rock moments.

Orfeh

AND – I love that the video also features the all-important musicians from Broadway orchestra pits (Ted Arthur, Bobby Wooten, Jamie Eblen, Ethan Pakchar, Justin Smith & Summer Boggess) who gave their time as well.

Watch below. It’s a great song that gets me every time.

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GOP Immigration Bill Fails Miserably In House Vote 301-121

Donald Trump

Donald Trump keeps blaming Democrats in Congress for the lack of meaningful immigration reform, but the Republicans (who control both the House and the Senate) can’t get their own act together.

From The Washington Post:

The House on Wednesday soundly rejected a wide-ranging GOP immigration bill that would have funded President Trump’s border wall, offered young undocumented immigrants a path to citizenship and partially addressed the family-separation crisis at the southwest border.

The bill failed on a vote of 301 to 121 despite a last-minute tweet — in all caps — of support from Trump, the backing of GOP leadership and weeks of negotiations between conservatives and moderate Republicans who sought an elusive intraparty compromise.

But the GOP has been unable to bridge the divide between hard-liners aligned with Trump and moderates intent on addressing the fate of immigrants known as “dreamers.”

Highlighting the GOP’s failure to achieve consensus on any immigration-related legislation, Republican aides said he House would not vote this week on a narrower measure aimed squarely at the separation policy, amid disputes between Congress and the White House on how far such a bill should go.

With immigration reform now being kicked down the road yet again, the only legislative achievement Donald Trump will be able to tout on the mid-term campaign trail this fall will be his tax cuts.

A recent Wall Street Journal poll showed the tax reform law only garners 27% approval.

Here’s the Donald’s all-caps tweet from earlier today, plus a few other thoughts from the Twitterverse:

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Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy Announces Retirement

Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy announced his retirement today. His all-important 'swing vote' helped make major LGBTQ rights a reality
Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy

This is very bad news for the LGBTQ community and for the entire country.

Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy has announced his retirement.

“It has been the greatest honor and privilege to serve our nation in the federal judiciary for 43 years, 30 of those years on the Supreme Court,” Kennedy said in a statement.

In his official letter to President Trump, Kennedy said his resignation would be effective July 31.

Kennedy has been the all-important ‘swing vote’ for years now.

Tom Goldstein, a Washington lawyer who argues frequently before the court and publishes the SCOTUSblog web site, told NBC News, “Justice Kennedy was the most important member of the court in a century, maybe ever.’

Appointed by President Ronald Reagan, Kennedy is responsible for many important rulings in favor of the LGBTQ community:

• He authored the court’s opinion for the 1996 ruling in Romer v. Evans, which reversed a provision in the Colorado Constitution denying homosexuals the right to bring local discrimination claims.

• In 2003, he wrote the Court’s opinion in Lawrence v. Texas, which invalidated anti-sodomy laws on the basis of the Due Process Clause of the United States Constitution

• On June 26, 2013, the Court ruled Section 3 of the hideous Defense of Marriage Act was unconstitutional in United States v. Windsor. That decision required the federal government to recognize all legal marriages. The majority opinion, penned by Kennedy, read in part, “The federal statute is invalid, for no legitimate purpose overcomes the purpose and effect to disparage and injure those whom the State, by its marriage laws, sought to protect in personhood and dignity. By seeking to displace this protection and treating those persons as living in marriages less respected than others, the federal statute is in violation of the Fifth Amendment.”

• On June 26, 2015, Kennedy authored the majority ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges, which made marriage equality legal in every state of the country.

But there were times when Kennedy was not our friend as well:

• In the 2000 case of Boy Scouts of America v. Dale, Kennedy and four other justices voted to uphold the Boy Scouts of America’s right to ban gays from being scoutmasters.

• In 2013, he voted to gut the landmark Voters Rights Act.

• In 2010, he voted with the other conservative justices in Citizens United v. FEC which allowed Super PACS to make enormous donations to political campaigns.

• More recently, he authored the 7-2 Masterpiece Cakeshop ruling which found Colorado baker Jack Phillips didn’t get a fair shake when he was fined for refusing to sell a wedding cake to a same-sex couple.

The vacancy gives Donald Trump another chance to turn the nine-member court even more conservative after the addition of Justice Gorsuch last year.

With five solid conservatives justices on the court, SCOTUS could repeal or limit gay rights, repeal the right to abortion, and more.

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Joe Jackson, Creator Of Jackson 5, Dies At 89

Joe Jackson, the patriarch behind the Jacksons' musical empire, has died following a bout with cancer. He was 89 years old.
Joe Jackson

Joe Jackson, the patriarch behind the Jacksons’ musical empire, has died following a bout with cancer. He was 89 years old.

In the 1960s, Jackson decided to create a pop music group with five of his sons – Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon and Michael – who would go on to be the Jackson 5.

Often described as domineering, Joe Jackson had a hand in every aspect of the group’s career from rehearsal hours to dance steps to their touring schedule.

From People

:

Anchored by a 7-year-old Michael, The Jackson 5 found immediate success, becoming the first American group to have four singles land the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Soon after, Joe moved the entire family from Indiana to California.

In 1968, Joe signed a Motown contract—without reading it—that gave the company ironclad control over everything recorded by The Jackson 5, a move that cost the family millions. Michael fired his father as manager in 1983.

Eventually, young Michael would step away from the group (and his father’s control) in 1979 with his brothers following suit in 1983. Janet Jackson would soon follow as well.

“I’m glad I was tough, because look what I came out with,” Joe Jackson told CNN in 2013. “I came out with some kids that everybody loved all over the world. And they treated everybody right.”

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Trailer: Timothée Chalamet Stars In Moving Oscar Contender ‘Beautiful Boy’

Timothée Chalamet stars with fellow Academy Award nominees Steve Carell and Amy Ryan in Beautiful Boy, due to hit theaters October 12.
Timothée Chalamet stars in the upcoming Oscar contender, ‘Beautiful Boy’

Fresh off his spectacular Oscar-nominated turn in the acclaimed gay-centric film, Call Me By Your Name, Timothée Chalamet stars with fellow Academy Award nominees Steve Carell and Amy Ryan in Beautiful Boy, due to hit theaters October 12.

The film is based on a pair of best-selling memoirs by father and son David and Nic Sheff.

The official logline reads, “Based on the best-selling pair of memoirs from father and son & David and Nic Sheff, Beautiful Boy chronicles the heartbreaking and inspiring experience of survival, relapse, and recovery in a family coping with addiction over many years.”

The trailer begins with a fairly extended scene between father and son, an unusual move for an initial promo but puts the talent and chemistry of Chalamet and Carell front and center. Both are here, and both are bringing it.

From the Academy Award winning producers of 12 Years A Slave and Moonlight, the film also features Golden Globe winner Maura Tierney.

Considering the depth of talent involved with the film, Oscar prognosticators already have the movie on their radar.

Watch the moving trailer for Beautiful Boy below.

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Democrat Jared Polis Could Become 1st Openly Gay Man Elected To Governor

Last night, Rep. Jared Polis of Colorado came one step closer to becoming the first openly gay man to be elected governor in the United States.
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jared Polis

Last night, Rep. Jared Polis of Colorado came one step closer to becoming the first openly gay man to be elected governor in the United States.

Shortly after the polls closed, the Boulder native was declared the winner of the Democratic nomination for governor of Colorado with 44.7% of the vote. His nearest competitor, Cary Kennedy, garnered only 24.7% of the vote.

Come November, Polis will take on current Colorado State Treasurer Walker Stapleton in the governor’s race. Current Gov. John Hickenlooper – who is term-limited.

A recent poll shows Polis leading Stapleton, a second cousin of George W. Bush and vocal supporter of Donald Trump, by 5 points.

One of the wealthiest members of Congress, Polis is said to be worth upwards of $400 million. In his 20s, he helped turn his family’s Blue Mountain Arts greeting card business into an e-card retailer eventually selling the business for $780 million.

Elected in 2008, Polis is one of seven openly gay members of the 113th Congress and caucuses with the LGBT Equality Caucus. He campaigned for governor on a platform of universal healthcare, free pre-K education and robust renewable energy.

Polis has a long-term partner, Marlon Reis. In 2011, Polis became the first openly gay parent in Congress when they welcomed a son, Caspian. They also have a daughter, Cora.

While former New Jersey Gov. Jim McGreevey came out as gay during his time in office, Polis would be the first openly gay man to be elected to a governor’s mansion.

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown became the first openly bisexual governor when she took office in 2015.

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GOP Strategist Steve Schmidt: “American People By A Fluke Elected An Imbecilic Former Reality TV Show Host”

Former GOP strategist and John McCain presidential campaign manager appearing on MSNBC’s Morning Joe today:

“So in the 240th year of the independence of the United States, in three states by 78,000 votes, the American people by a fluke elected an imbecilic former reality TV show host and con man whose only affinity for reading anything were the Adolf Hitler speeches he kept on his night stand.”

Seems pretty much on point to me…