Billy Porter (photo: Meredith Truax)Some news items you might have missed:
• Deadline: Emmy/Grammy/Tony Award winner Billy Porter says the actors’ union strike in Hollywood is forcing him to sell his house.
“I have to sell my house… Because we’re on strike. And I don’t know when we’re gonna go back [to work],” said Billy Porter in an interview with Evening Standard https://t.co/nexDmL886z
— Deadline Hollywood (@DEADLINE) August 8, 2023
• Reuters: The World Bank has halted new lending to the Ugandan government after concluding that its anti-LGBTQ law, which has been condemned by many countries and the United Nations, contradicts the bank’s values.
• Axios: At least 36 people have died and dozens more are wounded from the wildfires in Maui. Thousands of residents of Lahaina are now homeless. More than 2,100 people sought refuge at four emergency shelters in Maui.
• Twitter: PragerU videos that teach fake, right-wing-skewed history to children have been approved for use in Florida. For instance, the one below features Christopher Columbus musing that slavery was “no big deal.”
Ron DeSantis’ administration has approved “Prager University” videos to teach kids about slavery. Prager U is a fake, unaccredited far-right organization.
One of their “kids videos” has Christopher Columbus telling them that slavery was “no big deal.”https://t.co/WeTrw0piav pic.twitter.com/puaoSh5gwy
— No Lie with Brian Tyler Cohen (@NoLieWithBTC) August 7, 2023
• Slate: A 36-year-old man says his exceptionally large “package” leads to frequent pat-downs when going through airport security.
• Fox29: Because a new Florida law requires parents to be notified if a student asks to be referred to by a name other than on their birth certificate (aimed at trans kids), some school districts will now require a signed parents’ authorization to use a child’s nickname.
For example, if your child's name is Robert but likes to be called Rob, the form will need to be filled out so teachers and staff can call your child Rob. https://t.co/fwwxtt0287
— FOX 29 (@FOX29philly) August 8, 2023