Category: News

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News Round-Up: April 9, 2020

Mitch Fit (image via Instagram)
Some news items you might have missed: • InstaHunks: Woofy ginger Mitch Fit (above) is catching up on his reading during COVID-19 quarantining. I just finished an autobiography by an America’s Got Talent alum for an interview soon to come. Who else is reading to pass the time these days? And what? Share in the comments section. • KIT212: Leftover fabric from the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt is now being used to make coronavirus masks. • Deadline: ABC’s hit sitcom Modern Family may have ended its 11 season run last night, but a “Cam & Mitchell” spinoff could happen… • NowThis News: Donald Trump called mail-in voting ‘corrupt’ moments before confirming that he himself voted by mail this year. Democrats have pushed for funding for expanded vote-by-mail elections as part of debates on COVID-19 stimulus bills. Trump told Fox News vote-by-mail would endanger GOP election chances.

Salon: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday quietly removed bizarre guidelines for using the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine as a potential treatment for the new coronavirus. The unproven treatment has been repeatedly hyped by President Donald Trump in spite of the warnings of Dr. Anthony Fauci. • Daily Kos: The former acting Navy secretary’s round-trip flight to Guam to tell the crew of the USS Roosevelt why their commander, Capt. Brett Crozier, was fired after he penned a letter to higher-ups pleading for help with COVID-19 infections on his ship, cost American taxpayers more than $243,000. • Power99: A Mississippi barber has died from the coronavirus after his family says he continued to cut customers’ hair during the pandemic. Eugene Thompson tested positive on March 22 and felt symptoms as early as March 17. However, it appeared that he was still accepting clients at his shop as well around that time, social media posts show. • InstaHunks 2: Singer/songwriter Justin Utley – who I recently interviewed for his terrific new single and music video “American Nightmare” – is looking super-jacked these days. Dang…

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6.6 Million New Applications For Unemployment This Week

  From NBC News:

Another wave of 6.6 million American workers filed first-time unemployment claims for the week ending April 4, bringing the cumulative total to an astonishing 16 million over the past three weeks.

For the week ending March 21, 3.3 million people filed new unemployment claims, easily shattering the previous record set in 1982 of 695,000.

Last week, that astounding figure doubled, as 6.6 million people filed claims for the week ending March 28 — a figure that was revised upward to 6.9 million in the new release.

Mark Zandi, a chief economist at Moody’s Analytics, predicts unemployment could reach as high as 15 percent later this spring.

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News Round-Up: April 8, 2020

Some news items you might have missed: • Broadway: Broadway choreographer Bob Avian (above), who worked alongside director/choreographer Michael Bennett on his greatest achievements (Follies, Company, A Chorus Line, Dreamgirls) has written a not-to-be-missed autobiography. Click here to find it on Amazon. • Washington Blade: Advocacy groups have sharply criticized a bill that would prevent transgender people in Hungary from legally changing their gender. Without the ability to legally change their gender marker, trans people face harsh workplace and healthcare discrimination can be accused of stealing when they use their credit cards, and questioned whenever they use their ID. • The Gaily Grind: President Trump on Tuesday falsely claimed that his daughter and senior advisor Ivanka Trump had “created 15 million jobs” before the economy imploded as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Trump has repeatedly claimed that Ivanka has created 15 million jobs even though official estimates indicate the country had gained only 6.7 million jobs since 2017 before the recent economic collapse. • CNN: A new SSRS poll shows 43% say Donald Trump is doing everything he could to fight the outbreak, while 55% say he could be doing more. Trump’s overall approval rating in the polling stands at 44% approve to 51% disapprove. • WFSU: The Tallahassee City Council unanimously voted to ban so-called ‘conversion therapy’ for minors in the Florida city today. “The Trevor Project applauds the Tallahassee City Commission for taking bold action to protect LGBTQ young people from conversion therapy,” said The Trevor Project’s Sam Brinton in a statement. “This new ordinance will send a message to the LGBTQ youth of Tallahassee that they should be proud of who they are, and hopefully, it will inspire other localities in Florida to take similar action as well.” • RealClearPolitics: The news today that Sen. Bernie Sanders (VT-I) dropped out of the race for the Democratic presidential nomination comes a day after Wisconsin voters went to the polls. We won’t have tallies until next Monday, but perhaps Sanders got exit polling that mirrored recent polls showing former Vice President Joe Biden leading in the state by 28 points. • Raw Story: Donald Trump on Tuesday boasted about the television ratings that he’s been getting for his daily coronavirus press briefings at a time when deaths from the disease in the United States have surged past 13,000.

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News Round-Up: April 7, 2020

Mike Yerxa (image via Instagram)
Some news items you might have missed: • InstaHunks: Who else is baking during this coronavirus thing? Toronto hottie Mike Yerxa (above – serious beard goals!!!) shows his pride in his newly-baked banana bread. • The Hill: Twitter founder Jack Dorsey, whose net worth is estimated at $3.3 billion, announced Tuesday that he will donate $1 billion to the newly-founded Start Small Foundation to support “global COVID-19 relief” efforts. Dorsey ranks 168 on the Forbes 400 list, so there are 167 American billionaires with more money than him. Will they pony-up as well? • MSNBC: Donald Trump thinks mail-in voting is “horrible,” but he voted by mail in Florida’s election last month. “Because I’m allowed to.” In 2016, there were nearly 33 million absentee votes counted, according to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission. More than 600,000 military and other overseas voters cast ballots in 2016.

• Washington Blade: At a press conference last Friday, Donald Trump was asked about the FDA easing its outdated blood donation rules for gay and bisexual men from a 12-month wait to 3-months. The Donald, who frames himself as ‘good for the gays’ admitted he didn’t know anything or have anything to do with the new guidelines. • Variety: Netflix is releasing an extra episode of the hit docu-series Tiger King next week, according to zoo owner Jeff Lowe from the show. “Netflix is adding one more episode,” said Lowe in a video posted on Twitter by Justin Turner of the Los Angeles Dodgers. “It will be on next week. They’re filming here tomorrow.” #ItsNotOver • NewNowNext: Lady Gaga and advocacy group Global Citizen teamed up to raise $35 million in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic, and will celebrate with a talent-filled TV special honoring health care workers on April 18, starting at 8pm EST. In the United States, it will be shown simultaneously on CBS, NBC, and ABC. The special will include appearances by Elton John, Lizzo, John Legend, Billie Eilish, Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder, David Beckham, Alanis Morissette, Andrea Bocelli, Kacey Musgraves, Keith Urban, Maluma, Idris Elba, and more. • Talking Points Memo: Clad in gloves, a mask and full-length gown, Wisconsin Speaker Robin Vos (R) assured voters that it is “incredibly safe to go out” on Election Day despite the COVID-19 pandemic. Vos and his fellow Republicans were behind the push to keep Wisconsin’s elections as scheduled, in part, because there’s a state Supreme Court seat on the ballot and conservatives do better when fewer folks show up. Vos looks silly telling people “incredibly safe” wearing all his hospital gear…

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Acting Navy Secretary Resigns After Attacking Relieved Captain As “Naive/Stupid”

Captain Brett Crozier was removed as commander of the USS Theodore Roosevelt last week for attempting to alert the Navy about mounting concerns about the spread of COVid-19 on his ship. Apparently, the Trump administration thought it “looked bad” for Navy captains going public with unsafe situations. “We are not at war. Sailors do not need to die. If we do not act now, we are failing to properly take care of our most trusted asset: our Sailors,” Crozier wrote in a memo that three US defense officials confirmed to CNN. Video footage of Crozier being cheered by his crew as he left the Roosevelt went viral. Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly (above) then traveled to Guam where the ship was docked on Monday to address the crew. During his speech, he called Crozier “too naive or too stupid” to be in charge. Hours later, he was ordered by Defense Secretary Mark Esper to apologize. It would seem that wasn’t enough to stop the bad press, as Modly has now submitted his resignation for the dumb AF remarks. From CNN:

Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly resigned on Tuesday, a day after leaked audio revealed he called the ousted commander of the USS Theodore Roosevelt “stupid” in an address to the ship’s crew, according to a US official and a former senior military official.

On Monday, Modly told the crew of the Roosevelt that their former commander, Capt. Brett Crozier, was either “too naive or too stupid” to be in command or that he intentionally leaked a memo to the media, in which Crozier warned about coronavirus spreading aboard the aircraft carrier and urged action to save his sailors, according to remarks obtained by CNN.

According to Peter Baker of the NY Times, “After excoriating Crozier, Modly did not tour the ship, saw few of the crew and was gone in less than 30 minutes. Questions solicited for him were screened but he did not answer a single one.” As of today, 230 sailors aboard the Roosevelt have tested positive for coronavirus. Undersecretary of the Army James McPherson, a retired rear admiral and former judge advocate general of the Navy, has been named as Modly’s successor.

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Having Held Zero Press Briefings, White House Press Secretary Exits After 8 Months

L-R Kayleigh McEnany, Trish Regan
After eight months as White House press secretary, Stephanie Grisham is exiting the post during which she held no regular press briefings traditionally associated with the job. Trump campaign spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany will replace Grisham as press secretary, and Grisham will toddle back to First Lady Melania Trump’s staff as chief of staff and spokesperson. McEnany, a longtime true Trumper, comes with her own baggage to the position. For instance, she recently insisted Trump would stop the coronavirus before it impacted Americans. During an appearance in late February with (now-departed) Fox Business host Trish Regan, McEnany said, “This president will always put America first, he will always protect American citizens. We will not see diseases like the coronavirus come here, we will not see terrorism come here.” She added, “And isn’t that refreshing when contrasting it with the awful presidency of President Obama?” Since making that statement over 383,000 Americans have tested positive for COVID-19.

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Podcast: Blood Donations, Anti-LGBTQ Hate Groups, A Virtual Pride Celebration

The Randy Report podcast

The Randy Report podcast delivers the week's top stories in a quick, convenient podcast - 'the 60 Minutes of gay news - only shorter' In this week’s podcast: • The FDA issues new guidelines regarding gay and bisexual men donating blood • A new report shows anti-LGBTQ hate groups are on the rise in the U.S. • Get ready to live-stream a global Pride celebration this June • Sean Hayes reflects on saying goodbye to Will & Grace a second time All that and more in this episode of The Randy Report

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New York Sees First Decline In Daily COVID-19 Deaths

The state of New York reported its first decline in daily coronavirus deaths possibly signaling better days on the horizon. From Bloomberg News:

New York State reported 594 new coronavirus deaths on Sunday, fewer than the 630 it reported on Saturday, Governor Andrew Cuomo said at his daily news briefing. The state has had 4,159 fatalities so far.

New Jersey, which has the second-highest number of U.S. cases, reported a slowdown in the death rate: Fatalities rose by 71 on Sunday, compared with 200 the day before. It also reported fewer new cases, 3,381, for a total of 37,505. Total deaths are 917.

As President Donald Trump and other leaders warned of rising death tolls, Cuomo said it was too early to say if the outbreak had reached a peak in New York — the center of the nation’s outbreak.

“You could argue that you are seeing a plateauing,” he told reporters in Albany. “Next week they will tell you whether we are on a plateau or is it just a blip,” he said, referring to statisticians.

Additional encouraging signs: New hospitalizations declined to 574 on Sunday from 1,095, and 74% of those hospitalized have been discharged.

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Jake Tapper To Trump: ‘This Isn’t About Winning A News Cycle’

CNN’s Jake Tapper addressed Donald Trump directly today on-air asking questions many Americans – like myself – would like answered.

“If I can take a moment, I would like to speak directly to one person known to watch this show, or at least clips of this show, President Trump.

“Mr. President, I know you, like millions of Americans, are eager to have the nation go back to some semblance of normal. One of the questions the American people need answered for that to happen responsibly: What’s the plan?

“Is there a plan for widespread testing of every American so as to isolate the virus — the way other countries have done? When will there be enough tests for that to happen? How will they be administered? Who will pay for the tests and the results? Who will notify us as to whether we’ve tested positive or not and what to do then?

[snip]

“This isn’t about winning a news cycle on Fox, please. The American people right now need someone to explain what is going to be done to get us out of this. It’s a moment that requires leadership. It requires honest information. It requires empathy. And it requires a plan. Do you have one?”

Sadly, I think we know the answers to those questions.

(h/t JoeMyGod)