Category: News

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Jared Kushner On COVID-19 Response: “This Has Been A Great Success Story”

Jared Kushner (screen capture)
During an appearance on Fox & Friends this morning, Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner told viewers, “The federal government rose to the challenge and this is a great success story.” At this writing, there have been 1,023,304 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the U.S. with 58,965 deaths. “A great success story…?”

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Mike Pence Tours Mayo Clinic Without Mask Despite Recommendations

Vice President Mike Pence is the one without a mask (photo via press pool video)
The White House Coronavirus Task Force recommends wearing a face mask when out in public. And yet… From CNBC:

Vice President Mike Pence on Tuesday toured the Mayo Clinic without wearing a mask, despite that renowned medical facility telling him that masks are required for visitors and everyone else there to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

Video from a journalist pool camera at the Mayo Clinic at one point shows that 10 people in the area around Pence, including a patient, were wearing masks and personal protective equipment.

Pence leads President Donald Trump’s coronavirus task force.

The Mayo Clinic, which is located in Rochester, Minn., is requiring all patients, visitors and staff to wear a face-covering or mask to slow the spread of Covid-19.

CNBC goes on to report that the Mayo Clinic tweeted that it had, indeed, informed Pence of its mask-wearing policy. A half-hour later, the tweet was deleted. Pence’s spokeswoman, Katie Miller, told the New York Times last week Pence didn’t need a mask because, “Vice President Pence is negative for Covid-19 and is therefore not asymptomatic.” Donald Trump has also said publicly that, despite medical experts recommendations, he doesn’t feel the need to wear one. Remember when leaders led by example?

Pence is literally the only one here ignoring the Mayo Clinic mask policy. Just staggering arrogance. https://t.co/aRBvt45c7q

— shauna (@goldengateblond) April 28, 2020

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GLAAD Livestream Event Raises Over $250K For LGBTQ Community Centers

On Sunday night, GLAAD’s livestream event, “Together in Pride: You Are Not Alone” brought together stars from film, TV, YouTube and more to help raise over $250,000 for LGBTQ community centers across the country. Barbra Streisand, Billy Porter, Adam Lambert, Rosie O’Donnell, Pete & Chasten Buttigieg, Wilson Cruz, Tyler Oakley, and more made appearances during the livestream digital event hosted by Billy Eichner and Lilly Singh. “During this truly unprecedented time, tonight’s event brought together some of the world’s biggest stars to send necessary messages of support, solidarity, and community to LGBTQ people across the world, as well as the heroes on the frontlines battling this pandemic,” GLAAD President & CEO Sarah Kate Ellis said in a statement. “LGBTQ people are disproportionately affected by COVID-19, and we have a responsibility to highlight the impact of this pandemic on our community, as well as to ensure that LGBTQ people are not left behind.” “LGBTQ community centers and GLAAD are cornerstones of the community and we are proud to help their important work to help LGBTQ people everywhere.” said Ariadne Getty, president and executive director of Ariadne Getty Foundation (AGF), which donated $150,000 for the cause, the event’s largest single donation. Donations went to CenterLink which connects nearly 250 LGBTQ community centers from 45 states, Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia, as well as Canada, China, Mexico, and Australia. These centers are often the only place providing critical services such as medical care, shelter for homeless LGBTQ youth, mental health counseling, filling prescriptions, providing hot meals, checking on the elderly, and more. Funds raised in the digital event will go to directly support LGBTQ community centers and the 2 million LGBTQ people who use the centers each year.  

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News Round-Up: April 27, 2020

Jwan Yosef (via Instagram)
Some news items you might have missed: • InstaHunks: Ricky Martin’s hubby, artist Jwan Yosef (above), says he’s taking the ‘clothing optional’ approach to sheltering-at-home. #ThankGod Follow him on Instagram here. • NewNowNext: HIV hero Michael Cavnaugh was able to obtain 500 medical-grade masks and donated them to the volunteers at God’s Love We Deliver. The NYC-based organization and its network of volunteers provide thousands of free, freshly cooked, medically tailored meals every day to New Yorkers who are too sick to cook or grocery shop for themselves. • TV Insider: Check out this sneak peek from the upcoming series  Love, Victor – the TV spinoff of the coming-of-age, coming-out feature film Love, Simon. You may never look at a latte the same way again. The series debuts June 19 on Hulu.

• The Advocate: Christiaan Otto, who has spent years spewing anti-LGBTQ vitriol and claimed the current health crisis is a punishment from God, appears to have been cruising for sex on Grindr. The group Expose Christiaan Otto posted screenshots of what it said was Otto’s Grindr account including a reported shirtless selfie. One message translates as “I thought I could trust you, dude. You say you deleted the Grindr chats. What are you trying to do? Delete and block me!” • The Daily Beast: Trump supporters Diamond & Silk (aka Lynnette Hardaway and Rochelle Richardson) have been dismissed from their streaming gig on FOX Nation streaming service after promoting lies about the coronavirus health threat like the COVID-19 death toll is false, that the disease was made in a lab, caused by 5G networks, and was a product of the “deep state. #ByeGurls • Out Music: Pop/R&B vocalist Malia Civetz recently released her new single and video, “Heart Broke,” chronicling the relatable feeling of early, exciting, whirlwind romance – regardless of potential heartbreak. Malia’s passionate voice booms over the punchy production like a clarion call asking, “What’s a girl gotta do to get her heart broke?” Back in March, I shared Civetz’s “Broke Boy” music video here.

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Trump Wanted To Disperse Unemployment Benefits Via Imaginary Federal System

Donald Trump
Donald Trump took to Twitter today to lay the blame on Democrats for any delays Americans see in receiving additional unemployment funds provided under coronavirus relief legislation. “Blame the Democrats for any ‘lateness’ in your Enhanced Unemployment Insurance,” Trump tweeted. “I wanted the money to be paid directly, they insisted it be paid by states for distribution,” Trump added. “I told them this would happen, especially with many states which have old computers.”

As I’m sure you know, there is no federal system by which unemployment benefits can be paid. All unemployment is paid via each individual state. The $2.2 trillion emergency relief package overwhelmingly passed in Congress last month expanded the size and scope of unemployment benefits, kicking in an additional $600 to weekly unemployment checks. The legislation also expanded benefits to include freelance workers, self-employed and participants in the gig economy. One of the issues delaying these benefits is the fact that states have never paid benefits to those workers, so the sign-up process has required adapting systems in every state. But many people report encounters of crashing systems and busy phone lines as states struggle with unprecedented unemployment levels. CNN reports payments will be applied retroactively for claims starting March 29 in most, if not all, states.

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Liar In Chief: ‘People Say I’m The Hardest Working President In History’

Donald Trump

Someone at the White House missed their shift in the presidential nursery again. Donald Trump rage tweeted today claiming to be “the hardest working President in history” and not getting credit for it.

Trump really wants to be viewed as ‘hard-working’ and hates that the press notes his many, many golf outings, etc. While he claims to have not left the White House “in many months,” USA Today notes, “During this time, Trump played golf on Jan. 18 and 19, Feb. 1 and 15, and March 7 and 8, according to the Trump Golf Count website. He hosted rallies on Jan. 9 (Toledo, Ohio); 14 (Milwaukee), 28 (Wildwood, N.J.) and 30 (Des Moines, Iowa), as well as Feb. 10 (Manchester, N.H.), 19 (Phoenix), 20 (Colorado Springs), 21 (Las Vegas) and 28 (Charleston, S.C.).” Trump then turned on those reporters who “have received ‘Noble Prizes'” (Nobel Prizes?) for their reporting on Russia’s confirmed interference in the 2016 presidential election. Note – There is no Noble Prize or Noble Committee. There is a Nobel Prize and a Nobel Committee, but there is no Nobel Prize for reporting. There are Pulitzer Prizes for journalism, but at this point, do real facts or details matter when it comes to President Baby Hands?

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Report: North Korea’s Kim Jong Un In ‘Vegetative State’

L-R Kim Jong Un of North Korea, Donald Trump
Via MarketWatch:

North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un is in a “vegetative state” after he underwent heart surgery earlier this month, a Japanese magazine says.

The weekly Shukan Gendai reported Friday that a Chinese medic sent to North Korea as part of a team to treat Kim believed a delay in a simple procedure left the leader severely ill, Reuters reported.

North Korean media hasn’t mentioned Kim’s health or whereabouts, even though reports by other media have sparked international speculation about his well-being.

The Chinese expert told the magazine that Kim clutched his chest and fell to the ground on a visit to the countryside earlier this month. A doctor accompanying Kim performed CPR and took him to a nearby hospital.

Kim, believed to be 36, needed a stent procedure, which calls for placing a tube into a congested blood vessel to allow blood to keep flowing to the heart, according to Shukan Gendai.

Earlier this week, Seoul-based website Daily NK reported that Kim was recovering after undergoing a cardiovascular procedure on April 12.

Twitter responds:

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Navy Recommends Reinstating Captain Crozier, Waiting On Defense Sec Approval

Captain Crozier (image via U.S. Navy)
While the chief of Naval Operations has recommended Captain Brett Crozier be reinstated as commander of the U.S.S. Theodore Roosevelt, Navy officials are surprised Defense Secretary Mark Esper hasn’t signed off on the reinstatement. Crozier was removed from his command after he emailed superiors with concerns for his crew regarding the coronavirus. Crozier was dismissed by then-acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly after the letter leaked. At the time, Crozier was characterized as having sent the email to 20-30 people. It was later revealed he only sent his concerns to 3 admirals and copied 7 captains. Modly resigned after he traveled to Guam to give a speech about the Roosevelt that berated Crozier as “stupid” or “naive.” From the NY Times:

Capt. Brett E. Crozier should be restored to command of the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt, the Navy’s top officials recommended on Friday.

But Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper, who was briefed on the recommendations, has asked for more time to consider whether he will sign off on the reinstatement of the captain of the nuclear-powered carrier.

Mr. Esper received the recommendation that Captain Crozier be reinstated from the chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Michael M. Gilday, and the acting Navy Secretary, James McPherson, on Friday. Defense Department officials said earlier that they expected to announce the results of the Navy’s investigation into the matter on Friday afternoon.

Mr. Esper’s decision to hold up the investigation has surprised Navy officials, who believed that the defense secretary would leave the process in the hands of the military chain of command.

As of today, the Navy reports 856 positive cases of coronavirus have been found among the USS Roosevelt crew, with 112 recovered and four in the hospital. One sailor died last week. CNN offers this recap of the backstory and updates:

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News Round-Up: April 24, 2020

Canadian Idol winner Theo Tams (press photo)
***Re-upping this post as it didn’t seem to post correctly last night*** Some news items you might have missed: • OutSports: Brock Weston, a 25-year-old college hockey player from Marion University in Font du Lac, Wisconsin, came out to his hockey team and was surprised by the reaction. “People I thought would disown me or become even more cruel were among the first to voice their acceptance.” • NBC News: A top Health and Human Services official who said he was transferred from his post for pushing back on “efforts to fund potentially dangerous drugs promoted by those with political connections” felt pressured to rush access to chloroquine treatments for coronavirus after President Donald Trump had a conversation about it with a mega-rich donor • Out Music: Canadian singer/songwriter and pianist Theo Tams (above) drops his new video “The Last Song” which features the Canadian Idol winner as a character chameleon of sorts, all in the name of self-love and care. “The song represents the moment you realize your own self-worth,” says Tams. “It’s about recognizing you are enough and letting go of the past. Finally.”

• NY Times: The Trump administration is considering cutting back on sharing intelligence with partner countries that criminalize homosexuality as part of a push by the acting director of national intelligence, Richard Grenell, to prod those nations to change their laws. • OUT: On April 26, the Schitt’s Creek cast will join other Canadian celebrities in a commercial-free 90-minute special to support front-line workers fighting the global pandemic. Titled Stronger Together, Tous Ensembles, the display will feature musical artists like Michael Buble and Justin Bieber, as well as Cirque Du Soleil and Avril Lavigne. • SiriusXM: Host Jess Cagle speaks to Eric McCormack, Sean Hayes, and Debra Messing about the pride they feel over their “goofy sitcom” and its cultural impact. The final episode of the series airs tonight at 9 pm ET on NBC. The finale is followed by a retrospective, “A Will & Graceful Goodbye,” at 9:30 p.m.

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Trump: ‘I Was Being Sarcastic About Injecting Disinfectant’

After Donald Trump suggested during a White House press briefing on Thursday that perhaps medical experts should look into some sort of “injections” of “disinfectant” might be a possible treatment for COVID-19, Trump walked those remarks back saying he was just being ‘sarcastic.’ “I was asking it sarcastically to reporters just like you to see what would happen,” Trump said in the Oval Office today. You can see the Trumpster pull the ‘sarcastic’ card in the first tweet below along with his video of his actual comments during yesterday’s press briefing where he clearly directed his questions about disinfectant to his medical experts.