Category: News

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News Round-Up: August 31, 2020

Cher (photo: Machado Cicala via Karpel Group)
Some news items you might have missed: • Washington Blade: The one and only Cher (above) headlined an LGBTQ fundraiser for Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden Monday evening which raised over $2 million in half an hour. Paraphrasing her hit song “Believe,” the icon asked the viewing audience, “So ask yourself, do you believe in life after Trump?” • Insider: A straight-identifying man in his 20s says he’s only ever slept with women, but lately sex has been slowed up, so he’s been chatting with dudes on Grindr and he’s not sure why, so he’s seeking advice. “I’ve been going on Grindr and talking to other men with no intention of ever meeting them. I just like flirting with the people on there.” • Dad of the Day: Channing Tatum shared the pic below surrounded by unicorns with the news that he’s penned his first children’s book, “The One and Only Sparkella,” dedicated to his 6-year-old daughter, Everly. “Guys, I don’t know about you but things got a little weird for me in quarantine. I ended up accidentally locking myself in my 7-year-old daughter’s room. And I ended up finding my inner child. So this is what I created for my little girl. From what is, I guess, the little girl in me. Thanks for reading.”

• Atlanta Journal-Constitution: A federal judge on Monday extended the deadline for absentee ballots to be returned in Georgia, ruling that they must be counted if postmarked by Election Day and delivered up to three days afterward. The ruling invalidates Georgia’s requirement that ballots had to be received at county election offices by 7 p.m. on Election Day. • The Gaily Grind: Actress/comedian Niecy Nash dumped her husband in December, and announced her marriage to musician Jessica Betts on Instagram on Monday, coming out in the process. • Instagram: Director/producer Ryan Murphy, who is heading up Netflix’s upcoming film adaptation of the Broadway musical The Prom, shared a cast photo teasing in the caption, “Christmas is right around the corner…” The pic is our first look at several of the stars in costume: Meryl Streep as Dee Dee Allen, Nicole Kidman as Angie Dickinson, James Corden as Barry Glickman, Andrew Rannells as Trent Oliver, Ariana DeBose as Alyssa Greene, Keegan-Michael Key as Mr. Hawkins, Kerry Washington as Mrs. Greene, Kevin Chamberlin as Sheldon Saperstein, and newcomer Jo Ellen Pellman as Emma Nolan.

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Joe Biden: Rioting, Looting, Violence Are NOT Protesting

Former Vice President Joe Biden (screen capture)
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden denounced the violence and looting that has been taking place during protests across the country in the name of Black Lives Matter. From CNN:

“I want to be very clear about all of this: Rioting is not protesting. Looting is not protesting. Setting fires is not protesting. None of this is protesting. It’s lawlessness, plain and simple. And those who do it should be prosecuted,” Biden said. “Violence will not bring change, it will only bring destruction. It’s wrong in every way.”

Responding to Trump’s claims that the suburbs, where Trump needs to win back White voters who have abandoned the GOP in droves on his watch, would not be safe if Biden wins, Biden asked, incredulously: “You know me. You know my heart. You know my story, my family’s story. Ask yourself: Do I look like a radical socialist with a soft spot for rioters? Really?”

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Appeals Court Says ‘No’ To Dismissing Case Against Michael Flynn

Michael Flynn (photo: Gage Skidmore/Flickr)
A federal appeals court has denied a request by Michael Flynn and the Department of Justice to shut down the investigation against him. From CNN:

The 8-2 decision restores power to a judge to question the Justice Department’s moves in the politically divisive case when Attorney General William Barr dropped charges against President Donald Trump’s former national security adviser earlier this year despite twice pleading guilty to lying under oath to lying to the FBI.

Flynn had fought District Judge Emmet Sullivan’s decision to ask a third-party lawyer to argue against the Justice Department’s dismissal in the case, and his plans to hold a hearing, which has not yet happened.

Monday’s decision adds what may be the most consequential round yet to what’s become an unusual and deeply political court case in an election year, and one of the most symbolic prosecutions of a Trump adviser during this presidency.

In an earlier decision, a panel of three judges on the DC Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 to allow Flynn’s case to be tossed. Today’s ruling from the full court reverses that decision. The appeals court also declined to reassign Flynn’s case to another trial judge, after Flynn’s attorneys accused Judge Sullivan of being biased against Flynn. I still maintain that, at the end of this whole sordid affair, Donald Trump will pardon Flynn.

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College Democrats Apologize To Gay Mayor For ‘Homophobic Attacks’

Mayor Alex Morse of Holyoke, Massachusetts (image via Facebook)
College Democrats in Massachusetts have issued an apology to openly gay Mayor Alex Morse of Holyoke for their role in what turned into unfounded attacks on Morse and “played into homophobic stereotypes that have been used to oppress gay men in politics.” Morse, currently in his 4th term as mayor, is running to unseat Rep. Richard Neal (D-MA) who has represented Massachusetts in the House of Representatives since 1989. The Democratic primary will be held on Tuesday, September 1. Earlier this month, Instinct reported on a letter sent to Morse from three groups of College Democrats, including the UMass Amherst Democrats, informing him he was no longer welcome at College Democratic events and accusing him of using his “position of power for romantic or sexual gain, specifically toward young students.” Morse had been a guest lecturer at UMass Amherst in 2019 and attended one event hosted by the school’s College Democrats. Morse, 31, quickly responded to the allegations saying as an openly gay man he has dated younger people but all interactions were consensual and none were with any students who might have attended his lectures. No students have come forward to say otherwise. The story quickly spiraled and went national with ugly tones of homophobia. The story became much bigger when The Intercept followed up the story with reporting that revealed leaders of the UMass Amherst Democrats had been discussing ways to discover Morse’s dating app profiles and perhaps “lead him into saying something incriminating that would then damage his campaign.” The chief strategist of the chapter at the time, Timothy Ennis, wrote in chat messages that while he was unsure about digging up dirt on Morse, he was a “Neal Stan” and hoped to land a position in the congressman’s office. “But I need a job,” wrote Ennis according to The Intercept. “Neal will give me an internship.” A second report from The Intercept suggested state Democratic Party leaders might have played a role in the drafting of the letter to Morse as well as making the allegations public. On Friday, the UMass Amherst Democrats executive board sent Morse a letter apologizing for the “public distress that the public reaction to the letter must have cost you.” Admitting the letter was never intended to become public, they added, “We should have realized that the language of the letter was careless and played into homophobic stereotypes that have been used to oppress gay men in politics.” “We understand that no apology of ours can make up for the homophobic attacks you have suffered as a result of our actions; nonetheless, we wish to apologize. We wish you the best of luck in your campaign.” The College Democrats also included a copy of a letter sent to the general membership of the group explaining the board had only been shown the initial letter “briefly” and were asked to sign on by the chapter’s president, Andrew Abramson, “in solidarity.” “We are deeply sorry that Alex Morse has faced homophobic attacks as a result of our actions and that our decision has negatively impacted the LGBT+ community, including our own membership,” read the letter to the general membership. “We wish Alex Morse the best of luck in his campaign and political career.” Morse’s campaign shared the apology with the Daily Hampshire Gazette calling the initial letter “an unfortunate situation that happened.” In an interview with Jacobin Magazine, Morse characterized the attack as “incredibly dangerous to our democracy,” and added the accusations could have “a chilling effect for young people, queer people, single people, basically telling us we can’t or shouldn’t run for office.” Even though the apology was sent to Morse, other groups are still using the story to undermine his candidacy before the primary. American Working Families, a Democratic group, pulled an attack ad it ran after catching flak for homophobic undertones in the spot. The ad went after Morse’s record as mayor, made vague accusations that his campaign is being funded by “outside special interests” and brought up “sexual relationships with college students.” The group told Twitter on Saturday the spot was “never intended to air” adding that “it was accidentally sent to stations instead of a corrected version.”

There have also been robocalls reported that were “disguised as surveys” asking if respondents would still support Morse if he had “sent sexually explicit emails to college-aged students.”

Congressman Neal, Morse’s opponent in tomorrow’s primary, has denied any involvement in the attacks.

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Viral Video: Unhinged In Alaska

Unhinged in Alaska (screen captures)
What in the hell is wrong with this man? The video clip below went viral thanks to the crazy-ass man ranting at employees at a Walmart in Alaska about being asked to wear a face mask. At the beginning of the clip, the loon is yelling, “Get back on your highway to hell and get out of a godly man’s face.” “By your very blind ignorance, you don’t have the ability to even come up with your own fucking ideas,” he adds. In the background, you can hear folks asking him to leave, to which he responds, “I will leave when I choose.” Another choice tidbit from the clearly deranged covidiot, “Please, return to your service of Satan and your ignorant belief in your rights.” When he gets within inches of an employee and yells in her face, I really began to wonder: even if he doesn’t TOUCH her, isn’t there some crime in getting up in a person’s face and screaming at them? Do these employees – following corporate and public health protocol – not have ANY recourse in dealing with these belligerent people? Major props to the female manager who exhibited incredible self-control offering a repeated “Have a nice day” to the idiot. She is a true QUEEN. Walmart – give this woman a raise.

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European Leaders Consider New Lockdowns As Cases Of COVID-19 Surge

New York state is about to drop its face mask mandate as COVID-19 cases continue to drop in the Empire State.

Leaders in Europe are facing the possibility of new lockdowns as cases of COVID-19 have begun to surge again. The New York Times reports:

In France, President Emmanuel Macron warned on Friday that the authorities were doing “everything to avoid a new lockdown.” A day later, the country reported over 7,300 new virus cases, its highest daily tally since March 31 and a number that sent its seven-day average to a new record of 4,668.

As Germany faces its own more modest resurgence, Chancellor Angela Merkel said this week that managing the pandemic would become more challenging in the fall and winter, as the colder weather drives people back indoors. “We will have to live with this virus for a long time to come,” she said.

The sobering comments from Ms. Merkel and Mr. Macron come as European countries brace for — or even appear to be entering — a second wave of infections. Nowhere on the continent is the threat more alarming than in Spain, where the Times database shows that the seven-day average has passed 7,600.

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Sen. Ron Johnson Refuses To Condemn 17-Year-Old Vigilante

CNN’s Dana Bash and Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI)
During an interview on CNN’s. ‘State of the Union,’ Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) refused to condemn Kyle Rittenhouse, the 17-year-old Donald Trump cultist who has been charged with the murders of two Black Lives Matter protestors early this week. Host Dana Bash repeatedly asked if he condemned the shooting and Johnson would only refer to the incident as a vague “tragedy.” BASH: “The 17-year-old accused of committing two murders was a Trump supporter. Do you condemn that?” JOHNSON: “It is a tragedy.” BASH: “Do you condemn it? JOHNSON: It’s a tragedy.” BASH: “It is a tragedy, but do you condemn it?” JOHNSON: “The entire situation is a tragedy.”

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Sheriff’s Racist Rant Results In His Resignation

Former Arkansas County Sheriff Todd Wright (photo: ARSheriffs.org)
Arkansas County Sheriff Todd Wright resigned from his position after a recording of him repeatedly using the n-word began circulating on social media. In the clip, Wright goes on an ugly rant yelling at a woman who had spoken to a Black employee at a Piggly Wiggly grocery store in Dewitt. He was apparently embarrassed she had spoken to someone Black. Here’s the transcript: “Shut up you f**king n***er lover! … Every motherf**ker in this store and you gotta talk to the f**king (inaudible) n***er. Right there in front of me, like y’all f**king best buddies. It is a big f**king deal. People f**king see me and see you talking to f**king n***ers.” Here’s the video which appears to have been captured by a friend of the woman.

The video was initially shared on social media back in May but began circulating again this week. At a special session of the Arkansas County Quorum Court on Friday, August 28, Wright acknowledged that it was him in the recording and offered an apology for any offense his comments caused adding that his remarks were made ‘in the heat of the moment.’ During a rambling statement, he added he was “disturbed my career was in shambles because of something I said.” He also – wait for it – insisted he’s not racist. Initially, Wright refused to resign, but the court (which doesn’t have the power to remove Wright from office) unanimously approved a resolution asking for his resignation. Following comments from the public demanding he step down, Wright offered to leave his position in a month as he wanted time to find another job. But Bobby Webb, a longtime friend of Wright, told the sheriff he needed to resign immediately. “I’ve known you all my life,” said Webb according to the Stuttgart Daily Leader. “You need to take that badge and you need to lay it on that table and you need to walk out of here. You know I love you.” After a brief recess, Wright submitted his official resignation, which the court voted unanimously to accept. Out of ‘compassion,’ the court also unanimously decided to allow Wright to be paid through September 30, although he will not be an active law enforcement officer. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the population of the county Wright has been serving for years is 25 percent Black. After listening to the repeated use of the n-word in this recording (nine times he uses the slur), it’s not hard to imagine what Wright thought of the local Black citizens he encountered in the line of duty. I’m going to close this post by saying I believe the vast, vast majority of law enforcement officers are good people. But people like Wright make their jobs much, much harder. If you ever wonder why football players kneel, and Black Lives Matter protests are happening, this is part of the reason why.

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News Round-Up: August 28, 2020

Singer/songwriter NIKO (via official website)
Some news items you might have missed: • Out Music: Randy Report favorite NIKO (above) releases his latest single, “Try,” a romantic, intimate anthem dedicated to his partner. With dreamy synths and soft beats, NIKO tells an autobiographical story about overcoming obstacles and finding love. Hit the play button below to check out “Try,” and you can find my previous coverage of the talented artist here.

• Vice: Former classmates of Kyle Rittenhouse, the 17-year-old who is charged with killing two protesters in Kenosha, Wisconsin, say he was known as a “ride or die” Trump supporter. “If you said anything bad about Trump, he’d threaten you. Kyle was the type of kid to wear a MAGA hat or other apparel just for attention, or to ‘trigger’ people.” • New York Post: Reviewing Donald Trump’s “longest in convention history” speech – “There was no flow, no argument, no central core. He praised himself and he attacked Joe Biden, just as you’d expect. But he didn’t build a case for himself or a case against Biden — and it’s the construction of such cases that provide the dramatic structure a major speech needs to engage both the head and the heart. For someone who relishes drama, Trump provided none.” • Politico: A former Liberty University student says Becki Falwell, the wife of the school’s then-President Jerry Falwell Jr., jumped into bed with him and performed oral sex on him while he stayed over at the Falwell home after a band practice with her eldest son in 2008. The student, who was 22 at the time of the encounter, said she initiated the act. She then pursued the young man in text messages, and yes, there are screen captures. • Yahoo Sports: The Mets and Marlins took the field last night for only a 42-second moment of silence – most probably in honor of Jackie Robinson – before leaving in solidarity. The only thing left on the field – a Black Lives Matter shirt.

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Gay Couple Murdered In Possible Bungled Burglary

L-R Christian Pandolfino, Ivor Maciejowski (image via Instagram)
A gay couple living in Malta were the victims of a grisly murder with no clear motive. Ivor Maciejowski and Christian Pandolfino were found dead from gunshot wounds in their home in Sliema around 10:30 pm on August 18. The Times of Malta reports that Pandolfino had gone to dinner with visiting family members while Maciejowski had remained at home. Pandolfino returned early on his own, and by the time his family arrived back at the residence, the two men were already dead. Surveillance footage reportedly shows three people leaving the crime scene, climbing into a car where a fourth person was waiting to drive them away. The website LovinMalta reports two people have been charged with the double murder, Daniel Muka and Victor Dragomanski. Police believe a third suspect might have fled the country. Pandolfino had worked as a doctor in the UK before transitioning into investment banking. He subsequently returned to Malta where he owned an extensive collection of art. Maciejowski, 30, was a contemporary art dealer who had run an online art gallery until last year. According to reports, the couple had been together for four years. An LGBTQ community Facebook page for Malta shared the news of the murders and initially, there were suspicions that the incident might have been a hate crime. But since then, there has been speculation that the murders might have been the result of a bungled burglary as the couple often showed off their art collection on social media.

The comments on the Facebook page reveal the couple, both avid bodybuilders, had been popular in the community and were often seen at MedAsia Playa beach club. One commenter wrote, “They were so kind to me,” and another responded saying, “Dear Chris and Ivor we shall miss you tremendously.” One friend described the couple as “beautiful, kind souls” and “amazing people that loved each other very much.” (Source: Times of Malta)